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<dc:title>119 HR 9689 IH: Protecting Resources and Ensuring Stewardship of Enduring Records of Visual Expression Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2026-07-14</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 9689</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20260714">July 14, 2026</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="T000468">Ms. Titus</sponsor> (for herself and <cosponsor name-id="D000399">Mr. Doggett</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HPW00">Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure</committee-name>, and in addition to the Committee on <committee-name committee-id="HGO00">Oversight and Government Reform</committee-name>, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned</action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To protect publicly commissioned art, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H11D60EB942EC460CACF90997AB3BB447" style="OLC"> 
<section id="H030E084142B24DD59CB0F1623E3C9A85" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Protecting Resources and Ensuring Stewardship of Enduring Records of Visual Expression Act</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>PRESERVE Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H5C47360644284414BE5C7CDC4224F502"><enum>2.</enum><header>Protecting publicly commissioned art</header> <subsection id="HE5220EDB16224D8F9561892AAE23B1DC"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Covered art designation</header> <paragraph id="H67E05C4406D9495E8C83305294C6C24A"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Determination required by GSA</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Administrator determines excess property that is Federal real property is surplus property, the Administrator shall determine whether the surplus property contains covered art.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H063A90A73D884EA2B3F2E6FC9B817457"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Notification required</header><text>Not later than 60 days after the Administrator determines that surplus property is covered surplus property, the Administrator shall notify the appropriate congressional committees and each Member of Congress that represents the area where the surplus property is located of such designation.</text> </paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H0473F9C6B0EF4F148C6D4183C352B48F"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Preservation Committee</header> <paragraph id="HBB16A5E21DD64E4CB5D4A94A8B2D364F"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Establishment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 90 days before the initiation of the first demolition, transfer, or disposal of a covered surplus property, the Administrator shall establish a Preservation Committee for such covered surplus property.</text> </paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HCF0AEDC496AB4CB486198DD49A3E4C85"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Member</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">There shall be at least 3 and not more than 6 members of the Preservation Committee as follows:</text> <subparagraph id="HA01369F851C042849403B94E78E20F7D"><enum>(A)</enum><text>At least one member shall be a GSA Fine Arts Program employee who is a career employee in the civil service.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HC758C085BD934BBCA62CB6D2B6676787"><enum>(B)</enum><text>At least two members from different categories as follows:</text> <clause id="H6E44D0AD014C4C9A8F017B2A9D116CDF"><enum>(i)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">An expert in art conservation or art history in either the time period or medium of the covered art.</text></clause> 
<clause id="HB87D5A42ABC24444B0EB0BBC8E6F2717"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any GSA employee that is responsible for preserving the artwork in the Federal building, such as an Historic Preservation Program employee.</text></clause> <clause id="H5B46FCBE21A440DD94AA9CEEEC3426CB"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>Any other individual the Administrator determines has important historical knowledge about the creation or preservation of the covered artwork.</text></clause></subparagraph> </paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H44B83660B07A4CD08B09A85EC087A206"><enum>(3)</enum><header>GSA plan or alternatives required to be submitted</header><text>On the date on which the Preservation Committee is established, the Administrator shall provide the Preservation Committee with—</text> <subparagraph id="H981B2383D13C48E0AA5CC1E984307EE6"><enum>(A)</enum><text>a proposed plan of action for the sale, transfer, or demolition of the property; or</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HAFEF937EBBB2445EB352C1F4DFB90907"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a range of alternatives the Administrator is considering for the covered surplus property.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HBD68059B6EBB4D0A9CEAE8C941F2869D" commented="no"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Preservation plan</header> <subparagraph id="H5FE4D5F73FA34BE084193423BF1E72EC"><enum>(A)</enum><header>Submission of plan</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 90 days after the date on which the Preservation Committee is established, the Preservation Committee shall submit to the Administrator, the appropriate congressional committees, and each Member of Congress that represents the area where the surplus property is located a preservation plan for covered art within the surplus properties to preserve the covered artwork to the maximum extent possible, including through a preservation covenant in an outlease agreement and sale terms, or moving covered artwork to another facility or museum.</text> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H98DC6820AC404133BF87E534373B9A6B"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Availability of preservation plan on GSA website</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Administrator receives the preservation plan pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall make the plan publicly available on the GSA website for not less than 90 days.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H82C2208A3E394CD4904E87FB32C645C3"><enum>(C)</enum><header>Report required for missed deadline</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">If the Preservation Committee does not meet the deadline under subparagraph (A), the Committee shall submit to Congress and the Administrator a report explaining why the deadline was missed.</text></subparagraph> </paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HB3933B8BE9744D35AFBA6DB27AE06AC4"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Transfer of property</header><text>At the recommendation of the Preservation Committee, the Administrator may place the covered art on long-term loan to a museum or nonprofit organization, if the agreement to transfer includes the requirements described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (4).</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HDF7F45D6C172404793EB5D6504DC8013"><enum>(6)</enum><header>Condition for real property disposal</header><text>The Administrator may not dispose of, demolish, or outlease any covered surplus property unless—</text> 
<subparagraph id="H2A348281F3474DC08A5EF50F267DE0DE"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the Administrator has established a Preservation Committee for such covered surplus property and the Preservation Committee has finished the preservation plan for any covered art in the property, in accordance with paragraph (4); and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HDAC923C5A64A45D0B8C4525B983F80F5"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the Administrator certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the GSA is implementing such preservation plan and the covered artwork in such covered surplus property will remain publicly accessible under any future owners or tenants of the property.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H44EC044CD0C8436F9EF13D9B56E2E16A"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text> <paragraph id="H6F0EF9C7631F4A419C73784962971E6B"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Administrator</header><text>The term <term>Administrator</term> means the Administrator of General Services.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H3723A85DDF9042D088EE75E6E0760A47"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Appropriate congressional Committees</header><text>The term <term>appropriate congressional committees</term> means—</text> <subparagraph id="H4010C7179E1C4E0B9ABF3C30D2DE30A9"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives;</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H04E9C1B5E2704965A3FDDE9E21A8FC60"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H3170656D821042A4B74A7BE1D8C7F751"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H4B65F4B049424E47ADAA8E54A055C3DA" commented="no"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Civil service</header><text>The term <term>civil service</term> has the meaning given that term in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HFDD5B10A910C470E86618AE7A7AF340F"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Covered art</header><text>The term <term>covered art</term> means artwork that—</text> 
<subparagraph id="HCB3BADA4F56740788F9962D59DBD8F23"><enum>(A)</enum><text>is owned by the Federal Government; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H8EE786BC31A840F58684C8BD5E5A3276"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">is or was, within the preceding 5 years, managed by the General Services Administration Fine Arts Program, including any work commissioned using taxpayer funds under a Federal program established as part of the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt or commissioned through the GSA Art in Architecture program.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HDB2C093C2BB24A039D7FB522CEB6B83F"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Covered surplus property</header><text>The term <term>covered surplus property</term> means surplus property the Administrator determines contains covered art under subsection (a).</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HBBA64294105444288202C74FAC823806" commented="no"><enum>(6)</enum><header>Excess property; surplus property</header><text>The terms <term>excess property</term> and <term>surplus property</term> have the meaning given those terms in section 102 of title 40, United States Code.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HE389EF53B14144309C6BA68892293CC2"><enum>(7)</enum><header>GSA</header><text>The term <term>GSA</term> means the General Services Administration.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H1F5FE143EA59451AAE2901F629A4F78F" commented="no"><enum>(8)</enum><header>Nonprofit organization</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>nonprofit organization</term> means an organization that is described in <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">section 501(c)(3)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HE94BC0334B94457FAB02B1321728DF66"><enum>(9)</enum><header>Publicly accessible</header><text>The term <term>publicly accessible</term> means accessible to the general public on a regular and predictable basis.</text></paragraph></subsection> </section> </legis-body></bill>

