[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3705 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.3705

                     One Hundred Nineteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Saturday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty six


                                 An Act


 
     To provide for the creation of a congressional time capsule in 
 commemoration of the semiquincentennial of the United States, and for 
                             other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Semiquincentennial Congressional 
Time Capsule Act''.
SEC. 2. SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL CONGRESSIONAL TIME CAPSULE.
    (a) Creation by Architect of the Capitol.--The Architect of the 
Capitol shall create a congressional time capsule, to be known as the 
``Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule'' (in this Act referred 
to as the ``Time Capsule'').
    (b) Contents.--
        (1) Determination by congressional leadership.--The Office of 
    the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Office of the Minority 
    Leader of the House of Representatives, Office of the Majority 
    Leader of the Senate, and Office of the Minority Leader of the 
    Senate shall jointly determine the contents of the Time Capsule, 
    taking into account the requirements of paragraph (2).
        (2) Contents.--
            (A) In general.--The contents of the Time Capsule shall 
        include--
                (i) a single, joint letter from the offices described 
            in paragraph (1); and
                (ii) any other item that the offices described in 
            paragraph (1) jointly determine appropriate.
            (B) Limitations.--Any item included in the Time Capsule 
        under subparagraph (A)--
                (i) shall be made of materials that pose a low risk of 
            degrading, such as metal or archival paper; and
                (ii) shall not be made of any organic or inorganic 
            material that poses a high risk of degrading.
        (3) Size.--The Time Capsule shall be not more than 50 inches 
    wide, 32 inches deep, and 48 inches high.
        (4) Consultation.--In carrying out this subsection, the offices 
    described in paragraph (1) may consult with the Architect of the 
    Capitol, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and such 
    other entities of the Federal Government as the offices consider 
    appropriate.
    (c) Duties of Architect.--The Architect of the Capitol shall--
        (1) prepare the Time Capsule to be sealed and buried in the 
    Capitol Visitor Center, at a location specified by the Architect, 
    with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration of 
    the Senate and the Committee on House Administration of the House 
    of Representatives, on or before July 4th, 2026, at a time which 
    would permit individuals attending this event to also attend the 
    burial of a time capsule in Independence Mall in Philadelphia, 
    Pennsylvania, under section 7(f)(1) of the United States 
    Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 (36 U.S.C. 101 note 
    prec.); and
        (2) install a plaque to provide such information about the Time 
    Capsule as the Architect, with the approval of the Committee on 
    Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on House 
    Administration of the House of Representatives, considers 
    appropriate.
    (d) Unsealing.--The Time Capsule shall be sealed until July 4th, 
2276, on which date the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 
Majority Leader of the Senate shall present the Time Capsule to the 
244th Congress, and such Congress shall determine how the contents 
within should be preserved or used.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.