[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5194 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5194
To prescribe Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 8, 2025
Mr. Kiley of California (for himself and Mr. Moore of West Virginia)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prescribe Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, 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 ``Beautifying Federal Civic
Architecture Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES.
It is the policy of the United States that--
(1) applicable Federal public buildings should--
(A) uplift and beautify public spaces;
(B) inspire the human spirit;
(C) ennoble the United States;
(D) command respect from the general public;
(E) be visually identifiable as civic buildings;
and
(F) as appropriate, respect regional architectural
heritage;
(2) designs for applicable Federal public buildings should
be selected with substantial input from the local community;
(3) architecture, particularly traditional architecture and
classical architecture, that meets the criteria described in
paragraph (1) is the preferred architecture for applicable
Federal public buildings;
(4) in the District of Columbia, classical architecture is
the preferred and default architecture for applicable Federal
public buildings absent exceptional factors necessitating
another kind of architecture;
(5) where the architecture of applicable Federal public
buildings diverges from the criteria described in paragraph
(1), great care and consideration shall be taken to choose a
design that--
(A) commands respect from the general public; and
(B) clearly conveys to the general public the
dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the system
of self-government of the United States;
(6) when renovating, reducing, or expanding applicable
Federal public buildings that do not meet the criteria
described in paragraph (1), the feasibility and potential
expense of building redesign to meet that criteria should be
examined; and
(7) where feasible and economical, a redesign described in
paragraph (6) should be given substantial consideration,
especially with respect to the exterior of the applicable
Federal public building.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) 2025 dollars.--The term ``2025 dollars'' means dollars
adjusted for inflation using the Gross Domestic Product price
deflator of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, with 2025 as the
base year.
(2) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the
General Services Administration.
(3) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of General Services.
(4) Applicable federal public building.--
(A) In general.--The term ``applicable Federal
public building'' means--
(i) any Federal courthouse;
(ii) any Federal agency headquarters;
(iii) any public building in the National
Capital region (as defined in section 8702 of
title 40, United States Code); and
(iv) any other public building, the cost or
expected cost to design, build, and finish of
which is more than $50,000,000 in 2025 dollars.
(B) Exclusions.--The term ``applicable Federal
public building'' does not include an infrastructure
project or a land port of entry.
(5) Brutalist architecture.--The term ``Brutalist
architecture'' means the style of architecture that grew out of
the early 20th-century modernist movement that is characterized
by a massive and block-like appearance with a rigid geometric
style and large-scale use of exposed poured concrete.
(6) Classical architecture.--
(A) In general.--The term ``classical
architecture'' means the architectural tradition--
(i) derived from the forms, principles, and
vocabulary of the architecture of Greek and
Roman antiquity; and
(ii) later developed and expanded on by--
(I) Renaissance architects,
including Alberti, Brunelleschi,
Michelangelo, and Palladio;
(II) Enlightenment masters,
including Robert Adam, John Soane, and
Christopher Wren;
(III) 19th Century architects,
including Benjamin Henry Latrobe,
Robert Mills, and Thomas U. Walter; and
(IV) 20th Century practitioners,
including Julian Abele, Daniel Burnham,
Rafael Carmoega, Charles F. McKim, John
Russell Pope, Julia Morgan, and the
firm of Delano and Aldrich.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``classical
architecture'' includes styles such as Neoclassical,
Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Art
Deco.
(7) Deconstructivist architecture.--The term
``Deconstructivist architecture'' means the style of
architecture--
(A) generally known as ``deconstructivism''; and
(B) that emerged during the late 1980s and features
fragmentation, disorder, discontinuity, distortion,
skewed geometry, and the appearance of instability.
(8) General public.--The term ``general public'' means
members of the public who are not--
(A) artists, architects, engineers, art or
architecture critics, instructors or professors of art
or architecture, or members of the building industry;
or
(B) affiliated with any interest group, trade
association, or any other organization whose membership
is financially affected by decisions involving the
design, construction, or remodeling of public
buildings.
(9) Officer.--The term ``officer'' has the meaning given
the term in section 2104 of title 5, United States Code.
(10) Preferred architecture.--The term ``preferred
architecture'' means the architecture described in section
2(3).
(11) Public building.--The term ``public building'' has the
meaning given the term in section 3301(a) of title 40, United
States Code.
(12) Traditional architecture.--The term ``traditional
architecture'' includes--
(A) classical architecture; and
(B) the historic humanistic architecture, including
Gothic, Romanesque, Second Empire, Pueblo Revival,
Spanish Colonial, and other Mediterranean styles of
architecture historically rooted in various regions of
the United States.
SEC. 4. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR FEDERAL ARCHITECTURE.
To the maximum extent practicable, all Federal agencies shall
adhere to the following Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture
(referred to in this Act as the ``Guiding Principles''):
(1) Preferred architectural style.--
(A) In general.--Provide requisite and adequate
facilities in a preferred architectural style and form
that is distinguished and reflects the dignity,
enterprise, vigor, and stability of the Federal
Government which, by its proven ability to meet those
requirements, shall be classical architecture and
traditional architecture, while not excluding the
possibility of alternative architectural styles in
appropriate circumstances.
(B) Requirements.--In carrying out subparagraph
(A), each Federal agency shall ensure that--
(i) major emphasis is placed on the choice
of design that embodies architectural
excellence;
(ii) specific attention is paid to the
possibilities of incorporating into that design
qualities that reflect the regional
architectural traditions of the area of the
United States in which the applicable Federal
public building is located;
(iii) where appropriate, fine art is
incorporated into that design, with emphasis on
the work of living American artists;
(iv) the design adheres to sound
construction practice and uses proven
dependable materials, methods, and equipment;
and
(v) applicable Federal public buildings are
economical to build, operate, and maintain and
accessible to the handicapped.
(2) Flow of design.--
(A) In general.--Design must flow from the needs of
the Federal Government and the aspirations and
preferences of the people of the United States to the
architectural profession, and not vice versa.
(B) Requirements.--In carrying out subparagraph
(A), each Federal agency shall--
(i) be willing to pay additional costs to
avoid excessive uniformity in the design of
applicable Federal public buildings;
(ii) where appropriate, carry out
competitions for the design of applicable
Federal public buildings; and
(iii) prior to the awarding of important
design contracts, seek the advice of
distinguished architects practiced in classical
architecture or traditional architecture.
(3) Building sites.--
(A) In general.--The choice and development of the
site of an applicable Federal public building shall be
considered the first step of the design process, which
shall be the made in cooperation with State and local
agencies.
(B) Requirements.--In carrying out subparagraph
(A), each Federal agency shall--
(i) pay special attention to the general
ensemble of streets and public places of which
the applicable Federal public buildings will
form a part; and
(ii) where possible, ensure applicable
Federal public buildings are located in a way
so as to permit a generous development of
landscape.
SEC. 5. GSA REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall--
(1) adhere to the policy of the United States described in
section 2 and the Guiding Principles; and
(2) expeditiously update policies and procedures of the
Administration--
(A) to incorporate the policy of the United States
described in section 2 and the Guiding Principles; and
(B) to advance the purpose of this Act.
(b) Requirements.--In adhering to the policy of the United States
described in section 2 and the Guiding Principles, the Administrator
shall--
(1) ensure that architects employed by the Administration,
whose duties include reviewing, assisting with, or approving
the selection of architects or designs for applicable Federal
public buildings, have formal training in, or substantial and
significant experience with, classical architecture or
traditional architecture;
(2) establish a position of Senior Advisor for
Architectural Design in the Administration, which shall be
filled by an individual with specialized experience in
classical architecture or traditional architecture, the
responsibilities of which shall be--
(A) to assist in the development of Administration
procedures relating to carrying out this Act;
(B) to advise on architectural standards; and
(C) to provide guidance to the Administrator during
design evaluations or design juries;
(3) where the design of an applicable Federal public
building is selected pursuant to a design-build competition
under section 3309 of title 41, United States Code--
(A) list experience with classical architecture or
traditional architecture as specialized experience and
technical competence in the phase-one solicitation; and
(B) give substantial weight to those factors when
evaluating which offerors will be advanced to phase-
two; and
(4) consistent with sections 4302 and 4312 of title 5,
United States Code, make advancing the purposes and
implementing the policies of this Act a critical performance
element in the individual performance plans of the Chief
Architect of the Administration and appropriate subordinate
employees in the Public Buildings Service involved in selecting
designs for applicable Federal public buildings.
(c) Design Competitions.--In addition to the requirements described
in subsection (b)(3), if the Administrator intends to select a building
design for an applicable Federal building pursuant to a design
competition, the Administrator shall--
(1) actively recruit architectural firms;
(2) as applicable, recruit designers with experience in
classical architecture and traditional architecture to enter
the competition; and
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that multiple
design modes are advanced to the final evaluation round.
(d) Notification.--
(1) In general.--If the Administrator proposes to approve a
design for a new applicable Federal public building that
diverges from the preferred architecture, including Brutalist
architecture, Deconstructivist architecture, or any design
derived from or related to those styles of architecture, the
Administrator shall submit to the Assistant to the President
for Domestic Policy, not later than 30 days before the date on
which the Administrator could reject the design without
incurring substantial expenditures, a notification in
accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) Requirements.--A notification submitted under paragraph
(1) shall describe the reasons the Administrator proposes to
approve a design described in that paragraph, including--
(A) a detailed explanation of why the Administrator
believes selecting the design is justified, with
particular focus on whether the design is as beautiful
and reflective of the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and
stability of the system of self-government in the
United States as alternative designs of comparable cost
using preferred architecture;
(B) the total expected cost of adopting the
proposed design, including estimated maintenance and
replacement costs throughout the expected lifecycle of
the design; and
(C)(i) a description of the designs using preferred
architecture seriously considered for the project; and
(ii) the total expected cost of adopting those
designs, including estimated maintenance and
replacement costs throughout the expected lifecycles of
those designs.
SEC. 6. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
(a) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this Act impairs or otherwise
affects--
(1) the authority granted by law to an executive department
or agency, or the head thereof; or
(2) the functions of the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or
legislative proposals.
(b) Implementation.--This Act shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) No Creation of Right or Benefit.--Nothing in this Act creates
any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or
in equity by any party against the United States, including--
(1) its departments, agencies, or entities;
(2) its officers, employees, or agents; or
(3) any other person.
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Annually, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the
Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of
Representatives a report relating to the carrying out of this Act,
detailing adherence to the policy of the United States described in
section 2 and the Guiding Principles.
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