Sponsors (2)
Creates a visible Thomas Paine memorial that improves public access and educational value, while using prime federal space and establishing a precedent that weakens placement restrictions for future memorials.
Students, tourists, and history enthusiasts gain a dedicated Thomas Paine memorial in Area I of Washington, D.C., increasing public access to a prominent commemorative work and educational resource.
Future memorial planners and organizers (and the public) may face reduced predictability in memorial siting because this bill overrides placement restrictions in 40 U.S.C. § 8908(b)(1), creating a precedent for waiving established rules.
National observance groups and the public could see fewer available federal sites for other memorials or events because placing this memorial in Area I uses limited prime space near core national monuments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Permits the Thomas Paine commemorative work to be sited within Area I of DC at the NCPC-mapped location, waiving the statutory location restriction.
Official title: To approve the location of a commemorative work for Thomas Paine, America's indispensable and unsung Founding Father.
Introduced July 6, 2026 by Jamie Ben Raskin · Last progress July 6, 2026
Approves the specific location for a commemorative work honoring Thomas Paine to be placed within Area I of the District of Columbia and environs, waiving a statutory restriction that would otherwise prohibit placement there. It requires the work to be located on the site shown on a named NCPC map dated June 24, 2003. The bill only sets the short title and formally authorizes the previously authorized commemorative work to be sited at the approved location; it does not create new programs, appropriate funds, or change other legal requirements beyond the specified location approval.