Sponsors (2)
The bill increases public access to a Thomas Paine memorial in a prominent D.C. site but does so by carving out an exception to siting rules that could limit Area I availability and set a precedent weakening placement predictability.
Students, tourists, and history enthusiasts gain a dedicated Thomas Paine commemorative work placed in a prominent Area I location in Washington, D.C., increasing public access and visibility for Paine's legacy.
Future memorial applicants and federal agencies face reduced predictability in memorial siting because the bill overrides 40 U.S.C. § 8908(b)(1), creating a precedent for waiving statutory placement restrictions.
Other memorials, national observances, and uses of scarce central D.C. federal land may be constrained because locating the Thomas Paine memorial in Area I consumes limited space near core national monuments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes placement of the Thomas Paine commemorative work within Area I of Washington, D.C., as shown on a specified NCPC map and designates the short title.
Approves a specific site in Area I of the District of Columbia for the previously authorized Thomas Paine commemorative work, overriding a location restriction in federal law. Also gives the law a short title for citation. The bill names the statute's short title and explicitly authorizes the commemorative work to be placed at the site shown on a specified National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) map, despite the usual limitation in 40 U.S.C. § 8908(b)(1).
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