Sponsors (4)
Requires the Library of Congress to create and maintain an oral history collection of firsthand accounts related to January 6, 2021, with a dedicated gift account and an initial FY2027 authorization of $500,000.
Official title: To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish an oral history program to collect certain video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials and written materials with respect to individuals who were affected by the events at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 6, 2026 by Norma Judith Torres · Last progress January 6, 2026
The bill establishes a centralized, funded mechanism to preserve and provide access to January 6 firsthand accounts—improving the historical record and oversight—while creating privacy risks for contributors, potential donor‑influence perceptions, administrative costs, and open‑ended funding and governance uncertainties for taxpayers.
Researchers, historians, journalists, courts, educators, and the public gain a centralized, cataloged digital archive of January 6 video, audio, and written firsthand accounts that preserves evidence, prioritizes at‑risk perspectives, and improves scholarship, journalism, and oversight.
Federal programs implementing the Act receive an immediate appropriation ($500,000 in FY2027) and an ongoing authorization, giving short‑term funding certainty to start or continue program activities.
The Library of Congress can accept private gifts and in‑kind support into a dedicated Treasury gift account, providing the program flexibility to raise funds while keeping donated dollars segregated for greater transparency and use as donors intended.
Taxpayers face the risk of open‑ended future spending because the authorization permits appropriations after FY2027 without caps or offsets, potentially creating ongoing budgetary liabilities.
Individuals who contribute testimonies or contemporaneous messages (interviewees, participants) may be exposed to harassment, privacy invasions, or legal risk if materials are made public.
Reliance on private donations combined with the Act naming no implementing agency creates governance and funding uncertainty—raising risks of uneven long‑term funding, unclear accountability, and ambiguity about who will manage or spend program funds.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates a Library of Congress oral history program to collect, preserve, and make available audio, video, and written first-person accounts from people who were present at or affected by the January 6, 2021, Capitol events. The bill authorizes an initial $500,000 for FY2027, allows the Library to accept and use donations restricted to the program, and permits partnerships to build a cataloged, indexed collection available through the National Digital Library.