Sponsors (11)
Introduced December 23, 2025 by April McClain Delaney · Last progress December 23, 2025
The bill preserves the Kennedy Center's historic name, federal usage consistency, and spending transparency for taxpayers, while trading off local board authority and creating risks of legal costs, logistical burdens, and heightened partisan conflict.
Taxpayers, federal employees, and visitors: The bill locks the Center's official name under Congressional/public control and requires federal agencies and publications to continue using the longstanding name, preventing unilateral renaming and reducing public confusion.
Schools, universities, patrons, and taxpayers: The bill prevents future renaming votes by the Board, providing name stability and predictable branding for the Center and its programs.
Taxpayers and the public: Trustees must report funds used for any name-change activities, increasing transparency about public or private spending related to the Center's name.
Trustees, federal employees, and taxpayers: The bill permanently bars the Board from future renaming votes, significantly reducing local governance flexibility and trustees' authority over the institution.
Taxpayers and the Center: Declaring board-led renaming unauthorized may prompt legal challenges and litigation, creating potential legal costs for the Center and taxpayers.
Taxpayers, trustees, and donors: Requiring immediate removal of signage (within one day) can impose expedited logistical and financial burdens on Trustees or donors who paid for changes.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Reverses a trustees' renaming of the Kennedy Center, restores its official name, bars the Board from renaming it, requires signage reversion, and mandates a 30‑day funds report to Congress.
Voids and reverses a trustees' vote that renamed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, requires removal of any signage or references inconsistent with the official name, bars the Board of Trustees from voting to rename the Center in the future, and directs the Trustees to report to Congress within 30 days on any public or private funds used to implement the name change. It also amends the statute governing the Center to prohibit future board renaming actions and records congressional findings about the Center's history and naming authority.