Sponsors (35)
Creates a federal advisory council to increase attention, guidance, and support for preserving African American history and culture, but does so at modest taxpayer cost and with structural rules (partisan parity, limited reappointment, and a sunset) that could limit expertise, representation, and long‑term effectiveness.
African American communities and the general public: establishes a dedicated 12‑member Presidential Advisory Council to raise national attention, coordinate preservation efforts, and advise on preserving and celebrating African American history and culture.
Schools, universities, and public history projects: the Council will produce authoritative reports and recommendations that can inform curricula, exhibitions, and public programs about African American history.
Museums, nonprofits, and cultural organizations: regular monitoring and recommendations from the Council are likely to increase visibility and potentially lead to more federal support for organizations preserving African American history.
Appointment and leadership rules (strict party parity and requirement that Chair and Vice Chair be from different parties) may prioritize partisan balance over subject‑matter expertise and limit representative leadership, reducing the Council's effectiveness and culturally sensitive decisionmaking.
Longer-term impact and institutional continuity: prohibitions on immediate reappointment for members and the automatic 10‑year sunset risk loss of institutional knowledge and make sustained follow‑through on recommendations harder.
Taxpayers and federal budget: creating and operating a new 12‑member advisory council will incur federal costs for member compensation, travel, and administration.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Kweisi Mfume · Last progress February 12, 2026
Creates a 12-member advisory council housed in the National Endowment for the Humanities to advise on preservation, celebration, and policy for African American history and culture. Members are presidential appointees confirmed by the Senate, must be private U.S. citizens with relevant expertise, are evenly split by political party, serve staggered terms, receive limited per diem pay, and the council must produce reports and recommendations to NEH and the President; it sunsets after 10 years.