Sponsors (6)
The bill creates a dedicated, bipartisan federal advisory council to strengthen preservation of African American history and culture and broaden compensated expert participation, trading off a risk of politicized appointments, added taxpayer costs, and reduced automatic oversight safeguards.
Researchers, museums, cultural institutions, and schools gain a permanent federal advisory council to evaluate and recommend policies for preserving and promoting African American history and culture.
The Council provides regular expert oversight and recommendations intended to improve the National Endowment for the Humanities' programs' effectiveness and coordination in supporting African American cultural preservation.
A mandated bipartisan composition (six Democrats and six Republicans) is intended to increase political balance in advisory recommendations and reduce the risk of single‑party influence over preservation policy.
Requiring exactly six Democrats and six Republicans may exclude highly qualified nonpartisan experts, politicize appointments and leadership, and erode public trust in the Council's cultural‑preservation decisions.
Exempting the Council from the Federal Advisory Committee Act termination provision reduces automatic review and termination safeguards, potentially limiting external accountability and transparency.
Compensation and travel reimbursements create new federal expenditures over the Council's 10‑year life, increasing costs for taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a 12-member, bipartisan council in NEH to monitor programs, advise on preservation, produce studies, and report annually, sunsetting after 10 years.
Official title: Establish a National Council on African American History and Culture within the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Angela Deneece Alsobrooks · Last progress February 12, 2026
Creates a 12-member National Council on African American History and Culture within the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The Council members are presidential appointees (Senate-confirmed) serving staggered five-year terms, paid per diem at half the top senior-level daily rate, required to meet at least twice a year, and tasked with reviewing NEH programs, preservation efforts, and developing policy recommendations; the council expires 10 years after enactment.