Sponsor
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative · D-DC
Representative · D-DC
The bill creates a bipartisan expert commission to recommend ways to secure federal and public spaces while preserving access and free expression, trading modest upfront federal funding and administrative burdens — plus risks to civil liberties and politicization — for the prospect of expert-informed, coordinated security improvements.
Federal employees, visitors, and the public: a bipartisan expert commission will study and recommend ways to improve safety at federal and other public facilities while aiming to preserve public access.
People who use federal spaces and engage in protest or petitioning: the commission is explicitly charged to balance security with First Amendment freedoms, which can preserve free speech and civic access in recommendations.
Local businesses, jurisdictions, and taxpayers: guidance from the commission could reduce disruptive security measures, identify less-intrusive technologies, and help preserve pedestrian- and business-friendly urban design and local economic activity.
Visitors, protesters, and urban communities: commission recommendations could lead to increased surveillance, security screenings, or stricter access controls that reduce privacy and limit public civic access to federal spaces.
Taxpayers and the federal budget: the Act authorizes $10 million over two years and could trigger additional costs if recommended security upgrades are implemented, increasing spending or deficit pressure.
Federal agencies and staff: requirements to furnish information, support Commission work, process clearances, and prepare formal Executive comments within tight deadlines could divert agency resources and slow other work.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Creates a 21-member commission to study balancing public access to federal buildings with security and report recommendations to the President within two years; $5M/year authorized for FY2027–FY2028.
Official title: To establish the United States Commission on an Open Society with Security.
Introduced June 22, 2026 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress June 22, 2026
Creates a 21-member federal commission to study how to balance public access to federal buildings, property, and sites with measures to protect public safety and security. The commission will gather evidence, hold hearings, examine technologies and design practices, and produce a final report with recommendations to the President within two years of its first meeting. The President must transmit the report and any comments or proposed legislation to Congress within six months. The commission will operate for a limited term, require security clearances for members and staff to access classified information, and is authorized $5,000,000 for FY2027 and $5,000,000 for FY2028 to carry out its work. It terminates 90 days after submitting its final report.