S 2765119th CongressIntroduced

Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act

Introduced: Sep 10, 2025

Technology & Innovation

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill would terminate the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress. It would remove the statutory basis for the committee by striking Chapter 27 of Title 44, U.S.C., effective 60 days after enactment. In its place, the bill requires annual reporting by the Director of the Center for Legislative Archives (National Archives) on how Congress’s records are managed and preserved, with copies to key archival and congressional offices. It also creates a requirement for a joint review by the Archivist of the United States, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Clerk of the House within specified timeframes after the Director’s report and after new duties begin for those offices. Definitions clarify who counts as Archivist, Secretary, Director, and Clerk.

Key Points

1Sunsets the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress by removing Chapter 27 of Title 44 U.S.C. and related references.
2Effective 60 days after enactment, the committee would no longer exist under law.
3The Director of the Center for Legislative Archives must annually report on the management and preservation of Congress’s records, with copies to the Archivist, Secretary, Clerk, and the relevant Senate and House committees.
4The Archivist, Secretary, and Clerk must meet to review the management and preservation of the records within 60 days after the Director’s annual report and again within 180 days after someone begins duties in those offices.
5Key roles are defined: Archivist (Archivist of the United States), Secretary (Secretary of the Senate), Clerk (Clerk of the House), and Director (Director of the Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives).

Impact Areas

Primary: National Archives (Archivist), the Senate (Secretary and the Committee on Rules and Administration, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), and the House (Clerk and the Committee on House Administration; Oversight and Government Reform). These offices and committees would move from a formal advisory committee framework to a reporting-and-review framework for records management.Secondary: Researchers, librarians, historians, and institutions relying on congressional records might see changes in how oversight and preservation practices are communicated and reviewed, though day-to-day recordkeeping would continue under existing National Archives processes.Additional impacts: The bill creates ongoing reporting requirements and a defined cadence for review meetings, which could influence transparency and congressional oversight of records management, even in the absence of the advisory committee. There could be fiscal or administrative impacts associated with implementing the annual reporting and review process, though the text does not specify funding changes.

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