H.R. 5194

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5194 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5194

To prescribe Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 8, 2025

Mr. Kiley of California (for himself and Mr. Moore of West Virginia) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To prescribe Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, and for other 
purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Beautifying Federal Civic 
Architecture Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES.

It is the policy of the United States that--
(1) applicable Federal public buildings should--
(A) uplift and beautify public spaces;
(B) inspire the human spirit;
(C) ennoble the United States;
(D) command respect from the general public;
(E) be visually identifiable as civic buildings; 
and
(F) as appropriate, respect regional architectural 
heritage;
(2) designs for applicable Federal public buildings should 
be selected with substantial input from the local community;
(3) architecture, particularly traditional architecture and 
classical architecture, that meets the criteria described in 
paragraph (1) is the preferred architecture for applicable 
Federal public buildings;
(4) in the District of Columbia, classical architecture is 
the preferred and default architecture for applicable Federal 
public buildings absent exceptional factors necessitating 
another kind of architecture;
(5) where the architecture of applicable Federal public 
buildings diverges from the criteria described in paragraph 
(1), great care and consideration shall be taken to choose a 
design that--
(A) commands respect from the general public; and
(B) clearly conveys to the general public the 
dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the system 
of self-government of the United States;
(6) when renovating, reducing, or expanding applicable 
Federal public buildings that do not meet the criteria 
described in paragraph (1), the feasibility and potential 
expense of building redesign to meet that criteria should be 
examined; and
(7) where feasible and economical, a redesign described in 
paragraph (6) should be given substantial consideration, 
especially with respect to the exterior of the applicable 
Federal public building.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) 2025 dollars.--The term ``2025 dollars'' means dollars 
adjusted for inflation using the Gross Domestic Product price 
deflator of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, with 2025 as the 
base year.
(2) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the 
General Services Administration.
(3) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
Administrator of General Services.
(4) Applicable federal public building.--
(A) In general.--The term ``applicable Federal 
public building'' means--
(i) any Federal courthouse;
(ii) any Federal agency headquarters;
(iii) any public building in the National 
Capital region (as defined in section 8702 of 
title 40, United States Code); and
(iv) any other public building, the cost or 
expected cost to design, build, and finish of 
which is more than $50,000,000 in 2025 dollars.
(B) Exclusions.--The term ``applicable Federal 
public building'' does not include an infrastructure 
project or a land port of entry.
(5) Brutalist architecture.--The term ``Brutalist 
architecture'' means the style of architecture that grew out of 
the early 20th-century modernist movement that is characterized 
by a massive and block-like appearance with a rigid geometric 
style and large-scale use of exposed poured concrete.
(6) Classical architecture.--
(A) In general.--The term ``classical 
architecture'' means the architectural tradition--
(i) derived from the forms, principles, and 
vocabulary of the architecture of Greek and 
Roman antiquity; and
(ii) later developed and expanded on by--
(I) Renaissance architects, 
including Alberti, Brunelleschi, 
Michelangelo, and Palladio;
(II) Enlightenment masters, 
including Robert Adam, John Soane, and 
Christopher Wren;
(III) 19th Century architects, 
including Benjamin Henry Latrobe, 
Robert Mills, and Thomas U. Walter; and
(IV) 20th Century practitioners, 
including Julian Abele, Daniel Burnham, 
Rafael Carmoega, Charles F. McKim, John 
Russell Pope, Julia Morgan, and the 
firm of Delano and Aldrich.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``classical 
architecture'' includes styles such as Neoclassical, 
Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Art 
Deco.
(7) Deconstructivist architecture.--The term 
``Deconstructivist architecture'' means the style of 
architecture--
(A) generally known as ``deconstructivism''; and
(B) that emerged during the late 1980s and features 
fragmentation, disorder, discontinuity, distortion, 
skewed geometry, and the appearance of instability.
(8) General public.--The term ``general public'' means 
members of the public who are not--
(A) artists, architects, engineers, art or 
architecture critics, instructors or professors of art 
or architecture, or members of the building industry; 
or
(B) affiliated with any interest group, trade 
association, or any other organization whose membership 
is financially affected by decisions involving the 
design, construction, or remodeling of public 
buildings.
(9) Officer.--The term ``officer'' has the meaning given 
the term in section 2104 of title 5, United States Code.
(10) Preferred architecture.--The term ``preferred 
architecture'' means the architecture described in section 
2(3).
(11) Public building.--The term ``public building'' has the 
meaning given the term in section 3301(a) of title 40, United 
States Code.
(12) Traditional architecture.--The term ``traditional 
architecture'' includes--
(A) classical architecture; and
(B) the historic humanistic architecture, including 
Gothic, Romanesque, Second Empire, Pueblo Revival, 
Spanish Colonial, and other Mediterranean styles of 
architecture historically rooted in various regions of 
the United States.

SEC. 4. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR FEDERAL ARCHITECTURE.

To the maximum extent practicable, all Federal agencies shall 
adhere to the following Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture 
(referred to in this Act as the ``Guiding Principles''):
(1) Preferred architectural style.--
(A) In general.--Provide requisite and adequate 
facilities in a preferred architectural style and form 
that is distinguished and reflects the dignity, 
enterprise, vigor, and stability of the Federal 
Government which, by its proven ability to meet those 
requirements, shall be classical architecture and 
traditional architecture, while not excluding the 
possibility of alternative architectural styles in 
appropriate circumstances.
(B) Requirements.--In carrying out subparagraph 
(A), each Federal agency shall ensure that--
(i) major emphasis is placed on the choice 
of design that embodies architectural 
excellence;
(ii) specific attention is paid to the 
possibilities of incorporating into that design 
qualities that reflect the regional 
architectural traditions of the area of the 
United States in which the applicable Federal 
public building is located;
(iii) where appropriate, fine art is 
incorporated into that design, with emphasis on 
the work of living American artists;
(iv) the design adheres to sound 
construction practice and uses proven 
dependable materials, methods, and equipment; 
and
(v) applicable Federal public buildings are 
economical to build, operate, and maintain and 
accessible to the handicapped.
(2) Flow of design.--
(A) In general.--Design must flow from the needs of 
the Federal Government and the aspirations and 
preferences of the people of the United States to the 
architectural profession, and not vice versa.
(B) Requirements.--In carrying out subparagraph 
(A), each Federal agency shall--
(i) be willing to pay additional costs to 
avoid excessive uniformity in the design of 
applicable Federal public buildings;
(ii) where appropriate, carry out 
competitions for the design of applicable 
Federal public buildings; and
(iii) prior to the awarding of important 
design contracts, seek the advice of 
distinguished architects practiced in classical 
architecture or traditional architecture.
(3) Building sites.--
(A) In general.--The choice and development of the 
site of an applicable Federal public building shall be 
considered the first step of the design process, which 
shall be the made in cooperation with State and local 
agencies.
(B) Requirements.--In carrying out subparagraph 
(A), each Federal agency shall--
(i) pay special attention to the general 
ensemble of streets and public places of which 
the applicable Federal public buildings will 
form a part; and
(ii) where possible, ensure applicable 
Federal public buildings are located in a way 
so as to permit a generous development of 
landscape.

SEC. 5. GSA REQUIREMENTS.

(a) In General.--The Administrator shall--
(1) adhere to the policy of the United States described in 
section 2 and the Guiding Principles; and
(2) expeditiously update policies and procedures of the 
Administration--
(A) to incorporate the policy of the United States 
described in section 2 and the Guiding Principles; and
(B) to advance the purpose of this Act.
(b) Requirements.--In adhering to the policy of the United States 
described in section 2 and the Guiding Principles, the Administrator 
shall--
(1) ensure that architects employed by the Administration, 
whose duties include reviewing, assisting with, or approving 
the selection of architects or designs for applicable Federal 
public buildings, have formal training in, or substantial and 
significant experience with, classical architecture or 
traditional architecture;
(2) establish a position of Senior Advisor for 
Architectural Design in the Administration, which shall be 
filled by an individual with specialized experience in 
classical architecture or traditional architecture, the 
responsibilities of which shall be--
(A) to assist in the development of Administration 
procedures relating to carrying out this Act;
(B) to advise on architectural standards; and
(C) to provide guidance to the Administrator during 
design evaluations or design juries;
(3) where the design of an applicable Federal public 
building is selected pursuant to a design-build competition 
under section 3309 of title 41, United States Code--
(A) list experience with classical architecture or 
traditional architecture as specialized experience and 
technical competence in the phase-one solicitation; and
(B) give substantial weight to those factors when 
evaluating which offerors will be advanced to phase-
two; and
(4) consistent with sections 4302 and 4312 of title 5, 
United States Code, make advancing the purposes and 
implementing the policies of this Act a critical performance 
element in the individual performance plans of the Chief 
Architect of the Administration and appropriate subordinate 
employees in the Public Buildings Service involved in selecting 
designs for applicable Federal public buildings.
(c) Design Competitions.--In addition to the requirements described 
in subsection (b)(3), if the Administrator intends to select a building 
design for an applicable Federal building pursuant to a design 
competition, the Administrator shall--
(1) actively recruit architectural firms;
(2) as applicable, recruit designers with experience in 
classical architecture and traditional architecture to enter 
the competition; and
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that multiple 
design modes are advanced to the final evaluation round.
(d) Notification.--
(1) In general.--If the Administrator proposes to approve a 
design for a new applicable Federal public building that 
diverges from the preferred architecture, including Brutalist 
architecture, Deconstructivist architecture, or any design 
derived from or related to those styles of architecture, the 
Administrator shall submit to the Assistant to the President 
for Domestic Policy, not later than 30 days before the date on 
which the Administrator could reject the design without 
incurring substantial expenditures, a notification in 
accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) Requirements.--A notification submitted under paragraph 
(1) shall describe the reasons the Administrator proposes to 
approve a design described in that paragraph, including--
(A) a detailed explanation of why the Administrator 
believes selecting the design is justified, with 
particular focus on whether the design is as beautiful 
and reflective of the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and 
stability of the system of self-government in the 
United States as alternative designs of comparable cost 
using preferred architecture;
(B) the total expected cost of adopting the 
proposed design, including estimated maintenance and 
replacement costs throughout the expected lifecycle of 
the design; and
(C)(i) a description of the designs using preferred 
architecture seriously considered for the project; and
(ii) the total expected cost of adopting those 
designs, including estimated maintenance and 
replacement costs throughout the expected lifecycles of 
those designs.

SEC. 6. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

(a) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this Act impairs or otherwise 
affects--
(1) the authority granted by law to an executive department 
or agency, or the head thereof; or
(2) the functions of the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or 
legislative proposals.
(b) Implementation.--This Act shall be implemented consistent with 
applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) No Creation of Right or Benefit.--Nothing in this Act creates 
any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or 
in equity by any party against the United States, including--
(1) its departments, agencies, or entities;
(2) its officers, employees, or agents; or
(3) any other person.

SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.

Annually, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of 
Representatives a report relating to the carrying out of this Act, 
detailing adherence to the policy of the United States described in 
section 2 and the Guiding Principles.
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