Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 2023

Subjects: Congress


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3196 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3196

To provide for the appointment of the Architect of the Capitol, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2023

Mr. Steil (for himself and Mr. Morelle) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 
 addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the appointment of the Architect of the Capitol, 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 ``Architect of the Capitol Appointment 
Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF SERVICE OF ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL.

    (a) Appointment.--The Architect of the Capitol shall be appointed, 
without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of 
fitness to perform the duties of the office, upon a majority vote of a 
congressional commission (referred to in this section as the 
``commission'') consisting of the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority 
leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate, the chair and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives, the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on House Administration of the House 
of Representatives, and the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate.
    (b) Term of Service.--The Architect of the Capitol shall be 
appointed for a term of 10 years and, upon a majority vote of the 
members of the commission, may be reappointed for additional 10-year 
terms.
    (c) Removal.--The Architect of the Capitol may be removed from 
office at any time upon a majority vote of the members of the 
commission.
    (d) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 319 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations 
        Act, 1990 (2 U.S.C. 1801) is repealed.
            (2) The matter under the heading ``For the Capitol:'' under 
        the heading ``DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.'' of the Act of 
        February 14, 1902 (32 Stat. 19, chapter 17; incorporated in 2 
        U.S.C. 1811) is amended by striking ``, and he shall be 
        appointed by the President''.
    (e) Effective Date.--This section, and the amendments made by this 
section, shall apply with respect to appointments made on or after the 
date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL; VACANCY IN 
              ARCHITECT OR DEPUTY ARCHITECT.

    Section 1203 of title I of division H of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (2 U.S.C. 1805) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(in this section referred to as 
                the `Architect')'' after ``The Architect of the 
                Capitol''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``(in this section referred to as 
                the `Deputy Architect')'' after ``Deputy Architect of 
                the Capitol'';
            (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) Deadline.--The Architect shall appoint a Deputy Architect 
under subsection (a) not later than 120 days after--
            ``(1) the date on which the Architect is appointed under 
        section 2 of the Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 
        2023, if there is no Deputy Architect on the date of the 
        appointment; or
            ``(2) the date on which a vacancy arises in the office of 
        the Deputy Architect.'';
            (4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by striking ``of 
        the Capitol'' each place it appears; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Failure To Appoint.--If the Architect does not appoint a 
Deputy Architect on or before the applicable date specified in 
subsection (b), the congressional commission described in section 2(a) 
of the Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 2023 shall appoint 
the Deputy Architect by a majority vote of the members of the 
commission.
    ``(e) Notification.--If the position of Deputy Architect becomes 
vacant, the Architect shall immediately notify the members of the 
congressional commission described in section 2(a) of the Architect of 
the Capitol Appointment Act of 2023.''.

SEC. 4. DEPUTY ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL TO SERVE AS ACTING IN CASE OF 
              ABSENCE, DISABILITY, OR VACANCY.

    (a) In General.--The Deputy Architect of the Capitol (in this 
section referred to as the ``Deputy Architect'') shall act as Architect 
of the Capitol (in this section referred to as the ``Architect'') if 
the Architect is absent or disabled or there is no Architect.
    (b) Absence, Disability, or Vacancy in Office of Deputy 
Architect.--For purposes of subsection (a), if the Deputy Architect is 
also absent or disabled or there is no Deputy Architect, the 
congressional commission described in section 2(a) shall designate, by 
a majority vote of the members of the commission, an individual to 
serve as acting Architect until--
            (1) the end of the absence or disability of the Architect 
        or the Deputy Architect; or
            (2) in the case of vacancies in both positions, an 
        Architect has been appointed under section 2(a) of this Act.
    (c) Authority.--An officer serving as acting Architect under 
subsection (a) or (b) shall perform all the duties and exercise all the 
authorities of the Architect, including the authority to delegate the 
duties and authorities of the Architect in accordance with the matter 
under the heading ``Office of the Architect of the Capitol'' under the 
heading ``ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL'' of the Legislative Appropriation 
Act, 1956 (2 U.S.C. 1803).
    (d) Conforming Amendment.--The matter under the heading 
``salaries'' under the heading ``Office of the Architect of the 
Capitol'' under the heading ``ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL'' of the 
Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1971 (2 U.S.C. 1804) is amended 
by striking ``: Provided,'' and all that follows through ``no 
Architect''.
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