Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 2023

To provide for the appointment of the Architect of the Capitol, and for other purposes. 1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 2023 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 (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 (2) The matter under the heading For the Capitol: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. 2 U.S.C. 1811 , 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. 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 (1) in subsection (a)— (A) by inserting (in this section referred to as the Architect The Architect of the Capitol (B) by inserting (in this section referred to as the Deputy Architect 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 (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 (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 (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 . 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 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 Architect of the Capitol 2 U.S.C. 1803 (d) Conforming amendment The matter under the heading Salaries Office of the Architect of the Capitol Architect of the Capitol 2 U.S.C. 1804 : Provided no Architect

Summary: Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 2023 This bill modifies the procedures for appointing and removing the Architect of the Capitol (who is responsible for the operation and care of the Capitol grounds, facilities, and art). Specifically, the bill establishes a bipartisan congressional commission to, by majority vote, appoint, reappoint, and remove the Architect. (Currently, the Architect is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.) The bill also provides for the Deputy Architect to serve as acting Architect in the event the Architect is absent, disabled, or otherwise unavailable. If the Architect fails to appoint a Deputy Architect within a set time frame, the commission must do so. Additionally, in the event of vacancies in both the Architect and Deputy Architect positions, the commission must appoint an acting Architect.