I 
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 consider-
ation 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 Representa-
tives 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’’. 
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SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF SERVICE OF ARCHI-
TECT 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 com-
mission (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 Appropria-
tions of the House of Representatives, the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the Senate, the chair and ranking minority mem-
ber of the Committee on House Administration of the 
House of Representatives, and the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Rules and Adminis-
tration 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.— 
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(1) Section 319 of the Legislative Branch Ap-
propriations Act, 1990 (2 U.S.C. 1801) is repealed.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 ap-
pointed by the President’’. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section, and the amend-
ments 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 DEP-
UTY ARCHITECT. 
Section 1203 of title I of division H of the Consoli-
dated 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’’; 
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(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
section (c); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) DEADLINE.—The Architect shall appoint a Dep-
uty Architect under subsection (a) not later than 120 days 
after— 
‘‘(1) the date on which the Architect is ap-
pointed under section 2 of the Architect of the Cap-
itol 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 commis-
sion described in section 2(a) of the Architect of the Cap-
itol Appointment Act of 2023 shall appoint the Deputy 
Architect by a majority vote of the members of the com-
mission. 
‘‘(e) NOTIFICATION.—If the position of Deputy Ar-
chitect becomes vacant, the Architect shall immediately 
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notify the members of the congressional commission de-
scribed in section 2(a) of the Architect of the Capitol Ap-
pointment 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 Cap-
itol (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Deputy Architect’’) 
shall act as Architect of the Capitol (in this section re-
ferred 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 de-
scribed 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 Archi-
tect under subsection (a) or (b) shall perform all the duties 
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