Title: Democracy in Design Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Democracy in Design Act
This bill requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to ensure that the construction and acquisition of federal public buildings (e.g., agency office buildings) adheres to the principles of the report titled Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture.
The report was published by the Ad Hoc Committee on Federal Office Space on June 1, 1962, and serves as the policy directive for the GSA's Design Excellence Program within its Public Buildings Service. Among other principles, the report prescribes against the development of an official architectural style for government buildings and encourages the government to avoid excessive uniformity in building design.
The GSA must issue such regulations as necessary to implement the amendment made by this bill and to establish minimum standards for the construction and acquisition of public buildings in the United States.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5291 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5291

  To direct the Administrator of General Services to ensure that the 
 construction and acquisition of public buildings in the United States 
  adheres to the guiding principles for Federal architecture, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 2021

Ms. Titus (for herself and Mr. Simpson) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Administrator of General Services to ensure that the 
 construction and acquisition of public buildings in the United States 
  adheres to the 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 ``Democracy in Design Act''.

SEC. 2. CONTINUING INVESTIGATION AND SURVEY OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3303 of title 40, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture.--The 
Administrator shall ensure that the construction and acquisition of 
public buildings in the United States adheres to the principles 
described in the report titled `Guiding Principles for Federal 
Architecture' and published by the Ad Hoc Committee on Federal Office 
Space on June 1, 1962.''.
    (b) Rulemaking.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of General Services 
        shall issue such regulations as are necessary to implement the 
        amendment made by this Act and to establish minimum standards 
        by which the Administrator shall construct and acquire public 
        buildings in the United States.
            (2) Notice and comment.--The regulations required under 
        paragraph (1) shall be issued after notice and an opportunity 
        for public comment in accordance with the procedure applicable 
        to substantive rules under section 553 of title 5, United 
        States Code.
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