Bill protects museums from control of what they show
H.R. 10475 — Protecting Our History Act of 2026 · Filed by Frederica Wilson (D-FL) · Introduced Sep 16, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill stops the President and agencies from controlling museum displays. It bans cutting museum money for political reasons. It stops punishing museum workers for what they show. The National Museum of African American History and Culture can sue the government. It can sue if someone tries to control it. The bill gives this museum 90 million dollars every year.
Who it affects
People who visit museums learn about the past without control. Museum workers can do their jobs without fear. The Smithsonian Institution and other museums get protection from pressure.
One thing to notice
A museum's council can sue the federal government, which is rare. The Smithsonian can move items to other places if the government tries to interfere.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Sep 16, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 16, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on House Administration · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- Smithsonian Institution — A group of museums and research centers run by the federal government.
- National Museum of African American History and Culture — A Smithsonian museum that teaches about African American past and culture.
- agencies — Parts of the government that carry out laws and rules.
- sue — To take someone to court to settle a disagreement.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (25,015 characters) on Sep 25, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,985 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-25.
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