Congress buries a time capsule to open in 2276.
S. 3705 — Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act · Filed by Thom Tillis (R-NC) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 27, 2026 · Signed
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What it does
This bill tells the Architect of the Capitol to make a time capsule. Four congressional leaders will pick items to put inside. The capsule will be buried in the Capitol Visitor Center by July 4, 2026. It will stay sealed until July 4, 2276. Congress 250 years from now can then open it. The bill sets rules for size and materials. It also requires an informational plaque.
Who it affects
This bill does not cost citizens money or change any rules. It is a way to mark the nation's 250th birthday.
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Jan 27, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jan 27, 2026 — Passed the Senate · Congress.gov: “Passed/agreed to in Senate: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed…”
- Feb 9, 2026 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2046-2047)”
- Feb 9, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mrs. Bice moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”
- Feb 12, 2026 — Sent to president · Congress.gov: “Presented to President”
- Feb 18, 2026 — Signed into law · Congress.gov: “Became Public Law No: 119-79”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- Architect of the Capitol — The federal official who manages the Capitol building and its grounds.
- Capitol Visitor Center — A building at the Capitol where visitors learn about Congress.
- time capsule — A sealed container filled with items from today, buried to be opened later.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (2,836 characters) on Jun 8, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,778 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 2026-11-01.
“Congress buries a time capsule to open in 2276.” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s3705/simple Report an error
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