Congress locks in place all presidential memorials, requires new law to remove
S. 5603 — Protecting Presidential Memorials Act · Filed by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 29, 2026
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What it does
This bill prohibits the demolition of any presidential memorial that was designated by Congress unless Congress passes a new law to authorize the demolition. It defines demolition as intentionally razing, destroying, or wrecking an entire building or structure or a substantial portion of one. The effect is to lock in place all congressionally designated presidential memorials and require a legislative act to remove them.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to prevent demolition of congressionally designated presidential memorials by requiring legislative authorization for removal. It is a straightforward preservation measure with no hidden mechanisms or narrow beneficiaries.
What the text implies
- The bill applies only to memorials 'designated by an Act of Congress,' which means privately funded or locally designated presidential memorials remain subject to demolition under existing law.
- The definition of 'demolish' includes 'a substantial portion' of a structure, which may create ambiguity about what level of renovation or modification triggers the prohibition.
- The bill does not address maintenance, repair, or adaptive reuse of memorials, leaving open questions about how deteriorating structures are managed.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Citizens retain access to congressionally designated presidential memorials and the historical record they represent. The bill does not restrict citizens' rights or remedies; it preserves public property and requires legislative deliberation before removal, which is a democratic accountability measure.
Named in the bill
Presidential memorials, Congress, United States
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Sep 29, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (571 characters) on Oct 16, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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 2026-10-20.
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