A new 21-member federal commission would study how the government can keep public buildings safe from attacks while still keeping them open and accessible to the public, under this proposal. Members would include architects, security experts, lawyers, city planners, and civil liberties advocates, appointed by the President and congressional leaders. The commission would examine how security measures affect free speech, protest rights, building costs, and daily life for employees and visitors, then report its findings and recommendations to the President and Congress within about two and a half years. Congress would authorize $5 million a year for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 to fund the commission's work, after which it would shut down. The commission would have no power to change laws itself — it would only study the issue and suggest next steps.
Congressional Summary
United States Commission on an Open Society with Security Act of 2026This bill establishes the United States Commission on an Open Society with Security to study how the government may provide for both security in, and public access to, federal buildings and other federal property and sites.The commission shall examine (1) government and private security practices and proposals, building design, public space management, counterterrorism needs, and refurbishment of existing federal facilities; (2) the effect of access to public facilities and spaces on constitutional rights and civil liberties, economies of affected jurisdictions, architectural aesthetics, traffic and congestion, and employee job performance; (3) technology to augment or replace traditional modes of security; and (4) methods of assessing the risks posed by terrorism, balanced against the needs and values of open access.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-06-22
- Date Added
- 2026-07-18
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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