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119-hr-5194119th Congress

Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Kiley, Kevin [I-CA-3]

In Committee

Summary

This bill would make classical and traditional architecture the preferred standard for major federal public buildings. It seeks to shape design choices so federal buildings uplift public spaces, reflect regional heritage, and inspire public respect.

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  • Federal projects: Covers Federal courthouses, agency headquarters, public buildings in the National Capital region, and other public buildings with design, build, and finish costs above $50 million in 2025 dollars. Infrastructure projects and land ports of entry are excluded.
  • Communities and users: Requires substantial input from local communities and asks designs to be visually identifiable as civic buildings, to respect regional architectural traditions, and to contribute to coherent urban ensembles and public landscapes.
  • Architects, GSA staff, and procurement: Directs the General Services Administration to recruit and weight firms with classical and traditional experience in competitions and design-build procurements, require reviewers with formal classical training, create a Senior Advisor for Architectural Design, factor lifecycle costs into decisions, and notify the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at least 30 days before rejecting a divergent design that would incur substantial expenditures.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.

New design rules for federal buildings

The bill would set design rules for many federal buildings. Classical and traditional styles would be preferred, and in Washington, D.C., classical would be the default unless there is an exceptional reason. Agencies would have to get strong local input, consider regional styles, and may hold design competitions. They would recruit firms with classical or traditional experience and have GSA reviewers trained in those styles. Site choice would come first, and when renovating buildings that do not fit these rules, agencies would need to consider redesign if feasible and economical.

Legal limits and funding guardrails

The bill would only be carried out when allowed by law and when money is available. It would not change existing legal powers of agencies or the Office of Management and Budget. It would not give private people a right to sue the United States under this bill.

New oversight for building design choices

GSA would add a Senior Advisor for Architectural Design with classical or traditional expertise. GSA leaders and staff who pick designs would have performance goals tied to these policies. Before approving a design that departs from the preferred styles, the Administrator would need to notify the White House domestic policy adviser at least 30 days before the last point to reject without large extra costs. That notice would need a justification, lifecycle cost estimates, and the preferred alternatives considered. GSA would also send Congress a yearly report on how these rules are being carried out.

Which projects must follow these designs

The bill would define which buildings the rules cover. It would include federal courthouses, agency headquarters, public buildings in the National Capital region, and any other public building that costs over $50,000,000 to design, build, and finish, measured in 2025 dollars. It would not cover infrastructure projects or land ports of entry. “2025 dollars” would mean dollars adjusted by the BEA GDP price deflator with 2025 as the base year.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Kiley, Kevin [I-CA-3]

CA • I

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Moore, Riley M. [R-WV-2]

    WV • R

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Rep. Gill, Brandon [R-TX-26]

    TX • R

    Sponsored 9/3/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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