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H.R. 1785: To prohibit the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.

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H.R. 1785: To prohibit the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.

112th Congress · introduced 2011-05-05 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2011-05-05 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To prohibit the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Prohibits the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to an exhibit that is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility that is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, including the National Gallery of Art. Allows the charging of a fee for admission to an exhibit if: (1) charging a fee is necessary and unavoidable, (2) the Secretary submits a statement explaining the determination to Congress, and (3) the charging of such fee does not become effective until after the expiration of a 45-day period beginning on the date the statement is submitted. Makes such prohibition non-applicable to a specified exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History. Requires the Secretary to submit a plan for eliminating the admission fee for such exhibition which shall include steps to cover the expenses incurred in carrying out the exhibition.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To prohibit the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] reported raising $53,775 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Agencies named in this bill

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-hr1785 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112