H.R. 9360 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act
Cosponsors: none · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-14
Introduced: 2026-06-18
Latest action (2026-09-15): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
What H.R. 9360 does, in plain terms
Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act This bill eliminates the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress 60 days after the bill's enactment. Under the bill, the Center for Legislative Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) must provide an annual report on the management and preservation of the records of Congress during the previous year to NARA, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The Archivist, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives must regularly meet to review the management and preservation of the records of Congress.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
Constitution Index
“VFA Constitution grade”
Constitutionally sound
Graded 2026-10-11
SI-generated grade · five published checks · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology
This bill is a routine government operations measure that eliminates an advisory committee and reassigns its oversight functions to existing officials. It does not expand federal power, infringe on any constitutional right, or centralize authority beyond what is necessary for the management of congressional records. The bill is fully consistent with the Constitution.
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✓ Passes · Enumerated powers
Congress has explicit authority under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (the Necessary and Proper Clause) to structure its own operations and the agencies that support its functions. The bill concerns the management of congressional records, which is a matter of internal legislative administration. The elimination of an advisory committee and the reassignment of its duties to existing officers (the … -
✓ Passes · Bill of Rights
The bill does not implicate any provision of the Bill of Rights. It does not restrict speech, religion, assembly, press, petition, arms, quartering, search and seizure, self-incrimination, due process, takings, trial rights, or cruel and unusual punishment. It is a purely administrative measure affecting government records and advisory committees. -
✓ Passes · Individual sovereignty
The bill imposes no restrictions on individual conduct, property, speech, labor, or belief. It does not affect private citizens at all. The only entities affected are government bodies and officials. There is no burden on individual sovereignty. -
✓ Passes · Decentralization
The bill does not consolidate decision-making at a higher level of government. It actually reduces the number of federal advisory bodies and assigns oversight to existing officials. The management of congressional records is inherently a federal function, and the bill does not shift authority from states or localities to the federal government. The four-question test is satisfied: individuals, loc… -
✓ Passes · Due process and takings
The bill does not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, nor does it take private property for public use. It does not affect any legal rights or procedures. The elimination of an advisory committee is a routine administrative change that does not implicate due process or the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Sources: Congress.gov: HR 9360 summary
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