Congress·In Committee·H.Con.Res. 16

Providing for a joint session of the Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in honor of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Celebration: Congress to Meet in Philadelphia for 250th Anniversary

Feb 27, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Part of: 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence Joint Session

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

StalledNext up: A house committeeNo action in 16 months

This proposal is currently in the House Committee on the Judiciary. It has not moved since February 2025 and remains stalled. The House committee must take action before it can move forward.

Companion bill: Congress: Special Meeting in Philadelphia for 250th Anniversary →

Legislative Progress

House

No action since February 2025

Senate

President

Law

Very likely to pass

This is a non-controversial celebration of a major national milestone. It has support from both parties and does not involve difficult political choices.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Companion
Identical companion bill S.Con.Res. 35 (119th) was introduced in the other chamber.
S.Con.Res. 35 (119th) →

Key Points

This plan would move Congress from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia for one day on July 2, 2026. This special meeting would celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.
The meeting would take place at Independence National Historical Park. This is the same area where the Declaration of Independence was approved in 1776.
Congress almost never meets outside of the nation's capital. Since the year 1800, they have only done this twice. One time was in 1987 to celebrate the Constitution, and the other was in 2002 to honor victims of the September 11 attacks.
The goal is to honor Philadelphia as the birthplace of the country. The city served as the meeting place for the very first government and was the capital of the United States for ten years.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

1 milestone2 actions

Feb 27, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Feb 27, 2025

Submitted in House

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Providing for a joint session of the Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in honor of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Bill NumberHCONRES 16

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.