PRESERVE Act

Key Points

• This bill requires the government to check for valuable artwork before selling or tearing down federal buildings. It focuses on art owned by the public, like murals from the 1930s or modern pieces commissioned for government offices.
• When a building is marked for sale or demolition, a special committee of experts must be formed. This group will include art historians and government workers who specialize in saving historic items.
• The committee must create a plan to keep the art safe. This could mean leaving the art in the building with a legal promise that the new owner keeps it open to the public, or moving the art to another facility or museum.
• The government cannot finish selling or destroying a building until the preservation plan is ready. They must also prove that the art will remain easy for the public to visit in the future.
• All preservation plans must be posted on the General Services Administration website for at least 90 days. This allows regular people to see what is happening to the art in their communities.

Impact Analysis

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