No Fencing at Lafayette Square Act

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Democrat · DC · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

2026-07-06

Source: Congress.gov

The proposal would prevent the government from using any federal, state, foreign, or private money to build permanent fencing around Lafayette Square, the public park near the White House in Washington, D.C. This affects federal agencies, state governments, and private organizations that might otherwise fund such construction projects. The bill essentially protects public access to the park by blocking funding for barriers that could restrict who can enter the area.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9598 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9598 To prohibit the use of Federal, State, foreign, or private funds to install permanent fencing around Lafayette Square. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 6, 2026 Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To prohibit the use of Federal, State, foreign, or private funds to install permanent fencing around Lafayette Square. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``No Fencing at Lafayette Square Act''. SEC. 2. PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR PERMANENT FENCING AROUND LAFAYETTE SQUARE. (a) Prohibition.--No Federal, State, foreign, or private funds may be used to install permanent fencing around Lafayette Square. (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to prohibit the repair or replacement of fencing that was in existence on the date of enactment of this Act around Lafayette Square. (c) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Lafayette square.--The term ``Lafayette Square'' means the Federal park located in Washington, DC, bound by-- (A) H Street Northwest on the north; (B) Madison Place Northwest on the east; (C) Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest on the south; and (D) Jackson Place Northwest on the west. (2) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession or political subdivision thereof. <all>

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