Which act created the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission for America250?

The United States Semiquincentennial Commission was created by the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016. The law established a national body to plan and coordinate the 250th-anniversary commemoration.

Congress passed the act as Public Law 114-196. It directed the commission to encourage and coordinate activities at local, state, national, and international levels, rather than organize only one central ceremony.

The law was enacted a decade before the anniversary itself. That timing allowed federal agencies, states, territories, historical organizations, and nonprofit partners to develop programs for 2026. It also distinguishes the official commission from later White House initiatives created separately.