Which public law established the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission behind America250?

Public Law 114-196 established the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission behind America250.

The law was enacted in 2016 and formally created the body responsible for planning and coordinating the national commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Its short citation, Public Law 114-196, identifies both the congressional session and the law’s sequence within that session.

President Barack Obama signed the legislation on July 22, 2016. The measure called for a commission that could organize a broad observance involving federal, state, territorial, local, educational, cultural, and civic participants. It also established the anniversary as a national project rather than simply a collection of unrelated local events.

Public-law numbers can be easy to confuse because they resemble ordinary bill numbers. “114” identifies the 114th Congress, while “196” identifies the law in that Congress. The law’s creation of the commission should also be distinguished from later executive-branch initiatives and private organizations that participated in 2026 celebrations under different names.