Which U.S. law created the commission that coordinates America250?

Public Law 114-196 created the United States Semiquincentennial Commission that coordinates America250.

Congress enacted the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act on July 22, 2016. The law established a bipartisan federal commission to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate activities commemorating the history of the United States leading to its 250th anniversary in 2026.

The commission is distinct from America250.org, Inc., a nonprofit partner that supports public engagement and anniversary programming. The federal commission itself was created by statute, which gives it an official role unlike independently organized birthday projects.

The law also reflects the long planning horizon for the anniversary: Congress acted a decade before July 4, 2026. That date marks 250 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, although the United States developed through many earlier colonial and revolutionary events.