H.R. 10340: 9/11 Legacy Preservation Act of 2026

This bill would create a new oral history program at the Library of Congress, run through the American Folklife Center, to preserve first-hand accounts from people who survived the September 11, 2001 attacks.

What the program would do

• Collect video and audio recordings of personal stories and testimonials from 9/11 survivors.
• Create a publicly available collection, including a catalog and index, through the Library of Congress’s National Digital Library and other methods if feasible.
• Collect related written materials such as letters and diaries, and organize them in a way that supports the oral history collection.

How it would be carried out

• The Director of the American Folklife Center would be responsible for setting up the program.
• The Library could work with other government or private organizations to gather recordings and materials.
• The program would begin as soon as practicable after enactment.
• The bill says the Library should try to start by collecting stories from the oldest survivors first.

Funding

• The Librarian of Congress could accept donations of money or in-kind support for the program.
• Donated funds would go into a separate Treasury account for this program and could be used only for the oral history effort.
• The bill authorizes $250,000 for fiscal year 2026 and additional amounts as needed in later years.

In plain terms

The bill is mainly a preservation measure. It would have the Library of Congress record and archive the memories and documents of 9/11 survivors so they can be studied and accessed by the public in the future.

Relevant Companies

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