H.R. 7740: African American History Act of 2026
Sponsor
Kweisi Mfume
Democrat · MD-7
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Feb 26, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Why it matters
96 cosponsors. $20 million over five years. The Smithsonian's African American history museum draws more visitors than any other museum on the National Mall — but its curriculum materials, teacher training, and digital resources barely reach most classrooms. H.R. 7740 funds the pipeline from museum to school.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is already doing this work — teacher workshops, traveling exhibitions, digital resources, curriculum development. What it doesn't have is dedicated funding to scale it up.
H.R. 7740 authorizes $4 million a year through fiscal year 2031, giving the museum's director discretion over how to deploy the money. The bill's menu includes developing classroom materials, running teacher fellowship programs, translating resources into other languages, digitizing collections, and expanding scholarly research.
The bill defines African American history broadly — from the African diaspora through slavery, abolition, Reconstruction, and civil rights to the present day, including innovations and contributions to American society.
Accountability is built in: the director files a public report every February 1st and briefs the relevant House and Senate committees twice a year. That reporting requirement sunsets on September 30, 2030.
The bill also includes a sense-of-Congress statement saying the federal government should take a leadership role in improving the teaching of African American, Hispanic and Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Native American history.
What does H.R. 7740 do?
$4 million a year to bring the Smithsonian into classrooms
Authorizes $4 million annually through fiscal year 2031 ($20 million total) for the museum to develop and distribute classroom materials, teacher training, and digital resources.
Smithsonian-backed teaching materials and exhibits
The museum could create and distribute digital resources, print materials, traveling exhibitions, publications, and online content for educators, students, and families.
Teacher training and fellowships expand
Funding could support workshops, professional development, teacher training, and a fellowship program meant to build leaders in African American history education.
Materials could be translated and digitized
The bill allows funding for language translation, digitization, collection access, staffing, conservation, and processing so more people can use the museum's work.
Current programs can keep running
If the museum is already doing eligible work when the bill becomes law, the new funding could be used to continue those activities.
Congress gets yearly public reporting
The museum director would have to publish a yearly report by February 1 and give annual congressional briefings starting within six months of the first funding distribution. Those oversight requirements end on September 30, 2030.
Who benefits from H.R. 7740?
Teachers building Black history curriculum from scratch
Right now most teachers piece together their own materials from scattered sources. This bill funds Smithsonian-backed lesson plans, workshops, and a teacher fellowship program — ready to use, built by subject-matter experts.
Students who get one week of Black History Month and nothing else
The bill funds digital resources, traveling exhibitions, and curriculum that spans from the African diaspora through the present day — not a February sidebar.
The museum itself
The NMAAHC has the collection and the expertise but not the budget to scale its education programs. $4 million a year buys staff, digitization, translations, and outreach it currently can't afford.
Who is affected by H.R. 7740?
The museum director
Gets broad discretion over how to spend the money — but also annual public reporting to Congress and committee briefings twice a year. Accountability comes with the funding.
Appropriations committees
Authorization is not a check. Congress still has to fund this through the annual spending process. The bill creates the authority; the Appropriations Committee decides whether the money actually flows.
Other Smithsonian minority-history museums
They do not get money under H.R. 7740, but the bill includes a statement saying Congress wants similar educational leadership for Native American, Latino, and other minority-history museums.
H.R. 7740 Common Questions
How much money does H.R. 7740 provide?
H.R. 7740 authorizes $4 million a year for five years, for a total of $20 million. Congress would still need to actually appropriate that money.
What would the money in H.R. 7740 pay for?
It could fund digital lessons, print materials, traveling exhibitions, research, curriculum work, teacher training, fellowships, translation, digitization, and public programming through the Smithsonian museum.
Would H.R. 7740 help teachers directly?
Yes. The bill allows workshops, professional development, teacher training, and a fellowship program to support educators teaching African American history.
What counts as African American history in the bill?
The bill defines it broadly: the African diaspora through today, including the passage to the Americas, slavery, abolition, Reconstruction, civil rights movements, and African American contributions to the U.S.
Can families and students use the resources too?
Yes. H.R. 7740 lets the museum build website content and other resources specifically for educators, students, and families.
Does H.R. 7740 fund programs already underway?
Yes. If the museum is already running an eligible activity when the bill becomes law, the funding could be used to continue it.
Would Congress get reports on how the money is used?
Yes. The museum director would have to publish a report every year by February 1 and give annual briefings to key House and Senate committees after funding starts.
Does H.R. 7740 also fund Native American or Latino history programs?
No. The money in H.R. 7740 is for African American history education. The bill does include a statement saying Congress wants broader federal leadership on other minority-history education too.
Based on H.R. 7740 bill text
Cost & Funding
Authorization: $4,000,000 a year for 5 years, or $20,000,000 total
- —That works out to $4 million annually from fiscal year 2027 through the following four fiscal years.
- —The money would go to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for education programs, public resources, digitization, translation, and teacher support.
- —This is an authorization, not automatic spending. Congress would still need to appropriate the money.
- —The bill also allows the funding to continue eligible museum activities already underway when the law takes effect.
HR7740 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Feb 26, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
About the Sponsor
Kweisi Mfume
Democrat, Maryland's 7th congressional district · 39 years in Congress
Committees: Oversight and Government Reform, Foreign Affairs
View full profile →
Cosponsors (96)
All 96 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 33 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 30 more.
Eleanor Norton
Democrat · DC
Jerrold Nadler
Democrat · NY
Sanford Bishop
Democrat · GA
Bennie Thompson
Democrat · MS
Lloyd Doggett
Democrat · TX
Zoe Lofgren
Democrat · CA
Danny Davis
Democrat · IL
Diana DeGette
Democrat · CO
James McGovern
Democrat · MA
Gregory Meeks
Democrat · NY
Janice Schakowsky
Democrat · IL
Betty McCollum
Democrat · MN
Committee Sponsors
Committee on House Administration
1 of 12 committee members cosponsored
3 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 7740 Quick Facts
- Committee
- House Administration
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Arts, Culture, Religion
- Introduced
- Feb 26, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Feb 26, 2026
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the African American History Act of 2026, including status, text, sponsors, and actions.
This committee would receive annual briefings from the museum director under the bill’s oversight provisions.
This Senate committee is named in the bill as a recipient of annual briefings about funded programs and activities.
H.R. 7740 Bill Text
“To authorize the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to support African American history education programs, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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