Thomas Paine Memorial moves one step closer to prestigious DC location

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The effort to bring Thomas Paine the recognition he deserves as a Founder and patriot moved another significant step forward when on September 15, 2026, the House Committee om Natural Resources (HCNR) unanimously voted to support the Common Sense 250 Act of 2026 (H.R. 9600) – legislation to authorize the Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA) to place its memorial in Area One of Washington, D.C.

For TPMA, this moment is a milestone on its long journey through the federal memorial process, securing an appropriate location, building bipartisan congressional support, and making the case that Thomas Paine belongs among the historic figures commemorated in the nation’s capital. The legislation now moves to the next stage of the congressional process.

H.R. 9600 was introduced by Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) and Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05). The bill would approve the location of the Thomas Paine memorial within Area One, which is a portion of Washington reserved for honoring individuals and subjects of preeminent historical and lasting significance to the United States.

The story began several years ago. In December 2022, Congress authorized the Thomas Paine Memorial Association to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs. That authorization was an important first step, but it did not give TPMA permission to place the memorial in Area One. The authorization only allowed the project to proceed under the federal Commemorative Works Act. That distinction is important because the federal memorial process treats Area One differently from other locations.

Under the Commemorative Works Act, the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services may recommend an Area One location after seeking the advice of the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC). An Area One recommendation, however, does not complete the process. Congressional approval is required for an Area One location. Federal law specifically provides that an Area One location is not authorized unless Congress approves it by law following the required notification process.

That is why TPMA decided to not wait for a letter from the Secretary of the Interior. The Association had already invested considerable time in the federal site-selection process and in September 2024, TPMA presented its proposed locations to NCMAC and made the case for an Area One site. NCMAC’s records show that the Commission recommended Area One for the Thomas Paine memorial.

NCMAC’s role is advisory. The Commission examines memorial proposals for compliance with the Commemorative Works Act and makes recommendations to the Secretary, the Administrator of General Services, and Congress. The Association therefore faced a practical question: Should TPMA wait for the Executive Branch process to produce a formal recommendation to Congress and then begin the congressional approval process, or could Congress directly approve the Area One location?

TPMA chose to pursue the latter path. The decision was particularly timely because 2026 marks the 250^th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense as well as the nation’s 250^th anniversary. Rather than allow another lengthy procedural step to delay consideration of the memorial, TPMA worked with congressional allies to pursue legislation that would directly address the remaining legal requirement: congressional approval of an Area One location.

That effort resulted in H.R. 9600, the Common Sense 250 Act of 2026. The bill does not replace the memorial authorization TPMA already received in 2022. Instead, it addresses the next piece of the process by approving the memorial’s location within Area One.

On September 2, 2026, the House Natural Resources Committee’s Federal Lands Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on the bill. Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and secretary of TPMA, testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands in support of H.R. 9600. Her testimony included acknowledgement of Thomas Paine’s contributions to the founding of the United States and emphasized the urgency of moving the project forward.

Also in attendance on September 2 was world-renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis. He provided a large color poster as an example of the Thomas Paine statue. The clay model is currently housed at the Frudakis Studio in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

The bill then advanced through the committee process, and on September 15 the House Committee on Natural Resources favorably reported H.R. 9600. The committee described the legislation as authorizing the Thomas Paine Memorial to be located within Area One near the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Upon hearing the news of HCNR’s unanimous support, Gaylor said: “We’re one step closer to getting our Forgotten Founder, Thomas Paine, the recognition he deserves in our nation’s capital. We are grateful to Chair Bruce Westerman, Ranking Member Jared Huffman and Representatives Jamie Raskin and Victoria Spartz for getting us here. There is no more meaningful way for Congress to commemorate our nation’s 250^th anniversary than by ensuring this long-overdue acknowledgment of the Revolution’s principal champion for independence.”

Frudakis said: “As the sculptor, it is a privilege to give physical form to a man whose ideas helped change the course of American history and to create a work that will introduce Thomas Paine and his legacy to generations yet to come.”

For TPMA, the committee action represents an important milestone in a project that began with a simple goal: to ensure that Thomas Paine has a permanent memorial in the capital of the country whose independence he helped inspire. Paine’s historical importance is unusually broad. Arriving in America from England in 1774 after an invitation from Benjamin Franklin, Paine quickly became one of the most influential voices of the American Revolution.

In January 1776, he published Common Sense, a pamphlet that presented the case for American independence in language accessible to ordinary colonists. Its enormous circulation helped bring the question of independence into the public conversation at a crucial moment in American history.

Paine did not stop at writing. He supported the revolutionary cause financially, relinquishing the copyright to Common Sense and directing proceeds toward the Continental Army. In 1776, he enlisted as a private and accompanied George Washington’s army during its difficult winter campaign. That experience inspired the first of his American Crisis papers, beginning with the famous words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

Paine subsequently continued to contribute to the intellectual foundations of the new republic through works including The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason. His influence extended well beyond the American Revolution, touching debates over representative government, individual rights, democracy, and the relationship between government and religion.

The proposed memorial will be a lasting educational reminder of Paine’s contributions to the founding of the United States and to the democratic ideals that followed the Revolution. The site will become a place for locals and tourists to meet, exchange ideas, and socialize. The Association believes that placing Paine in Area One will provide an opportunity for millions of visitors to encounter a figure whose words helped change the course of American history that echoed around the world.

TPMA President Margaret Downey has represented the Association before NCMAC and has worked with congressional offices and supporters to move the project forward.

“The Thomas Paine Memorial Association has spent years navigating the federal memorial process because we believe Thomas Paine deserves a permanent place in the nation’s capital,” Downey said. “NCMAC’s recommendation for Area One was an important milestone. H.R. 9600 gives Congress the opportunity to take the next step by approving that location.”

She added: “We are grateful to Representatives Jamie Raskin and Victoria Spartz for introducing this legislation and to the members of the House Natural Resources Committee for moving it forward. We also appreciate everyone who has helped us reach this point. The goal is not simply to build a statue. It is to make sure that future generations who visit Washington understand the extraordinary role Thomas Paine played in the founding of the United States.”

The committee’s action does not complete the legislative process. H.R. 9600 must still proceed through the House and, if enacted there, through the Senate and ultimately to the President. For TPMA, however, the committee action marks an important transition. What began as a 2022 congressional authorization to create a Thomas Paine memorial has now progressed through the federal site-selection process, received NCMAC’s recommendation for Area One and advanced to legislation specifically addressing congressional approval of that location.

The Association’s objective remains straightforward: to establish a permanent Thomas Paine memorial in Washington, D.C., where Americans and visitors from around the world can learn about the man whose words helped give voice to the American Revolution. Two hundred and fifty years after Common Sense challenged the colonies to imagine a nation independent of a monarchy, Thomas Paine is finally moving closer to having a permanent place in the nation’s capital.

The Thomas Paine Memorial Association intends to see that journey through.

For more information about this project, visit the TPMA website at thomaspainememorial.org

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Contact:
Margaret Downey
Thomas Paine Memorial Association
Margaret@ThomasPaineMemorial.org

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.