119-HR-988 Journalist Public Summary

Public Summary — 119-HR-988

Headline Summary: Moves the National Woman’s Relief Corps’ federal charter from Washington, D.C., to Illinois and sets Murphysboro as its official home base. [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Bill Text (119th Congress)

What It Does: The bill edits Title 36 (the federal charters section) to (1) change the corporation’s place of incorporation/domicile from the District of Columbia to Illinois, (2) change the principal office location from Springfield to Murphysboro, and (3) update service‑of‑process language so notices are handled under Illinois law (e.g., via the Illinois Secretary of State). In short, it’s a technical relocation of the organization’s legal home and mailing address in federal law. [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Bill Text (119th Congress)[4]Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School) — 36 U.S.C. § 153710 — Service…

Why It Matters: This aligns the charter with where the group actually operates—its museum and mailing address are in Murphysboro—making legal paperwork and official notifications simpler to manage locally. It’s narrowly focused, with no Congressional Budget Office estimate posted as of November 20, 2025. [5]womansreliefcorps.org — National Woman’s Relief Corps — Contact page (Murphysbo…[2]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Overview and status

• Rep. Mike Bost (R‑IL) — bill sponsor. [2]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Overview and status
• Cosponsors: Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R‑AZ), Troy Balderson (R‑OH), and Thomas Kean Jr. (R‑NJ). [6]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — All Information (cosponsors, ac…
• Supporters frame it as a housekeeping fix to reflect the Corps’ real‑world location and streamline compliance; no broad policy change is involved. (Rationale based on bill text and the organization’s posted address.) [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Bill Text (119th Congress)[5]womansreliefcorps.org — National Woman’s Relief Corps — Contact page (Murphysbo…

• No organized opposition is publicly noted in official bill materials as of November 20, 2025. [2]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Overview and status
• Possible concerns some may raise: Congress spending time on a niche charter change; questions about why federal law needs to specify an exact city. (General context—no formal objections filed.)

What’s Next: The bill remains in the House Judiciary Committee; the committee’s November 18, 2025 markup docket included H.R. 988. If approved in committee, it would head to a House floor vote, then the Senate. As of now, the latest official action recorded on Congress.gov is the February 5, 2025 referral to Judiciary. [3]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — Congressional Record — Daily Digest for No…[7]House Judiciary Committee Republicans — House Judiciary Committee (Republicans)…[2]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — H.R. 988 — Overview and status

Tone: Neutral and plain‑English, aimed at giving a quick, factual snapshot for voters who don’t follow congressional procedure closely.