[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2080 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2080

 To designate a site for the relocation of the public facility of the 
    National Museum of Health and Medicine, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                  May 5 (legislative day, May 2), 1994

   Mr. Hatfield (for himself, Mr. Nunn, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Harkin) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To designate a site for the relocation of the public facility of the 
    National Museum of Health and Medicine, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States faces critical health care problems, 
        solutions for which will arise from an attentive and educated 
        citizenry;
            (2) there is a great need for an increased emphasis to be 
        placed on public health education and the development of 
        scientific literacy concerning health care issues;
            (3) when the National Museum of Health and Medicine, 
        formerly the Army Medical Museum, was located on the Mall in 
        Washington, District of Columbia, from 1888 to 1968, it was one 
        of the most popular and well-visited museums in the Nation's 
        Capital;
            (4) with the removal of the museum from the Mall to the 
        grounds of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1968, there 
        was no longer a national education facility devoted to this 
        purpose located within the District of Columbia within easy 
        access to the up to 25,000,000 individuals who visit the Mall 
        each year; and
            (5) the American taxpayer, through the United States 
        Government, pays approximately 30 percent of the costs of all 
        health care services, services which could be reduced with the 
        advent of better educated, informed Americans.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to designate a site for 
the relocation of the public facility of the National Museum of Health 
and Medicine so that it may serve as a central resource of instruction 
about and involvement in the critical health issues which confront all 
American citizens.

SEC. 2. SITE OF FACILITY.

    The public facility of the National Museum of Health and Medicine 
shall be located on the following adjacent areas of land owned by the 
Federal Government in the District of Columbia:
            (1) The east plaza of the Hubert Humphrey Building, 
        presently occupied by the Department of Health and Human 
        Services.
            (2) The entire portion of 2nd Street, S.W., that is located 
        between C and Washington Streets, S.W.
            (3) A triangular park, known as Square N-580, that lies 
        immediately to the east of 2nd Street, S.W.

SEC. 3. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION.

    In accordance with procedures of the District of Columbia, the 
General Services Administration is authorized to apply for the closing 
and transfer of jurisdiction over the entire portion of 2nd Street, 
S.W., the District of Columbia located between C and Washington 
Streets, S.W., and the transfer of jurisdiction of Square N-580, from 
the District of Columbia to the General Services Administration for the 
purpose of locating the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed as limiting the authority or 
responsibilities of the National Capital Planning Commission or the 
Commission of Fine Arts.

SEC. 5. DEFINITION.

    As used in this Act, the term ``the Mall'' means--
            (1) the land designated as ``Union Square'', District of 
        Columbia Reservation 6A;
            (2) the land designated as the ``Mall'', District of 
        Columbia Reservations 3, 4, 5, and 6;
            (3) the land designated as the ``Monument Grounds'', 
        District of Columbia Reservation 2; and
            (4) the land designated as ``West Potomac Park'', District 
        of Columbia Reservations 3, 3, and 2.

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