[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12417-S12418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING WOMEN'S MUSEUM INSTITUTE

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 67, submitted 
earlier today by Senator Hutchison.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 67) expressing the 
     sense of Congress that the museum entitled ``The Women's 
     Museum: An Institute for the Future,'' in Dallas, Texas, be 
     designated as a millennium project of the United States.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the concurrent resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I am pleased today to support, along 
with my distinguished colleagues, Senators Murray, Snowe, Landrieu, 
Feinstein, Boxer, Mikulski, Moseley-Braun, and Collins this concurrent 
resolution to grant recognition to the effort now underway to establish 
The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future.
  This important museum, being sponsored by the Foundation for Women's 
Resources in Texas and to be completed in 2000 in Dallas, will 
appropriately be designated by this resolution as a national millennium 
project for the United States. While the resolution will not preclude 
other official events and activities commemorating the turn of the 
millennium, it will serve to highlight the contributions of women in 
our Nation and world and how those contributions promise to continue to 
expand and evolve into the next century and millennium. The Women's 
Museum: An Institute for the Future will become a focal point for this 
recognition and appreciation of the role of women in our lives and 
culture and in commerce, politics, art, music, the sciences, and 
virtually every other field of endeavor.
  Mr. President, I am especially excited about the tremendous potential 
of this museum to educate all people, particularly young women and 
girls, about the growing opportunities women have today--opportunities 
that were only dreams a few decades ago. These visitors to the museum 
will have the opportunity to learn about the past, present, and 
potential future lives and accomplishments of women, using a variety of 
traditional and innovative exhibits and interactive experiences. 
Moreover, the museum will serve as a center where people may gather to 
discuss and research the history and trends of issues affecting women.
  The museum will be housed in the historic Texas State Fair Coliseum, 
located on the grounds of Fair Park in Dallas, which receives over six 
million visitors a year and is already home to a host of cultural and 
artistic attractions. The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future 
will be an exciting addition to this state and national asset, and I am 
confident will continue to attract the enthusiastic support of 
governments, individuals, and corporations across the nation and across 
the world. It is my hope that this concurrent resolution will help 
focus even more attention on this effort to acknowledge and understand 
the virtually limitless potential of women in our society.
  Thank you, Mr. President, and I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of the concurrent resolution be printed in the Record.

[[Page S12418]]

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; that the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; and that any statements 
relating to the resolution appear at the appropriate place in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Con. Res. 67) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 67

       Whereas knowledge of our heritage is critical to 
     understanding and meeting the challenges of today and 
     developing a vision for our future;
       Whereas the recognition of historic contributions of women 
     to civilization is woefully lacking and such contributions 
     are misunderstood in our Nation's cultural and historical 
     landscape;
       Whereas the Foundation for Women's Resources has announced 
     the creation of The Women's Museum: An Institute for the 
     Future (in this resolution referred to as the ``Museum''), a 
     state-of-the-art, interactive museum that will--
       (1) profile the specific achievements of individual women 
     throughout history;
       (2) explore the experiences of women in our civilization; 
     and
       (3) celebrate the role of women in culture, commerce, 
     politics, art, music, and the sciences;
       Whereas the Museum will both honor the past contributions 
     of women in history as well as the future role of women in 
     our society;
       Whereas the Museum will be housed in the restored State 
     Fair Coliseum in Dallas, Texas, and designed by architect 
     Wendy Evans Joseph, Senior designer for the United States 
     Holocaust Memorial Museum;
       Whereas the Museum has been widely supported by numerous 
     women's organizations, local governments, corporations, and 
     individuals;
       Whereas the Museum is scheduled to open in the year 2000, 
     the first time as a Nation we have witnessed the turn of a 
     millennium; and
       Whereas the turn of the millennium will be commemorated by 
     government institutions and agencies with special projects 
     and events all over our country: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress--
       (1) that the past, present, and future contributions of 
     women to culture, commerce, politics, art, music, and the 
     sciences should be recognized and celebrated;
       (2) that The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future, 
     in Dallas, Texas, should be designated as a millennium 
     project for the United States; and
       (3) that Federal agencies and other Federal institutions 
     should support the establishment and operation of The Women's 
     Museum: An Institute for the Future by--
       (A) providing construction and operational support;
       (B) supporting a ground-breaking ceremony for the museum; 
     and
       (C) supporting the museum and its objectives in all other 
     respects.

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