[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 23 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2005-S2006]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. Landrieu, Mrs. Dole, Ms. 
        Mikulski, Mrs. Hutchison, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Cantwell, 
        Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. 
        Murray, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Bennett, 
        Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Sarbanes, and Mr. Pryor):
  S. 501. A bill to provide a site for the National Women's History 
Museum in the District of Columbia; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I am introducing the National 
Women's History Museum Act of 2005. I appreciate the support of my 
colleagues who have helped in this important effort and who have agreed 
to be cosponsors, including Senators Landrieu, Dole, Mikulski, 
Hutchison, Boxer, Snowe, Cantwell, Murkowski, Clinton, Feinstein, 
Lincoln, Murray, Stabenow, Voinovich, Akaka, Bennett, Durbin, 
Lautenberg, Sarbanes, and Pryor. I introduced this bill last Congress, 
and it passed the Senate unanimously.
  The need to establish a museum recognizing the contributions of 
American women is clear. There is currently no national institution in 
the Washington, D.C. area that is dedicated to the legacy of women's 
contributions throughout our country's history. Sadly, fewer than 5 
percent of the Nation's 2,200 National Historic Landmarks are dedicated 
to women, a troubling fact given the significant contributions of women 
throughout our Nation's history.
  The proposed legislation would direct the General Services 
Administration (GSA) to negotiate and enter into an occupancy agreement 
with the National Women's History Museum, Inc. (NWHM) to establish a 
museum in the currently vacant Pavilion Annex of the Old Post Office 
building in Washington, D.C. The NWHM is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 
educational institution in the District of Columbia that was created to 
research and present the historic contributions that women have made to 
all aspects of human endeavor and to present the contributions that 
women have made to the Nation in their various roles in family, the 
economy, and society. In 1999, the President's Commission on the 
celebrating of Women in American History concluded that ``efforts to 
implement an appropriate celebration of women's history in the next 
millennium should include,the designation of a focal point for women's 
history in our Nation's capital,'' citing the efforts of the NWHM to 
implement this goal.
  The proposed legislation would serve two important purposes: 
Creating, as the President's Commission recommended, a national women's 
museum in the District of Columbia and, by designating the Pavilion 
Annex, utilizing a currently vacant space on Pennsylvania Avenue, 
considered ``America's Main Street.''
  I would note that, last Congress the Government Accountability Office

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(GAO) placed real property on its High Risk list noting that vacant and 
underutilized properties present significant potential risks to Federal 
agencies including lost dollars because of the need for maintenance and 
lost opportunities because the property could be put to more beneficial 
uses. The Annex has been vacant for more than 10 years and it is 
unclear whether, if at all, GSA will be able to generate a use for the 
building. While the adjacent Old Post Office is a national historic 
landmark, the Annex is not and has sat vacant and deteriorating for 
years, while Federal dollars are used to keep it maintained and 
secured.

  In addition, the proposed legislation would generate revenue from 
this now vacant property for the Federal Government through rental 
payments, based on the fair market value. The museum would also benefit 
the city by drawing an estimated 1.5 million visitors annually to the 
District and promoting economic activities by attracting tourists.
  I believe this legislation is clearly a win-win situation.
  There is strong precedent for this type of legislation. In fact, 
museums in the District of Columbia are historically established by 
Congress through legislation that authorizes the use of Federal land or 
buildings. One recent legislative example is the National Museum for 
African American History and Culture, which identified potential sites 
for such a Museum. Another example is the National Law Enforcement 
Museum Act, which authorized the National Law Enforcement Officers' 
Memorial Fund, Inc. to build a Museum on Federal land. The current 
Building Museum located in the historic Pension Building was authorized 
by an act of Congress.
  I believe that just as these museums serve very important public 
purposes of educating visitors about important aspects of our history 
and culture, so also would a national women's history museum fill a 
void in telling the story of women in our history.
  The most compelling reasons to support this important piece of 
legislation are the stories of the women in American history, who 
helped change and shape our Nation: Women who were and are trailblazers 
such as Sandra Day O'Connor, who was the first woman to serve on the 
Supreme Court; Sally Ride, who was the first American woman in space; 
and Madeleine Albright, who was the first woman U.S. Secretary of 
State. We should ensure that the stories of women with unwavering 
bravery are told. Women like Harriet Tubman, who led slaves to freedom 
using the underground railroad, and Rosa Parks, who sparked a movement 
just by refusing to sit in the back of a bus. A national museum would 
record this history and tells the stories of these pioneering women, so 
that others might be inspired by them.
  One woman who inspired me and who is my own role model is the woman 
who served in the Senate seat that I now hold, Maine's own Margaret 
Chase Smith, who was the first woman nominated for president of the 
United States by a major political party and the first woman to serve 
in both houses of Congress. Senator Smith began representing Maine in 
1940. She was a woman who embodied the independent spirit of Maine. She 
was from Skowhegan and was known as a smart, courageous, and 
independent Member of Congress. Long after it became commonplace for 
women to serve in the highest ranks of our government, Senator Smith 
will be remembered in Maine and the Nation for her courage and service.
  These women, and many like them, are the reason I am proud to sponsor 
a bill directing that the Old Post Office Annex be made available to 
house the National Women's History Museum. Women's history needs a 
place in our Capital and in our collective American history, so that we 
all cannot only learn about our past, but also be inspired to make 
history of our own.
  I urge that my colleagues support this important piece of 
legislation.
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