[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 147 (Wednesday, October 7, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 23--SUPPORTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A 
  BIPARTISAN MUSEUM STUDY COMMISSION TO STUDY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A 
  NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO TELL THE IMMIGRATION AND 
          MIGRATION STORIES OF ALL PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. SCHATZ submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources:

                            S. Con. Res. 23

       Whereas the United States was founded and built by people 
     from every country who made the United States the economic, 
     military, scientific, and cultural leader of the world;
       Whereas as of October 2015, there is no national museum in 
     Washington, DC, that--
       (1) celebrates the making of the people of the United 
     States; or
       (2) tells the migration history of any group of people to 
     or within the United States;
       Whereas a National Museum of the American People would--
       (1) recount the history of all groups of people who came to 
     the United States and the contributions of those people to 
     the United States;
       (2) have the theme E Pluribus Unum, the original motto of 
     the United States;
       (3) celebrate every ethnic and minority group in the United 
     States;
       (4) foster a sense of belonging to the United States;
       (5) contribute to a common national identity as people of 
     the United States;
       (6) highlight the Declaration of Independence and the 
     Constitution, the founding documents of the United States;
       (7) explore the ways in which those documents shaped the 
     character of the people of the United States and infused the 
     people of the United States with common values; and
       (8) be a resource for State, local, and ethnic museums 
     throughout the United States that present exhibits that 
     celebrate the heritage of the people of the United States;
       Whereas the people of the United States do not have a 
     comprehensive and accurate picture of the history of all of 
     the people who founded and continue to build the United 
     States;
       Whereas people from every ethnic group in the United States 
     would visit a National Museum of the American People to learn 
     their own history and the history of every other ethnic group 
     in the United States;
       Whereas a National Museum of the American People would 
     attract foreign visitors and dignitaries because few 
     foreigners know the story of the individuals who--
       (1) became citizens of the United States at the founding of 
     the country; and
       (2) migrated to the United States from other countries;
       Whereas a museum that tells the story of the making of the 
     people of the United States and celebrates all individuals 
     who migrated and settled in the United States and the 
     territories of the United States belongs near the National 
     Mall in Washington, DC;
       Whereas Canada and Mexico have major popular museums in, or 
     adjacent to, the capital cities of those countries that tell 
     the story of the making of the people of Canada and Mexico, 
     respectively;
       Whereas the goals of a National Museum of the American 
     People would be--
       (1) to be the best storytelling museum in the world;
       (2) to recount 1 of the most amazing stories in human 
     history;
       (3) to celebrate all of the people who have become people 
     of the United States; and
       (4) to foster learning at the museum and throughout the 
     United States;
       Whereas non-Federal funding sources will be sought to 
     defray the costs of a Museum Study Commission to study the 
     establishment of a National Museum of the American People and 
     the funding will commence on the date on which the President 
     signs an Executive order creating the bipartisan commission;
       Whereas no Federal appropriations will be sought to provide 
     funding for--
       (1) the design, construction, or operation a National 
     Museum of the American People; or
       (2) the exhibitions or components of the museum; and
       Whereas the National Museum of the American People will 
     benefit all people of the United States: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress supports the establishment of a 
     bipartisan Museum Study Commission to study the establishment 
     of a National Museum of the American People to tell the 
     immigration and migration stories of all people of the United 
     States, if none of the funding to plan, construct, or operate 
     the museum is from Federal appropriations.

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