[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 54 (Thursday, March 28, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2091-S2092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 959. A bill to establish in the Smithsonian Institution a 
comprehensive women's history museum, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Rules and Administration.

[[Page S2092]]

  

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce, along with the 
senior Senator from California, Mrs. Feinstein, the Smithsonian 
American Women's History Museum Act. This bill would establish an 
American women's history museum in our Nation's Capital.
  American women have made invaluable contributions to our country in 
every field, such as government, business, medicine, law, literature, 
sports, entertainment, the arts, and the military. Telling the history 
of American women matters, and a museum recognizing these achievements 
and experiences is long overdue.
  In 1999, a Presidential commission on commemorating women in American 
history concluded that 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.'' In 2014, Congress took 
an important step toward realizing this goal when it passed legislation 
creating an independent, bipartisan commission to study the potential 
for establishing such a museum in Washington, DC. Following 18 months 
of study, the bipartisan commission unanimously concluded, ``America 
needs and deserves a physical national museum dedicated to showcasing 
the historical experiences and impact of women in the country.'' I 
could not agree more.
  The bill we are introducing takes the next step toward creating this 
national museum. Incorporating the recommendations of the bipartisan 
Commission, the bill would establish a national museum to collect, 
study, and create programs incorporating and exhibiting a wide spectrum 
of American women's experiences, contributions, and history. The 
Smithsonian Institution would be the governing body, ensuring that this 
museum is free and open to all who visit Washington, DC. Following the 
Commission's recommendation, the Smithsonian has begun an American 
Women's History Initiative to increase its research and programming 
related to American women, past and present.
  Mr. President, this year we commemorate the 100th anniversary of 
American women's suffrage and the decades-long fight for women's 
equality at the ballot box. The story, leaders, and lessons of women's 
suffrage are among the most powerful in our nation's history. Amid 
celebrations of that historic moment, I can think of few better ways to 
honor those women and that momentous achievement than by passing this 
legislation. A museum dedicated to women's history would help ensure 
that future generations understand what we owe to those American women 
who have helped build, sustain, and advance our society.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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