[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 17, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5853-H5854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM ACT

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5919) to amend title 40, United States Code, to require the 
Administrator of General Services to enter into a cooperative agreement 
with the National Children's Museum to provide the National Children's 
Museum rental space without charge in the Ronald Reagan Building and 
International Trade Center, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5919

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``National Children's Museum 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003 (Public Law 
     108-81) designated the Capital Children's Museum, the 
     predecessor to the National Children's Museum, as the 
     ``National Children's Museum'';
       (2) the National Children's Museum operates under section 
     501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is 
     organized under the laws of the District of Columbia;
       (3) the mission of the National Children's Museum is to 
     inspire children to care about and change the world; and
       (4) the National Children's Museum is located in the 
     federally-owned Ronald Reagan Building and International 
     Trade Center.
       (b) National Children's Museum.--Chapter 67 of title 40, 
     United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``Sec. 6735. National Children's Museum

       ``(a) In General.-- Not later than 30 days after the date 
     of enactment of this section, the Administrator of General 
     Services shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the 
     National Children's Museum for the operation of the National 
     Children's Museum in the approximately 32,369 square feet of 
     space commonly known as suite C-001 (hereinafter referred to 
     as the `Space') of the Ronald Reagan Building and 
     International Trade Center for the duration of the retail 
     space license agreement between Trade Center Management 
     Associates, LLC, or a successor entity, and the Museum, dated 
     December 4, 2017, including any exercised renewal options.
       ``(b) Contents.--The cooperative agreement under subsection 
     (a) shall include provisions that--
       ``(1) require, for the period in which the General Services 
     Administration owns or controls the Space, the General 
     Services Administration to provide rent for the Space; and
       ``(2) terminate such agreement if--
       ``(A) the Museum does not continue to qualify as a 
     nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
       ``(B) the Museum no longer uses the Space as a children's 
     museum; and
       ``(3) prohibits the Museum from transferring the interest 
     in such agreement.
       ``(c) Source of Funds.--To carry out this section, the 
     Administrator shall use funds derived from--
       ``(1) the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation fund; 
     or
       ``(2) the International Trade Center fund.
       ``(d) Report.--The cooperative agreement under subsection 
     (a) shall require the National Children's Museum to submit to 
     the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works of the Senate an annual report on the operations 
     and finances of the Museum.''.
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 67 of 
     title 40, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:

``6735. National Children's Museum.''.

     SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Rouzer) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5919, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5919, the National 
Children's Museum Act. This is a bill that I wrote and am grateful that 
the House is considering it today. I thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking 
Member Graves for their support of this bill.
  This bipartisan bill would require the General Services 
Administration to enter into a cooperative agreement with the National 
Children's Museum, a congressionally designated museum, to allow the 
museum to remain in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade 
Center, as it is called, a federally owned building in the Nation's 
Capital, without charge for the duration of its existing lease. There 
is precedent for Congress' requiring the General Services 
Administration to enter into a cooperative agreement for the use of a 
Federal building in the District of Columbia by a private museum 
without charge. The National Building Museum operates under such an 
agreement.
  This bill would allow the National Children's Museum--the Nation's 
first combination children's museum and science center--to remain 
centrally located in the Nation's Capital for the benefit of the 
millions who visit and live in the city and the national capital 
region. Originally named the Capital Children's Museum, the National 
Children's Museum was a staple in the District for decades. The 
institution opened in 1974 in a former convent on H Street Northeast. 
In 2003, Congress recognized the immense value of having a children's 
museum in D.C. and officially designated the museum as the National 
Children's Museum. Now the museum is bringing new and innovative 
science, technology, engineering, arts, and math--or STEAM--exhibits to 
the Nation's Capital, building on more than 30 years of educating D.C. 
children and families.
  Importantly, this bill would relieve concerns about the ability of 
the museum to survive the coronavirus pandemic. When the museum 
reopened in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center 
this year, it immediately attracted many visitors from throughout the 
national capital region and the Nation but was forced by the pandemic 
to close 18 days later.
  At this time, the museum remains temporarily closed until further 
notice. Still, the museum has continued to offer valuable STEAM 
resources to our children as they navigate these new challenging 
learning circumstances, including over 75 at-home experiment and 
project video programs, monthly

[[Page H5854]]

podcasts, virtual field trips, and a Climate Action Heroes Digital 
Exhibit, among other resources.
  When the museum does open, capacity will be restricted by at least 70 
percent under social distancing guidelines. Due to the anticipated 
reduction in capacity, the museum is estimating operating revenues will 
amount to only 30 percent of the original goal for next year. Once 
returned to full capacity, the museum expects to serve half a million 
visitors a year, filling the STEAM content void in our Nation's Capital 
and throughout the country.
  Despite the many benefits it brings to the Nation's Capital, the 
museum is an outlier. It is the only congressionally designated museum 
expected to pay rent in a Federal building. This bill will allow the 
museum to remain in its current Federal location and allow staff to 
focus on bringing 21st century STEAM learning techniques to the 
Nation's Capital.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5919 directs GSA to provide rent relief to the 
National Children's Museum currently housed in the Federal Ronald 
Reagan Building and International Trade Center. This bill will provide 
the National Children's Museum with similar relief afforded to other 
congressionally designated museums. I want to thank the fine gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) for working with Ms. Norton on this 
bipartisan piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer), who is my good friend from our 
region.
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Children's 
Museum Act. I give great thanks to Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rodney Davis, 
Peter DeFazio, and others who worked so hard on this legislation.
  Children's museums are extraordinary gifts for the life of the mind. 
We give our kids imaginations, dreams, possibilities, and whole new 
universes. Children's museums change the trajectories of their lives, 
and this is the legacy of the National Children's Museum in the 
Nation's Capital.

  For decades, the museum was much beloved in the city. We often took 
our kids to the old convent in northeast D.C., but after moving in 2004 
in order to grow, it has been fighting to get back to its roots ever 
since.
  We are lucky to have it located now in the Ronald Reagan Building and 
International Trade Center, again in the heart of D.C., but still it 
faces barriers to reach its past success.
  Even though this august body made it a congressionally designated 
museum in 2003, it is the only such congressionally designated museum 
expected to pay rent in a Federal building. With this bill, the 
nonprofit museum will be able to thrive and remain financially viable 
and accessible to our Nation's children and work with the GSA in a way 
that makes sense.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my friends not just to vote for this bill, but 
after we have crushed the pandemic to bring their children and 
grandchildren to be thrilled and inspired by our National Children's 
Museum.
  Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), who is my good friend.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, 
Mr. Rouzer, for the time, and I do want to say thank you to my 
colleague and partner on the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, Ms. 
Holmes Norton, and also to Mr. Beyer and all who work to make sure that 
we are here today to do what is right.
  We are here to make sure that the National Children's Museum here in 
Washington, D.C., is able, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, to still 
be able to provide the entertainment and offer its offerings of 
activities to our kids, not just here in Washington, D.C., but 
throughout this great country.
  Today is the day we can celebrate in a bipartisan way so that we can 
allow GSA to give them a break, to help this community, and to help 
them find some sense of normalcy by being able to safely attend and 
participate in the activities of the National Children's Museum.
  Pre-pandemic, the museum offered our children the ability to interact 
with exhibits focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and 
math. This allowed our kids to be able to foster a greater appreciation 
for STEM fields.
  Who knows?
  The next great member of the next pandemic response team could have 
had their interest piqued in working in science by going to the 
children's museum here in Washington, D.C.
  We need STEM education now more than ever, and this is an opportunity 
to show the world that Republicans and Democrats in this institution 
can agree to get things done.
  I thank Ms. Holmes Norton for working with me and working with all of 
us on this very important piece of legislation, and I ask my colleagues 
to support it.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, in closing, H.R. 5919 will provide much-
needed rental relief for the National Children's Museum consistent with 
the policy for other congressionally designated museums.
  Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank Ranking Member Davis for his work 
on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge its support, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5919, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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