Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

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.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source