U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Feb. 13 praised passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of companion, bipartisan legislation that would establish an American women’s history museum in Washington, D.C.
The House on Feb. 11 voted 374-37 to approve the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act, H.R. 1980, which was introduced by U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The following day the legislation advanced to the U.S. Senate where the related bipartisan bill, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act, S. 959, introduced in March 2019 by Sen. Collins and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), is under consideration in the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee.
“American women have made invaluable contributions to our country in every field, including government, business, medicine, law, literature, sports, entertainment, the arts, and the military,” Sens. Collins and Feinstein said in a joint statement. “Telling the history of American women matters, and a museum recognizing these achievements and experiences is long overdue.”
Sen. Collins and her colleague noted that their bill “would dedicate a museum to women’s history, helping to ensure that future generations understand what we owe to those extraordinary women who have helped build and advance our country.”
Among the cosponsors joining bill sponsor Sen. Collins in introducing S. 959 is U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
If enacted, the legislation would establish in the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women’s history museum, as well as a council that would make recommendations on the planning, design and construction of the museum, which would be built on a site that is on or near the National Mall, according to the congressional record summary of the bill.