I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1980 

To establish in the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women’s history 

museum, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 28, 2019 

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. 

LAWRENCE, Mrs. WAGNER, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. GRIJALVA, 

Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Ms. FRANKEL, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. WILD, Mr. 

YARMUTH, Ms. DEAN, Ms. HAALAND, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. BARR, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mr. TURNER, Mr. STIVERS, Mr. MCNERNEY, Miss GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N of Puerto Rico, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. COLLINS of New York, Mr. SWALWELL of California, and Mr. 

ZELDIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on 

Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To establish in the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive 

women’s history museum, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Smithsonian Women’s 

5 History Museum Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Since its founding, the United States has 

4 greatly benefitted from the contributions of women. 

5 (2) Historical accounts, monuments, memorials, 

6 and museums disproportionately represent men’s 

7 achievements and contributions and often neglect 

8 those of women. For example— 

9 (A) a study of 18 American history text10 books concluded that 10 percent of the material 

11 documented contributions of women; 

12 (B) 9 statues out of 91 in the United 

13 States Capitol’s National Statuary Hall depict 

14 women; and 

15 (C) only one of the 44 monuments oper16 ated by the National Park Service specifically 

17 honors the achievements of women after the 

18 2016 designation of the Belmont-Paul Women’s 

19 Equality National Monument. 

20 (3) There exists no national museum in the 

21 United States that is devoted to the documentation 

22 of women’s contributions throughout the Nation’s 

23 history. 

24 (4) Establishing a comprehensive women’s his25 tory museum representing a diverse range of view26 points, experience, and backgrounds is necessary to 


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1 more accurately depict the history of the United 

2 States and would add value to the Smithsonian In3 stitution. 

4 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF MUSEUM. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

6 the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women’s his7 tory museum, to be named by the Board of Regents in 

8 consultation with the council established under section 4. 

9 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the museum estab10 lished under this section shall be to provide for— 

11 (1) the collection, study, and establishment of 

12 programs relating to women’s contributions to var13 ious fields and throughout different periods of his14 tory that have influenced the direction of the United 

15 States; 

16 (2) collaboration with other Smithsonian Insti17 tution museums and facilities, outside museums, and 

18 educational institutions; and 

19 (3) the creation of exhibitions and programs 

20 that recognize diverse perspectives on women’s his21 tory and contributions. 

22 SEC. 4. COUNCIL. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

24 the Smithsonian Institution a council to carry out the duVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.IH H1980

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1 ties set forth under subsection (b) and other provisions 

2 of this Act. 

3 (b) DUTIES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council established 

5 under this section shall— 

6 (A) make recommendations to the Board 

7 of Regents concerning the planning, design, and 

8 construction of the museum established under 

9 section 3; 

10 (B) advise and assist the Board of Regents 

11 on all matters relating to the administration, 

12 operation, maintenance, and preservation of the 

13 museum; 

14 (C) recommend annual operating budgets 

15 for the museum to the Board of Regents; 

16 (D) report annually to the Board of Re17 gents on the acquisition, disposition, and dis18 play of objects relating to women’s art, history, 

19 and culture; and 

20 (E) adopt bylaws for the operation of the 

21 council. 

22 (2) PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The coun23 cil, subject to the general policies of the Board of 

24 Regents, shall have sole authority to— 


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1 (A) purchase, accept, borrow, and other2 wise acquire artifacts for addition to the collec3 tions of the museum; 

4 (B) loan, exchange, sell, and otherwise dis5 pose of any part of the collections of the mu6 seum, but only if the funds generated by that 

7 disposition are used for additions to the collec8 tions of the museum; or 

9 (C) specify criteria with respect to the use 

10 of the collections and resources of the museum, 

11 including policies on programming, education, 

12 exhibitions, and research with respect to— 

13 (i) the life, art, history, and culture of 

14 women; 

15 (ii) the role of women in the history of 

16 the United States; and 

17 (iii) the contributions of women to so18 ciety. 

19 (3) OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES.—The council, 

20 subject to the general policies of the Board of Re21 gents, shall have authority— 

22 (A) to provide for preservation, restoration, 

23 and maintenance of the collections of the mu24 seum; and 


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1 (B) to solicit, accept, use, and dispose of 

2 gifts, bequests, and devises of personal property 

3 for the purpose of aiding and facilitating the 

4 work of the museum. 

5 (c) COMPOSITION AND APPOINTMENT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council shall be com7 posed of 25 voting members as provided under para8 graph (2). 

9 (2) VOTING MEMBERS.—The council shall in10 clude the following voting members: 

11 (A) The Secretary of the Smithsonian In12 stitution. 

13 (B) One member of the Board of Regents, 

14 appointed by the Board of Regents. 

15 (C) 23 individuals appointed by the Board 

16 of Regents. In appointing members under this 

17 subparagraph, the Board of Regents should 

18 give special consideration to appointing— 

19 (i) members of the Congressional 

20 Commission; 

21 (ii) board members of the National 

22 Women’s History Museum, a nonprofit, 

23 educational organization described in sec24 tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

25 Code of 1986 that was incorporated in 


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1 1996 in the District of Columbia and that 

2 is dedicated for the purpose of establishing 

3 a women’s history museum; and 

4 (iii) scholars and representatives of 

5 organizations that are committed to the 

6 study of women’s history. 

7 (3) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Board of 

8 Regents shall make initial appointments to the coun9 cil under paragraph (2) not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

11 (d) TERMS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this 

13 subsection, each appointed member of the council 

14 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. 

15 (2) INITIAL APPOINTEES.—As designated by 

16 the Board of Regents at the time of appointment, of 

17 the voting members first appointed under subpara18 graph (C) of subsection (c)(2)— 

19 (A) 8 members shall be appointed for a 

20 term of 1 year; 

21 (B) 8 members shall be appointed for a 

22 term of 2 years; and 

23 (C) 7 members shall be appointed for a 

24 term of 3 years. 


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1 (3) REAPPOINTMENT.—A member of the coun2 cil may be reappointed, except that no individual 

3 may serve on the council for a total of more than 

4 2 terms. For purposes of this paragraph, the num5 ber of terms an individual serves on the council shall 

6 not include any portion of a term for which an indi7 vidual is appointed to fill a vacancy under paragraph 

8 (4)(B). 

9 (4) VACANCIES.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—A vacancy on the coun11 cil— 

12 (i) shall not affect the powers of the 

13 council; and 

14 (ii) shall be filled in the same manner 

15 as the original appointment was made. 

16 (B) TERM.—Any member of the council 

17 appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the 

18 expiration of the term for which the member’s 

19 predecessor was appointed shall be appointed 

20 for the remainder of that term. 

21 (e) COMPENSATION.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para23 graph (2), a member of the council shall serve with24 out pay. 


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1 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 

2 council shall be allowed travel expenses, including 

3 per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized 

4 for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of 

5 chapter 57 of title 5, while away from the home or 

6 regular place of business of the member in the per7 formance of the duties of the council. 

8 (f) CHAIRPERSON.—By a majority vote of its voting 

9 members, the council shall elect a chairperson from its 

10 members. 

11 (g) MEETINGS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council shall meet at 

13 the call of the chairperson or on the written request 

14 of a majority of the voting members of the council, 

15 but not fewer than twice each year. 

16 (2) INITIAL MEETINGS.—During the 1-year pe17 riod beginning on the date of the first meeting of the 

18 council, the council shall meet not fewer than 4 

19 times for the purpose of carrying out the duties of 

20 the council under this subchapter. 

21 (h) QUORUM.—A majority of the voting members of 

22 the council holding office shall constitute a quorum for 

23 the purpose of conducting business, but a lesser number 

24 may receive information on behalf of the council. 


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1 SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF THE MUSEUM. 

2 (a) DIRECTOR.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The museum established 

4 under section 3 shall have a Director who shall be 

5 appointed by the Secretary, taking into consideration 

6 individuals recommended by the council established 

7 under section 4. 

8 (2) DUTIES.—The Director shall manage the 

9 museum subject to the policies of the Board of Re10 gents. 

11 (b) STAFF.—The Secretary may appoint two addi12 tional employees to serve under the Director, except that 

13 such additional employees may be appointed without re14 gard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov15 erning appointments in the competitive service. 

16 (c) PAY.—The employees appointed by the Secretary 

17 under subsection (b) may be paid without regard to the 

18 provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 

19 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification 

20 of positions and General Schedule pay rates. 

21 SEC. 6. EDUCATIONAL AND LIAISON PROGRAMS. 

22 (a) PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED.—The Director of the 

23 museum established under section 3 may carry out edu24 cational and liaison programs in support of the goals of 

25 the museum. 


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1 (b) COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS.—In carrying 

2 out this section, the Director shall carry out educational 

3 programs in collaboration with elementary schools, sec4 ondary schools, and postsecondary schools. 

5 SEC. 7. BUILDING. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

7 (1) LOCATION.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 

9 months after the date of the enactment of this 

10 Act, the Board of Regents shall designate a site 

11 for the museum established under section 3. 

12 (B) SITES FOR CONSIDERATION.—In des13 ignating a site under subparagraph (A), the 

14 Board of Regents shall select from among the 

15 following sites in the District of Columbia: 

16 (i) The site known as the ‘‘South 

17 Monument site’’, located on the National 

18 Mall and bordered by 14th Street North19 west, Jefferson Drive Southwest, Raoul 

20 Wallenberg Place Southwest, and Inde21 pendence Avenue Southwest. 

22 (ii) The Northwest United States 

23 Capitol site, bordered by 3rd Street North24 west, Constitution Avenue Northwest, 1st 


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1 Street Northwest, and Pennsylvania Ave2 nue Northwest. 

3 (iii) Any other appropriate location as 

4 identified by the Board of Regents in con5 sultation with the council established under 

6 section 4. 

7 (C) AVAILABILITY OF SITE.— 

8 (i) IN GENERAL.—The sites described 

9 in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (B) 

10 shall remain available until the date on 

11 which the Board of Regents designates a 

12 site for the museum under subparagraph 

13 (A). 

14 (ii) TRANSFER TO SMITHSONIAN IN15 STITUTION.—If the site designated for the 

16 museum is in an area that is under the ad17 ministrative jurisdiction of a Federal agen18 cy, as soon as practicable after the date on 

19 which the designation is made, the head of 

20 the Federal agency shall transfer to the 

21 Smithsonian Institution administrative ju22 risdiction over the area. 

23 (D) FACTORS CONSIDERED.—In desig24 nating a site under subparagraph (A), the 


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1 Board of Regents shall take into consideration 

2 each of the following factors: 

3 (i) An estimate of the costs associated 

4 with each potential site. 

5 (ii) An assessment of the suitability of 

6 the space of each potential site, including 

7 size, proximity to other buildings and 

8 transportation, and other external environ9 mental conditions, as appropriate. 

10 (iii) The recommendations of the Con11 gressional Commission. 

12 (E) CONSULTATION.—The Board of Re13 gents shall carry out its duties under this para14 graph in consultation with each of the fol15 lowing: 

16 (i) The Chair of the National Capital 

17 Planning Commission. 

18 (ii) The Chair of the Commission on 

19 Fine Arts. 

20 (iii) The Chair of the Congressional 

21 Commission. 

22 (iv) The chair and ranking minority 

23 member of the Committees on Appropria24 tions and Rules and Administration of the 

25 Senate. 


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1 (v) The chair and ranking minority 

2 member of the Committees on Appropria3 tions, House Administration, and Trans4 portation and Infrastructure of the House 

5 of Representatives. 

6 (F) PRIORITY.—In designating a site 

7 under subparagraph (A), the Board of Regents 

8 shall give priority to a site which is on or near 

9 the National Mall. 

10 (b) CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING.—The Board of 

11 Regents, in consultation with the council established under 

12 section 4, may plan, design, and construct a building for 

13 the museum, which shall be located at the site designated 

14 by the Board of Regents under subsection (a). 

15 (c) NONAPPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS RELATING

16 TO MONUMENTS AND COMMEMORATIVE WORKS.—Chap17 ter 89 of title 40, United States Code, shall not apply with 

18 respect to the museum. 

19 (d) COST SHARING.—The Board of Regents shall 

20 pay— 

21 (1) 50 percent of the costs of carrying out this 

22 section from Federal funds; and 

23 (2) 50 percent of the costs of carrying out this 

24 section from non-Federal sources. 


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1 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

3 (1) The term ‘‘Board of Regents’’ means the 

4 Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. 

5 (2) The term ‘‘Congressional Commission’’ 

6 means the Commission to Study the Potential Cre7 ation of a National Women’s History Museum, es8 tablished under section 3056 of the Military Con9 struction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 

10 (Public Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3810). 

11 (3) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

12 of the Smithsonian Institution. 

13 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro15 priated to the Smithsonian Institution to carry out this 

16 Act, including the planning, design, construction, and op17 eration of the museum established under section 3, such 

18 sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020 and each 

19 succeeding fiscal year. 

20 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant 

21 to the authorization under this section shall remain avail22 able until expended. 

23 (c) USE OF FUNDS FOR FUNDRAISING.—Amounts 

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1 tion may be used to conduct fundraising in support of the 

2 museum established under section 3 from private sources. 

Æ 


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