IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1980 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and 

Administration 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 History Museum Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

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

7 greatly benefitted from the contributions of women. 

8 (2) Historical accounts, monuments, memorials, 

9 and museums disproportionately represent men’s 

10 achievements and contributions and often neglect 

11 those of women. For example— 

12 (A) a study of 18 American history text13 books concluded that 10 percent of the material 

14 documented contributions of women; 

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

16 States Capitol’s National Statuary Hall depict 

17 women; and 

18 (C) only one of the 44 monuments oper19 ated by the National Park Service specifically 

20 honors the achievements of women after the 

21 2016 designation of the Belmont-Paul Women’s 

22 Equality National Monument. 

23 (3) There exists no national museum in the 

24 United States that is devoted to the documentation 

25 of women’s contributions throughout the Nation’s 

26 history. 


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1 (4) Establishing a comprehensive women’s his2 tory museum representing a diverse range of view3 points, experience, and backgrounds is necessary to 

4 more accurately depict the history of the United 

5 States and would add value to the Smithsonian In6 stitution. 

7 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF MUSEUM. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

9 the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women’s his10 tory museum, to be named by the Board of Regents in 

11 consultation with the council established under section 4. 

12 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the museum estab13 lished under this section shall be to provide for— 

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

15 programs relating to women’s contributions to var16 ious fields and throughout different periods of his17 tory that have influenced the direction of the United 

18 States; 

19 (2) collaboration with other Smithsonian Insti20 tution museums and facilities, outside museums, and 

21 educational institutions; and 

22 (3) the creation of exhibitions and programs 

23 that recognize diverse perspectives on women’s his24 tory and contributions. 


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1 SEC. 4. COUNCIL. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

3 the Smithsonian Institution a council to carry out the du4 ties set forth under subsection (b) and other provisions 

5 of this Act. 

6 (b) DUTIES.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council established 

8 under this section shall— 

9 (A) make recommendations to the Board 

10 of Regents concerning the planning, design, and 

11 construction of the museum established under 

12 section 3; 

13 (B) advise and assist the Board of Regents 

14 on all matters relating to the administration, 

15 operation, maintenance, and preservation of the 

16 museum; 

17 (C) recommend annual operating budgets 

18 for the museum to the Board of Regents; 

19 (D) report annually to the Board of Re20 gents on the acquisition, disposition, and dis21 play of objects relating to women’s art, history, 

22 and culture; and 

23 (E) adopt bylaws for the operation of the 

24 council. 


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1 (2) PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The coun2 cil, subject to the general policies of the Board of 

3 Regents, shall have sole authority to— 

4 (A) purchase, accept, borrow, and other5 wise acquire artifacts for addition to the collec6 tions of the museum; 

7 (B) loan, exchange, sell, and otherwise dis8 pose of any part of the collections of the mu9 seum, but only if the funds generated by that 

10 disposition are used for additions to the collec11 tions of the museum; or 

12 (C) specify criteria with respect to the use 

13 of the collections and resources of the museum, 

14 including policies on programming, education, 

15 exhibitions, and research with respect to— 

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

17 women; 

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

19 the United States; and 

20 (iii) the contributions of women to so21 ciety. 

22 (3) OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES.—The council, 

23 subject to the general policies of the Board of Re24 gents, shall have authority— 


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1 (A) to provide for preservation, restoration, 

2 and maintenance of the collections of the mu3 seum; and 

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

5 gifts, bequests, and devises of personal property 

6 for the purpose of aiding and facilitating the 

7 work of the museum. 

8 (4) ENSURING DIVERSITY OF POLITICAL VIEW9 POINTS IN EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS.—In carrying 

10 out its duties, the council shall ensure that the ex11 hibits and programs of the museum reflect the diver12 sity of the political viewpoints held by women of the 

13 United States on the events and issues relating to 

14 the history of women in the United States. 

15 (c) COMPOSITION AND APPOINTMENT.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council shall be com17 posed of 25 voting members as provided under para18 graph (2). 

19 (2) VOTING MEMBERS.—The council shall in20 clude the following voting members: 

21 (A) The Secretary of the Smithsonian In22 stitution. 

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

24 appointed by the Board of Regents. 


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1 (C) 23 individuals appointed by the Board 

2 or Regents. In appointing members under this 

3 subparagraph, the Board of Regents should 

4 give special consideration to appointing— 

5 (i) members of the Congressional 

6 Commission; 

7 (ii) board members of the National 

8 Women’s History Museum, a nonprofit, 

9 educational organization described in sec10 tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

11 Code of 1986 that was incorporated in 

12 1996 in the District of Columbia and that 

13 is dedicated for the purpose of establishing 

14 a women’s history museum; and 

15 (iii) scholars and representatives of 

16 organizations that are committed to the 

17 study of women’s history. 

18 (3) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Board of 

19 Regents shall make initial appointments to the coun20 cil under paragraph (2) not later than 180 days 

21 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

22 (d) TERMS.— 

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

24 subsection, each appointed member of the council 

25 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. 


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1 (2) INITIAL APPOINTEES.—As designated by 

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

3 the voting members first appointed under subpara4 graph (C) of subsection (c)(2)— 

5 (A) 8 members shall be appointed for a 

6 term of 1 year; 

7 (B) 8 members shall be appointed for a 

8 term of 2 years; and 

9 (C) 7 members shall be appointed for a 

10 term of 3 years. 

11 (3) REAPPOINTMENT.—A member of the coun12 cil may be reappointed, except that no individual 

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

14 2 terms. For purposes of this paragraph, the num15 ber of terms an individual serves on the council shall 

16 not include any portion of a term for which an indi17 vidual is appointed to fill a vacancy under paragraph 

18 (4)(B). 

19 (4) VACANCIES.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—A vacancy on the coun21 cil— 

22 (i) shall not affect the powers of the 

23 council; and 

24 (ii) shall be filled in the same manner 

25 as the original appointment was made. 


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

2 appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the 

3 expiration of the term for which the member’s 

4 predecessor was appointed shall be appointed 

5 for the remainder of that term. 

6 (e) COMPENSATION.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para8 graph (2), a member of the council shall serve with9 out pay. 

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

11 council shall be allowed travel expenses, including 

12 per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized 

13 for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of 

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

15 regular place of business of the member in the per16 formance of the duties of the council. 

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

18 members, the council shall elect a chairperson from its 

19 members. 

20 (g) MEETINGS.— 

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

22 the call of the chairperson or on the written request 

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

24 but not fewer than twice each year. 


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1 (2) INITIAL MEETINGS.—During the 1-year pe2 riod beginning on the date of the first meeting of the 

3 council, the council shall meet not fewer than 4 

4 times for the purpose of carrying out the duties of 

5 the council under this subchapter. 

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

7 the council holding office shall constitute a quorum for 

8 the purpose of conducting business, but a lesser number 

9 may receive information on behalf of the council. 

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

11 (a) DIRECTOR.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The museum established 

13 under section 3 shall have a Director who shall be 

14 appointed by the Secretary, taking into consideration 

15 individuals recommended by the council established 

16 under section 4. 

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

18 museum subject to the policies of the Board of Re19 gents. 

20 (b) STAFF.—The Secretary may appoint two addi21 tional employees to serve under the Director, except that 

22 such additional employees may be appointed without re23 gard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov24 erning appointments in the competitive service. 


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

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

3 provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 

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

5 of positions and General Schedule pay rates. 

6 SEC. 6. EDUCATIONAL AND LIAISON PROGRAMS. 

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

8 museum established under section 3 may carry out edu9 cational and liaison programs in support of the goals of 

10 the museum. 

11 (b) COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS.—In carrying 

12 out this section, the Director shall carry out educational 

13 programs in collaboration with elementary schools, sec14 ondary schools, and postsecondary schools. 

15 SEC. 7. BUILDING. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

17 (1) LOCATION.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 

19 months after the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act, the Board of Regents shall designate a site 

21 for the museum established under section 3. 

22 (B) SITES FOR CONSIDERATION.—In des23 ignating a site under subparagraph (A), the 

24 Board of Regents shall select from among the 

25 following sites in the District of Columbia: 


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1 (i) The site known as the ‘‘South 

2 Monument site’’, located on the National 

3 Mall and bordered by 14th Street North4 west, Jefferson Drive Southwest, Raoul 

5 Wallenberg Place Southwest, and Inde6 pendence Ave Southwest. 

7 (ii) The Northwest United States 

8 Capitol site, bordered by 3rd Street North9 west, Constitution Avenue Northwest, 1st 

10 Street Northwest, and Pennsylvania Ave 

11 Northwest. 

12 (iii) Any other appropriate location as 

13 identified by the Board of Regents in con14 sultation with the council established under 

15 section 4. 

16 (C) AVAILABILITY OF SITE.— 

17 (i) IN GENERAL.—The sites described 

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

19 shall remain available until the date on 

20 which the Board of Regents designates a 

21 site for the museum under subparagraph 

22 (A). 

23 (ii) TRANSFER TO SMITHSONIAN IN24 STITUTION.—If the site designated for the 

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1 ministrative jurisdiction of a Federal agen2 cy, as soon as practicable after the date on 

3 which the designation is made, the head of 

4 the Federal agency shall transfer to the 

5 Smithsonian Institution administrative ju6 risdiction over the area. 

7 (D) FACTORS CONSIDERED.—In desig8 nating a site under subparagraph (A), the 

9 Board of Regents shall take into consideration 

10 each of the following factors: 

11 (i) An estimate of the costs associated 

12 with each potential site. 

13 (ii) An assessment of the suitability of 

14 the space of each potential site, including 

15 size, proximity to other buildings and 

16 transportation, and other external environ17 mental conditions, as appropriate. 

18 (iii) The recommendations of the Con19 gressional Commission. 

20 (E) CONSULTATION.—The Board of Re21 gents shall carry out its duties under this para22 graph in consultation with each of the fol23 lowing: 

24 (i) The Chair of the National Capital 

25 Planning Commission. 


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1 (ii) The Chair of the Commission on 

2 Fine Arts. 

3 (iii) The Chair of the Congressional 

4 Commission. 

5 (iv) The chair and ranking minority 

6 member of the Committees on Appropria7 tions and Rules and Administration of the 

8 Senate. 

9 (v) The chair and ranking minority 

10 member of the Committees on Appropria11 tions, House Administration, and Trans12 portation and Infrastructure of the House 

13 of Representatives. 

14 (F) PRIORITY.—In designating a site 

15 under subparagraph (A), the Board of Regents 

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

17 the National Mall. 

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

19 Regents, in consultation with the council established under 

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

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

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

23 (c) NONAPPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS RELATING

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1 ter 89 of title 40, United States Code, shall not apply with 

2 respect to the museum. 

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

4 pay— 

5 (1) 50 percent of the costs of carrying out this 

6 section from Federal funds; and 

7 (2) 50 percent of the costs of carrying out this 

8 section from non-Federal sources. 

9 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

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

12 Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. 

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

14 means the Commission to Study the Potential Cre15 ation of a National Women’s History Museum, es16 tablished under section 3056 of the Military Con17 struction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 

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

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

20 of the Smithsonian Institution. 

21 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro23 priated to the Smithsonian Institution to carry out this 

24 Act, including the planning, design, construction, and op25 eration of the museum established under section 3, such 


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1 sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2021 and each 

2 succeeding fiscal year. 

3 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant 

4 to the authorization under this section shall remain avail5 able until expended. 

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

7 appropriated pursuant to the authorization under this sec8 tion may be used to conduct fundraising in support of the 

9 museum established under section 3 from private sources. 

Passed the House of Representatives February 11, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 

By ROBERT F. REEVES, 

Deputy Clerk. 


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