National Women's History Museum
On March 30, 2011, I reintroduced the National Women’s History Museum Act, H.R. 1269, which would create a National Women’s History Museum in Washington, DC, across from the National Mall. The bill would not cost taxpayers one dime, since construction and operating costs would be raised by the nonprofit National Women's History Museum, Inc. (NWHM).
Women’s history is largely missing from textbooks, memorials, museum exhibits and many other venues. In contrast, men have hundreds of years of written history available to reflect upon and use for inspiration. Of the 210 statues in the United States Capitol, only nine are of female leaders. Less than five percent of the 2,400 national historic landmarks chronicle women's achievement and a recent survey of 18 history textbooks found that only 10% of the individuals identified in the text were women.
The National Women’s History Museum Act directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to house a National Women’s History Museum at 12th and Independence SW in Washington, DC. NWHM must pay fair market value for the property and reasonable timeframes are included for the transfer of the property and for construction to begin.
The museums and memorials in our nation’s Capitol demonstrate what we value. We have museums dedicated to flight, postage stamps, law enforcement and many other important people and issues of interest, but not to women. This bill would provide women, comprising 53% of our population, a long overdue home on our National Mall to honor their many contributions that are the very fabric of our country.
Legislation
9/14/2012 - H.R. 6421, Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Women's History Museum Act of 2012 [112th Congress]
03/30/2011 - H.R. 1269, National Women's History Museum Act of 2011 [112th Congress]
10/14/09 - H.R. 1700, National Women’s History Museum Act of 2009 [111th Congress]
10/14/09 - Current co-sponsors of H.R. 1700 [111th Congress]