Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act

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. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 2 HR 1980 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Smithsonian Women’s 2 History Museum Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 Congress finds the following: 5 (1) Since its founding, the United States has 6 greatly benefitted from the contributions of women. 7 (2) Historical accounts, monuments, memorials, 8 and museums disproportionately represent men’s 9 achievements and contributions and often neglect 10 those of women. For example— 11 (A) a study of 18 American history text- 12 books concluded that 10 percent of the material 13 documented contributions of women; 14 (B) 9 statues out of 91 in the United 15 States Capitol’s National Statuary Hall depict 16 women; and 17 (C) only one of the 44 monuments oper- 18 ated by the National Park Service specifically 19 honors the achievements of women after the 20 2016 designation of the Belmont-Paul Women’s 21 Equality National Monument. 22 (3) There exists no national museum in the 23 United States that is devoted to the documentation 24 of women’s contributions throughout the Nation’s 25 history. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 3 HR 1980 RFS (4) Establishing a comprehensive women’s his- 1 tory museum representing a diverse range of view- 2 points, experience, and backgrounds is necessary to 3 more accurately depict the history of the United 4 States and would add value to the Smithsonian In- 5 stitution. 6 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF MUSEUM. 7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 8 the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women’s his- 9 tory museum, to be named by the Board of Regents in 10 consultation with the council established under section 4. 11 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the museum estab- 12 lished under this section shall be to provide for— 13 (1) the collection, study, and establishment of 14 programs relating to women’s contributions to var- 15 ious fields and throughout different periods of his- 16 tory that have influenced the direction of the United 17 States; 18 (2) collaboration with other Smithsonian Insti- 19 tution museums and facilities, outside museums, and 20 educational institutions; and 21 (3) the creation of exhibitions and programs 22 that recognize diverse perspectives on women’s his- 23 tory and contributions. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 4 HR 1980 RFS SEC. 4. COUNCIL. 1 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 2 the Smithsonian Institution a council to carry out the du- 3 ties set forth under subsection (b) and other provisions 4 of this Act. 5 (b) DUTIES.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council established 7 under this section shall— 8 (A) make recommendations to the Board 9 of Regents concerning the planning, design, and 10 construction of the museum established under 11 section 3; 12 (B) advise and assist the Board of Regents 13 on all matters relating to the administration, 14 operation, maintenance, and preservation of the 15 museum; 16 (C) recommend annual operating budgets 17 for the museum to the Board of Regents; 18 (D) report annually to the Board of Re- 19 gents on the acquisition, disposition, and dis- 20 play of objects relating to women’s art, history, 21 and culture; and 22 (E) adopt bylaws for the operation of the 23 council. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 5 HR 1980 RFS (2) PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The coun- 1 cil, subject to the general policies of the Board of 2 Regents, shall have sole authority to— 3 (A) purchase, accept, borrow, and other- 4 wise acquire artifacts for addition to the collec- 5 tions of the museum; 6 (B) loan, exchange, sell, and otherwise dis- 7 pose of any part of the collections of the mu- 8 seum, but only if the funds generated by that 9 disposition are used for additions to the collec- 10 tions of the museum; or 11 (C) specify criteria with respect to the use 12 of the collections and resources of the museum, 13 including policies on programming, education, 14 exhibitions, and research with respect to— 15 (i) the life, art, history, and culture of 16 women; 17 (ii) the role of women in the history of 18 the United States; and 19 (iii) the contributions of women to so- 20 ciety. 21 (3) OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES.—The council, 22 subject to the general policies of the Board of Re- 23 gents, shall have authority— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 6 HR 1980 RFS (A) to provide for preservation, restoration, 1 and maintenance of the collections of the mu- 2 seum; and 3 (B) to solicit, accept, use, and dispose of 4 gifts, bequests, and devises of personal property 5 for the purpose of aiding and facilitating the 6 work of the museum. 7 (4) ENSURING DIVERSITY OF POLITICAL VIEW- 8 POINTS IN EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS.—In carrying 9 out its duties, the council shall ensure that the ex- 10 hibits and programs of the museum reflect the diver- 11 sity of the political viewpoints held by women of the 12 United States on the events and issues relating to 13 the history of women in the United States. 14 (c) COMPOSITION AND APPOINTMENT.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council shall be com- 16 posed of 25 voting members as provided under para- 17 graph (2). 18 (2) VOTING MEMBERS.—The council shall in- 19 clude the following voting members: 20 (A) The Secretary of the Smithsonian In- 21 stitution. 22 (B) One member of the Board of Regents, 23 appointed by the Board of Regents. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 7 HR 1980 RFS (C) 23 individuals appointed by the Board 1 or Regents. In appointing members under this 2 subparagraph, the Board of Regents should 3 give special consideration to appointing— 4 (i) members of the Congressional 5 Commission; 6 (ii) board members of the National 7 Women’s History Museum, a nonprofit, 8 educational organization described in sec- 9 tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 10 Code of 1986 that was incorporated in 11 1996 in the District of Columbia and that 12 is dedicated for the purpose of establishing 13 a women’s history museum; and 14 (iii) scholars and representatives of 15 organizations that are committed to the 16 study of women’s history. 17 (3) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Board of 18 Regents shall make initial appointments to the coun- 19 cil under paragraph (2) not later than 180 days 20 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 21 (d) TERMS.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this 23 subsection, each appointed member of the council 24 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 8 HR 1980 RFS (2) INITIAL APPOINTEES.—As designated by 1 the Board of Regents at the time of appointment, of 2 the voting members first appointed under subpara- 3 graph (C) of subsection (c)(2)— 4 (A) 8 members shall be appointed for a 5 term of 1 year; 6 (B) 8 members shall be appointed for a 7 term of 2 years; and 8 (C) 7 members shall be appointed for a 9 term of 3 years. 10 (3) REAPPOINTMENT.—A member of the coun- 11 cil may be reappointed, except that no individual 12 may serve on the council for a total of more than 13 2 terms. For purposes of this paragraph, the num- 14 ber of terms an individual serves on the council shall 15 not include any portion of a term for which an indi- 16 vidual is appointed to fill a vacancy under paragraph 17 (4)(B). 18 (4) VACANCIES.— 19 (A) IN GENERAL.—A vacancy on the coun- 20 cil— 21 (i) shall not affect the powers of the 22 council; and 23 (ii) shall be filled in the same manner 24 as the original appointment was made. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 9 HR 1980 RFS (B) TERM.—Any member of the council 1 appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the 2 expiration of the term for which the member’s 3 predecessor was appointed shall be appointed 4 for the remainder of that term. 5 (e) COMPENSATION.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para- 7 graph (2), a member of the council shall serve with- 8 out pay. 9 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 10 council shall be allowed travel expenses, including 11 per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized 12 for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of 13 chapter 57 of title 5, while away from the home or 14 regular place of business of the member in the per- 15 formance of the duties of the council. 16 (f) CHAIRPERSON.—By a majority vote of its voting 17 members, the council shall elect a chairperson from its 18 members. 19 (g) MEETINGS.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The council shall meet at 21 the call of the chairperson or on the written request 22 of a majority of the voting members of the council, 23 but not fewer than twice each year. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 10 HR 1980 RFS (2) INITIAL MEETINGS.—During the 1-year pe- 1 riod beginning on the date of the first meeting of the 2 council, the council shall meet not fewer than 4 3 times for the purpose of carrying out the duties of 4 the council under this subchapter. 5 (h) QUORUM.—A majority of the voting members of 6 the council holding office shall constitute a quorum for 7 the purpose of conducting business, but a lesser number 8 may receive information on behalf of the council. 9 SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF THE MUSEUM. 10 (a) DIRECTOR.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The museum established 12 under section 3 shall have a Director who shall be 13 appointed by the Secretary, taking into consideration 14 individuals recommended by the council established 15 under section 4. 16 (2) DUTIES.—The Director shall manage the 17 museum subject to the policies of the Board of Re- 18 gents. 19 (b) STAFF.—The Secretary may appoint two addi- 20 tional employees to serve under the Director, except that 21 such additional employees may be appointed without re- 22 gard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov- 23 erning appointments in the competitive service. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 11 HR 1980 RFS (c) PAY.—The employees appointed by the Secretary 1 under subsection (b) may be paid without regard to the 2 provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 3 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification 4 of positions and General Schedule pay rates. 5 SEC. 6. EDUCATIONAL AND LIAISON PROGRAMS. 6 (a) PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED.—The Director of the 7 museum established under section 3 may carry out edu- 8 cational and liaison programs in support of the goals of 9 the museum. 10 (b) COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS.—In carrying 11 out this section, the Director shall carry out educational 12 programs in collaboration with elementary schools, sec- 13 ondary schools, and postsecondary schools. 14 SEC. 7. BUILDING. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.— 16 (1) LOCATION.— 17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 18 months after the date of the enactment of this 19 Act, the Board of Regents shall designate a site 20 for the museum established under section 3. 21 (B) SITES FOR CONSIDERATION.—In des- 22 ignating a site under subparagraph (A), the 23 Board of Regents shall select from among the 24 following sites in the District of Columbia: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 12 HR 1980 RFS (i) The site known as the ‘‘South 1 Monument site’’, located on the National 2 Mall and bordered by 14th Street North- 3 west, Jefferson Drive Southwest, Raoul 4 Wallenberg Place Southwest, and Inde- 5 pendence Ave Southwest. 6 (ii) The Northwest United States 7 Capitol site, bordered by 3rd Street North- 8 west, Constitution Avenue Northwest, 1st 9 Street Northwest, and Pennsylvania Ave 10 Northwest. 11 (iii) Any other appropriate location as 12 identified by the Board of Regents in con- 13 sultation with the council established under 14 section 4. 15 (C) AVAILABILITY OF SITE.— 16 (i) IN GENERAL.—The sites described 17 in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (B) 18 shall remain available until the date on 19 which the Board of Regents designates a 20 site for the museum under subparagraph 21 (A). 22 (ii) TRANSFER TO SMITHSONIAN IN- 23 STITUTION.—If the site designated for the 24 museum is in an area that is under the ad- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Feb 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1980.RFS H1980 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 13 HR 1980 RFS ministrative jurisdiction of a Federal agen- 1 cy, as soon as practicable after the date on 2 which the designation is made, the head of 3 the Federal agency shall transfer to the 4 Smithsonian Institution administrative ju- 5 risdiction over the area. 6 (D) FACTORS CONSIDERED.—In desig- 7 nating a site under subparagraph (A), the 8 Board of Regents shall take into consideration 9 each of the following factors: 10 (i) An estimate of the costs associated 11 with each potential site. 12 (ii) An assessment of the suitability of 13 the space of each potential site, including 14 size, proximity to other buildings and 15 transportation, and other external environ- 16 mental conditions, as appropriate. 17 (iii) The recommendations of the Con- 18 gressional Commission. 19 (E) CONSULTATION.—The Board of Re- 20 gents shall carry out its duties under this para- 21 graph in consultation with each of the fol- 22 lowing: 23 (i) The Chair of the National Capital 24 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]