WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation authored by U.S. Senator Susan Collins to create a National Women’s History Museum on a site near the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was unanimously approved by a Senate committee today.
A companion House measure by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., which mirrors the Senator Collins’ bill, also was approved today by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Senator Collins’ bill will now be sent to the full Senate.
“This museum is designed to showcase the many important social, economic, cultural, and political contributions that women have made to our country. And all this could be done at virtually no cost to taxpayers,” said Senator Collins, who has long championed a National Women’s History Museum.
Under Senator Collins’ bill, National Women’s History Museum would pay fair market value to occupy the site, and it would be responsible for construction costs. "This is a great use for an empty lot on our National Mall, and it makes good fiscal sense," she said.
The National Women’s History Museum Act of 2009 was introduced with the support of a bipartisan group of 22 other Senators. It directs the General Services Administration to enter into a long-term occupancy agreement with the National Women’s History Museum, a nonprofit organization, to develop the site at 12th Street and Independence Avenue, SW.
It is estimated that such a museum would draw more than 1.5 million visitors to the nation’s capital each year.