HR1329Passed House

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act

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Introduced
In Committee
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
Failed — Did not pass vote
119th
Congress
2025-02-13
Introduced
231
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Nicole Malliotakis
Nicole Malliotakis
Republican · NY · Representative
Votes with party: 95.1% (571 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/M000317

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (231)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

2026-05-21

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act This bill authorizes the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum to be located on a particular site within the Reserve of the National Mall in Washington, DC. Specifically, the bill designates the South Monument site as the location for the museum; however, the President may designate an alternative site within 180 days of the bill's enactment. (The site is the undeveloped land across the National Mall from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.) Administrative jurisdiction of the site must be transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. The Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution must have the approval of specified federal entities (e.g., the Commission of Fine Arts) to plan, design, and construct a museum building. The bill (1) outlines the criteria for considering site and design proposals, and (2) requires the Smithsonian Institution to reimburse for costs resulting from the building approval process. The bill directs the museum to be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States. Under this bill, the museum may not identify, present, describe, or depict any biological male as a female. In carrying out its duties, the museum's advisory council must (1) seek and utilize guidance from a broad array of knowledgeable and respected sources reflecting the diversity of the political viewpoints and authentic experiences held by women in the United States, and (2) seek guidance for the creation and substantial revision of exhibits and programs.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Arts, Culture, Religion

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 1329 Reported in House (RH)] <DOC> Union Calendar No. 538 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 1329 [Report No. 119-621, Part I] To permit the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 13, 2025 Ms. Malliotakis (for herself, Ms. Chu, Ms. De La Cruz, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. LaLota, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Fry, Ms. DelBene, Mrs. Miller of West Virginia, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Gimenez, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Lawler, Ms. Scholten, Mr. Issa, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Stauber, Ms. Sanchez, Mrs. Houchin, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Moolenaar, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Moylan, Mr. Espaillat, Mrs. Radewagen, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Barr, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Newhouse, Ms. Bynum, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Van Orden, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Jacobs, Mrs. Sykes, Mr. Rulli, Ms. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Amodei of Nevada, Ms. McClellan, Mr. Langworthy, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Tenney, Ms. Pingree, Mr. James, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Carey, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Van Drew, Mr. Schweikert, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Owens, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Meuser, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Mast, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Rouzer, Ms. Meng, Mr. Correa, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Bentz, Mrs. McBath, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Tokuda, and Ms. Rivas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 April 23, 2026 Additional sponsors: Mr. Amo, Mr. Sorensen, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Moore of North Carolina, Mr. Latimer, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Shreve, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mr. Ezell, Mr. Baird, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Alford, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Carbajal, Ms. King-Hinds, Mr. Tran, Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Kean, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, Mr. Gottheimer, Ms. Greene of Georgia, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Ms. Lee of Florida, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Vindman, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Jack, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Miller of Ohio, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mrs. Trahan, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Moore of Utah, Ms. Underwood, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. Adams, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Smucker, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Turner of Ohio, Mr. Downing, Mr. Flood, Mrs. McClain, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Peters, Mr. Smith of Missouri, Ms. Maloy, Mr. Feenstra, Mr. Burchett, Mr. McCaul, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. McGuire, Ms. Scanlon, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Moskowitz, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Pou, Ms. Balint, Ms. Titus, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Bera, Mr. Messmer, Mr. Baumgartner, Mr. Begich, Ms. Friedman, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Harrigan, Mr. Carson, Mr. Ogles, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Strickland, Ms. McBride, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Ansari, Mr. Crow, Ms. Gillen, Mr. Landsman, Mr. McDowell, Mr. Van Epps, Ms. Randall, Mr. Mfume, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Schrier, Mr. Ivey, Ms. Kaptur, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Ross, Mr. Thanedar, Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Pocan, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Takano, Mr. Evans of Colorado, Mr. Bresnahan, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Bean…
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of Florida, Mr. Ciscomani, Mr. Bost, Ms. McDonald Rivet, Mr. LaHood, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Case, Mr. Soto, Mr. Crawford, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mrs. Luna, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Simon, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mrs. Grijalva, Mr. Hill of Arkansas, Mr. Min, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Casten, Mr. Wied, Mr. McCormick, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Ms. Morrison, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Pettersen, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Fulcher, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Kennedy of Utah, Mr. Mannion, and Mr. Loudermilk April 23, 2026 Deleted sponsor: Ms. Greene of Georgia (added April 2, 2025; deleted June 26, 2025) April 23, 2026 Reported from the Committee on House Administration with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] April 23, 2026 Committee on Natural Resources discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 13, 2025] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To permit the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act''. SEC. 2. SITE OF SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S HISTORY MUSEUM. (a) Authorizing Site Within Reserve of National Mall.--Section 107(d) of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-5(d)) is amended by striking ``, except that'' and all that follows and inserting a period. (b) Site Designation.--Section 107(a) of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-5(a)) is amended to read as follows: ``(a) In General.--The site for the Museum is hereby designated as the South Monument site, located on the National Mall, bordered by 14th Street Southwest, Jefferson Drive Southwest, Raoul Wallenberg Place Southwest, and Independence Avenue Southwest, except that the President may designate an alternative site for the Museum within 180 days of the date of the enactment of this subsection.''. (c) Use of Site.-- (1) Transfer.--Section 107(b) of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-5(b)) is amended to read as follows: ``(b) Transfer of Site.--As soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the head of the Federal agency or entity shall transfer to the Smithsonian Institution its administrative jurisdiction over the land described in subsection (a).''. (2) Building requirements.--Section 107(c) of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-5(c)) is amended to read as follows: ``(c) Building.-- ``(1) In general.--The Board of Regents, in consultation with the head of the Federal agency or entity and the council established under section 104 and with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts, National Capital Planning Commission, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, and the head of the Federal agency or entity, may plan, design, and construct a building for the Museum, which shall be located at the site described in subsection (a). ``(2) Criteria.--In considering site and design proposals, the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, and the head of the Federal agency or entity shall be guided by, but not limited to the following criteria: ``(A) The Museum shall be located so that to the maximum extent practicable, it protects the open space, existing public use, and cultural and natural resources. ``(B) The Museum shall be constructed of durable material suitable to the outdoor environment. ``(C) Landscape features of the Museum shall be compatible with the climate. ``(D) The National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts may develop such criteria or guidelines specific to each site that are mutually agreed upon to ensure that the design of the Museum carries out the purposes of this section.''. (3) Expenses.--Section 107 of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-5) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(f) Expenses.--The Smithsonian Institution shall reimburse within 60 days any and all costs incurred by the head of the Federal agency or entity for implementation of any recommendations resulting from the approval process described in subsection (c).''. (d) Museum Purpose.--Section 103 of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-1) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(c) Scope of Mission.-- ``(1) In general.--The Museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States. ``(2) Prohibition.--The Museum may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as a female.''. (e) Ensuring Diversity of Political Viewpoints and Authentic Experiences.--Section 104(b)(4) of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t-2(b)(4)) is amended to read as follows: ``(4) Ensuring diversity of political viewpoints and authentic experiences.-- ``(A) In general.--The Council shall ensure that the exhibits and programs of the Museum reflect, to the extent practicable, an equal representation of the diversity of the political viewpoints and authentic experiences held by women in the United States, accurately and comprehensively representing the varied cultures, histories, events, and values held by such women. ``(B) Specific requirements.--In carrying out its duties, the Council shall ensure that it seeks and utilizes to its maximum ability guidance from a broad array of knowledgeable and respected sources reflecting the diversity of the political viewpoints and authentic experiences held by women in the United States, and shall seek such guidance for both the creation and substantial revision of exhibits and programs. ``(C) Definitions.--In this paragraph-- ``(i) the term `broad array' means a range of experts and publications that represent the broad spectrum of communities of women, to include varied viewpoints, political ideologies, cultures, and lived experiences in the United States; and ``(ii) the term `knowledgeable and respected source' means an individual who has gained through education, publication, or witnessing an important or historical event, the ability to advise on at least one unique viewpoint or experience of a particular community of women in the United States, and whose knowledge has been relied upon by a notable segment of that community for education, heritage preservation, or historical purposes, and includes the work of such an individual which reflects such ability and knowledge.''. (f) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary of the Smithsonian shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report on actions taken by the Director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum and the Council of the Museum to comply with the requirements of the amendments made by subsection (f), including a description of actions taken with respect to substantial revisions of current exhibits and programs as well the planning of future exhibits and programs. (g) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this section shall take effect as if included in the enactment of title I of division T of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (20 U.S.C. 80t et seq.). Union Calendar No. 538 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 1329 [Report No. 119-621, Part I] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To permit the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ April 23, 2026 Reported from the Committee on House Administration with an amendment April 23, 2026 Committee on Natural Resources discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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