Transcripts For CSPAN Senate Rules Committee Holds Hearing O

Transcripts For CSPAN Senate Rules Committee Holds Hearing On Proposed New Smithsonian Museums 20240711

Chairman blunt the Senate Rules Committee held proposals for two new Smithsonian Museums, the american Womens History Museum and the National Museum of the american latino. Among the witnesses, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and actress eva longoria. His is about 90 minutes. Chairman blunt the committee on rules and administration will come to order. Good morning. I thank my colleagues for attending todays hearing, some virtually, some in person. The same for our witnesses. We are going to be welcoming them as well. The secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, miss jane abraham, former chairman of the Congressional Commission to study the potential for a national Womens History Museum. Miss c. C. Rojas, chairman of the Latino Coalition, and mr. Danny vargas, chairman of the friends of the National Museum of the american latino. I want to thank all of them for joining us. We will hear from a number of senators who have spent time on this and have been sponsors of this bill. Senator collins, senator cornyn, senator menendez will all be joining us for remarks following the remarks of the three of us. This is secretary bunchs second appearance before the Senate Rules Committee. We are grateful to have him with us today. He was appointed the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in june of 2019. And what a first year you have had. Obviously, covid forced closure of all 19 museums for the first time ever. And it happened in the middle of march of this year. That really created an opportunity and requirement for secretary bunch and the great staff of the smithsonian to even further turn to their already substantial digital efforts. They launched smithsonian cares, a new website that aggregates the smithsonians many online resources. In addition to smithsonian cares, the smithsonian offers a learning lab. That is an online tool created specifically to work with teachers and students and Distance Learning. No shock that the learning lab had a 500 increase from march 2019 to march 2020, and i suspect that increase has only continued to grow. Established in 1846, the smithsonian, now 170 years later, encompasses 19 museums and galleries, Numerous Research and educational facilities, the national zoo, a growing collection of 155 million objects and specimens of various kinds. We are here today to discuss whether the congress should authorize the addition of two new museums to the smithsonians vast portfolio, specifically a Smithsonian Museum of womens history, and a National Museum of the american latino. We truly have an Expert Witness on the whole idea of new museums and expanding museums. Secretary bunch was the founder of the African American history and Culture Museum and led the entire 11 year process of planning and constructing the 400,000 squarefoot museum that tells a powerful story. There are other powerful stories to be told. And that is what we are talking about today, the vibrant stories of american women and american latinos, how important they are. I just mentioned 11 years, that ther effort that secretary bunch was so involved in. Whatever we decide to do today, these critically important stories need to be told in better and more substantial ways than they have been in the past during a long period of time it would take to accomplish the goal we are talking about today, assuming we set that goal. In 2021, the smithsonian is set to open a permanent 4500 squarefoot latino gallery named the molina gallery, thanks to a 10 million gift from the molina family and the smithsonians Latino Center continues to be a showcase for that experience at the direction of the Congressional Commission on the study of the potential creation of a National Womens museum. And again, miss abraham is here to talk about that. The smithsonian launched its own womens History Initiative in 2018. That initiative has since raised 10 million toward the development of exhibition programs, educational materials, and Digital Content across the smithsonian space. I look forward to hearing secretary bunchs update on this important work, which again we need to continue to encourage and figure out what we can do to tell this story in a better way, even if we decide to have these two new museums. They will not be available for a while. And so, senator klobuchar, i want to turn to you for any opening remarks you might have. And then we are going to recognize senator feinstein and the three senators who have joined us who have also been sponsors of this legislation. Senator klobuchar . You,klobuchar thank chairman blunt, and i am so glad we are holding this important hearing today. We have much to do, including pandemic relief. That i was looking back as you were talking about during the depression, if you go back to the 1930s, one of Franklin Roosevelts main programs was a public art wpa project. One is hanging in my office that i have on loan for the minnesota museum. These museums will take years to build, but i actually think now is a good time to actually get this started and to get this passed. I am particularly excited to hear from our colleagues, senators collins and feinstein, who are here, as well as senator menendez and senator cornyn. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of both of these bills, and i believe these new museums are critical to expanding our understanding of the remarkable contributions women and latinos have made throughout the history of our country. The Smithsonian Institution was founded on the noble principle that as a nation, we must strive to expand our knowledge and spread that knowledge widely. Nearly 175 years later, the smithsonian continues to fulfill its mission, having grown to become the Worlds Largest Museum Education and research complex. We should all be proud of it. Every year, this year different with the pandemic, but every year millions of people visit the national galleries, the national zoo. The National Mall is lined with iconic structures that comprised the crown jewel of the smithsonian. When families come to washington and they visit these museums, they think they are seeing the complete representation of the course of the history of our nation. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. The fact that our museums do not adequately portray the contributions of women and Latino Americans has been welldocumented. In 1999, president clinton signed an executive order to establish a commission to better identify the accomplishments of women in our nations history, and to consider whether we should establish a Womens Museum. In 1994, the smithsonian issued a report regarding the lack of representation of Latino Americans and their contributions to our nation. Of course, there have been recommendations for both of these museums for several commissions in the past. Even though the need for these museums is clear, the path to getting it done is not always clear. We know that these projects can take a long time, as the chairman pointed out, and they will require a tremendous level of resources and, lets get this, momentum. The success of the newest Smithsonian Museum, the National Museum of africanAmerican History and culture, sets a High Standard for any Museum Moving forward. But as secretary bunch discusses in his testimony, it didnt just happen overnight. In fact, it took 13 years from the passage of congressman lewis bill until the Museum Opened in september of 2016. Under that timeline, even if the legislation we are discussing today was signed into law tomorrow, the museums would be open to the public until 2034. That is why i would make the case we should pass legislation as soon as possible so the hard work to create these museums can truly begin. When i arrived in the senate, there were only 16 women senators, led by our dean at the time, the great senator Barbara Mikulski from maryland, who during her time in the senate was a key leader of the legislation to establish a Womens History Museum. And as we know, this year marks an important milestone in our democracy, the centennial of the 19th amendment, guaranteeing women in america the right to vote. We now have 26 women senators, which is an all time high. Women continue to break barriers. Earlier this month, our colleague, senator kamala harris, became the first woman elected to be Vice President of the United States. I loved one of the graphics that had been sent around online after the election, and it said, ladies, make sure to wear shoes because theres glass everywhere. My witness today is a latino woman who knows about breaking barriers. Eva longoria is a trailblazer for latinos in the film industry. She is known for her work both in front of and behind the camera, and continues to lead the charge of diverse and female representation in the industry and beyond. In addition to speaking about the need for a Womens History Museum, she can provide a powerful voice in support of an american Latino Museums. American latinos have been a part of the country since its founding, and it is past time for their contribution and experiences to be honored with a museum on the National Mall. I think it is very significant that our colleagues are here today, that both these bills before us have passed the house, that both these bills before us have strong bipartisan leadership, democrats and republicans coming together. It is my hope that we can add both of these bills to our final executive business meeting for the 116th congress and work to get the bills passed this year, not next year or the year after. As i point out, roosevelt did this in the middle of the depression, where he saw the future, something that wouldnt get done now but something that would help us to plan ahead for a decade from now. Think about the kids that are watching. Think about the kids that want to go to that museum and see the women are honored, latinos are honored. This is our moment to do something really great by the end of the year. Thank you. Thank you, senator klobuchar. Senator feinstein. Muchfeinstein thanks very. Ranking member klobuchar and fellow members of the committee, thank you for including the smithsonian american Womens History Museum act in todays hearing. It has been a while coming and im very grateful. I am pleased to join my friend and colleague senator collins in introducing this bipartisan bill to establish a national Womens History Museum. It is a long time coming. And in the senate, our 13 cosponsors include every woman who sits on this committee, mr. Chairman. And i thank Ranking Member klobuchar, senators capito, fisher, hyde smith, and cortez masto for their support. In february, the house overwhelmingly passed a companion to our bill by a vote of 37437, and it is my hope that this legislation can get done by the end of the year and we can celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, with this commission. From the earliest days of the nation, women have made substantial and lasting contributions. I dont know why the recognition process has been so difficult, but it has been. And i think the election of women to places of power like political bodies has made a difference. But the fact is, american women have transformed the fields of science, government, literature, medicine, and so much more. So, it is well past time to establish a museum that specifically pays tribute to this history. It would honor and recognize tremendous collective achievements of american women and will help to tell a more complete story of our past. Just a bit of history. In 2014, congress established an independent Bipartisan Commission to study the potential for creating a national Womens History Museum. Mrs. Jane abraham, chair of that commission, is here with us today and will be testifying. The commission submitted its report to congress in november 2016, with the unanimous recommendation to establish a comprehensive Womens History Museum. The report further recommends that this museum be on a prominent location on or near the National Mall, and that it be established as an official part of those smithsonian. So the bill we are considering today incorporates the commissions recommendations and moves us closer to the realization of what i saw begin on this committee, mr. Chairman, 25 years ago, and that is to establish this museum. The act would establish it run by the smithsonian to be part of the smithsonian, create a process to determine a location for it on the National Mall, and appoint leadership to carry out its construction and operation. I just want to say that im very proud to be here. I welcome senator collins support and leadership. Its been fantastic, and i also thank you, senator klobuchar. As women have gained in this body, i think we have gained our ability to achieve this legislation. So thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator feinstein. Senator collins. Sen. Collins good morning. Good morning, chairman blunt, Ranking Member klobuchar, senator feinstein, and other members of this committee. Let me begin by thanking you for holding this hearing on legislation to establish new museums, including the bill that senator feinstein and i introduced, called the smithsonian american Womens History Museum act. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member klobuchar, this cause to establish a Womens History Museum has always been a bipartisan one. The very first bill that i introduced to create such a museum was in 2003. And at that time, senator s Barbara Mikulski, my Dear Colleague senator feinstein were cosponsors of that bill. This year, as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of womens suffrage and the decades long fight for womens equality at the ballot box, it is fitting that we at long last establish an institution in our nations capitol to honor americas women. Women have made invaluable contributions to our country in every field government, business, medicine, law, literature, sports, entertainment, the arts, and the military. As senator klobuchar mentioned, here in the senate we have a Record Number of women, 26 in all serving. When i first became a senator, there were only nine of us. Telling the history of american women matters. It inspires girls to know that there are no boundaries to their potential. A museum recognizing the achievements and experiences of american women is long overdue. In 1999, a president ial commission on commemorating women in our history concluded that, an appropriate celebration of womens history in the next millennium should include the designation of a focal point for womens history in our Nations Capital. In 2014, Congress Took the important steps toward realizing this goal when it passed legislation creating an independent Bipartisan Commission to study establishing such a museum right here in washington, d. C. After 18 months, the Bipartisan Commission unanimously concluded that America Needs and deserves a physical National Museum dedicated to showcasing the historical experiences and impact of women in this country. I agree wholeheartedly with the commissions conclusion, and i want to thank jane abraham for her leadership in having the in heading the commission. Following the commissions recommendations, senator feinstein and i introduced legislation to create an american Womens History Museum that would collect, study, and create programs incorporating and exhibiting a wide spectrum of womens experiences, contributions, and history. It would be part of the Smithsonian Institution, ensuring that it is free and open to all who visit washington, and would be representative of the diverse viewpoints held by american women. Its important to emphasize to that this museum would put tray would portray all aspects of womens contributions to our history without partisanship or bias. It would share the s

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