The "Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act" authorizes the establishment of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum on the National Mall and ensures diverse representation in its exhibits and programs.
Amy Klobuchar
Senator
MN
The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act authorizes the creation of a Smithsonian American Women's History Museum on the National Mall. It ensures the museum's exhibits and programs accurately represent the diverse experiences of women in the United States, seeking guidance from various sources reflecting different viewpoints. The Act also requires regular reports to Congress on the museum's progress in meeting these diversity requirements.
Women's History Museum Gets National Mall Site Approval, New Rules Mandate 'Diverse Political Viewpoints' in Exhibits
This legislation gives the official go-ahead for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum to be built on the National Mall, a prime spot previously off-limits under section 8908(c) of title 40, U.S. Code. The bill sets out the process: the Smithsonian's Board of Regents picks the specific site, notifies any federal agency currently controlling that land, and that agency must then transfer jurisdiction to the Smithsonian after informing Congress. Essentially, it clears the path for construction to eventually begin in this high-profile location.
Crafting the Narrative: Exhibit Guidelines Get Specific
Beyond just the location, the act digs into how the museum tells its stories. It amends a previous law (the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021) to double down on diversity. Section 104(b)(4) now explicitly requires exhibits and programs to represent the wide range of "cultures, histories, events, and values of women in the United States." Here’s the interesting part: the museum's Council must seek guidance from sources reflecting "diverse political viewpoints and experiences of women." This means curators aren't just looking at historical consensus; they're mandated to consult a spectrum of perspectives, potentially including conservative, liberal, and other viewpoints, when developing content. This could lead to more complex exhibits, but also opens the door to potential disagreements over historical interpretation and representation.
Accountability Check-In: Reporting to Congress
To ensure these diversity requirements are met, the bill adds a layer of oversight. The Secretary of the Smithsonian has to report to several congressional committees within 120 days of the bill's enactment, and then every two years after that. These reports must detail exactly what the museum's Director and Council have done to comply with the diversity mandate, covering both current and planned exhibits and programs. It's a mechanism designed to keep the museum accountable to the specific diversity and representation goals laid out in the law, including the potentially tricky requirement of incorporating diverse political viewpoints.