{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221215905/http://maloney.house.gov/press-release/maloney-and-blackburn-team-bring-national-women%E2%80%99s-history-museum-nation%E2%80%99s-capital", "Maloney and Blackburn team up to bring National Women\u2019s History Museum to the Nation\u2019s Capital", "2013-12-11", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Carolyn Maloney", "M000087", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Bipartisan bill to launch exploratory commission gets a hearing\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Our nation\u2019s capitol is lacking a museum that provides a comprehensive history of women\u2019s contributions to the United States, but a bipartisan effort is underway to change that. The legislation Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) drafted (H.R. 863) to establish a commission on the best way to build a museum dedicated to women\u2019s history received a hearing today before a key House panel.\n\u201cWhether you\u2019re reading a history text book or visiting our nation\u2019s historic sites and the museums on our national mall, women are largely missing,\u201d said Congresswoman Maloney. \u201cWhile the historical experiences of men are well represented in existing museums, women\u2019s achievements are often omitted.\u00a0 The fact is that women played key roles in virtually every landmark event in our history. A National Women\u2019s History Museum would help restore the balance by presenting their amazing narratives and highlighting the important contributions of the women who shaped our nation. It\u2019s time to get moving on this museum, and this year we\u2019ve got the bipartisan support to do it.\u201d\n\u201cThe legacies of women who paved the way before us and helped shape our nation deserve to be preserved and shared with our citizens,\u201d said Congresswoman Blackburn.\u00a0 \u201cIt is my hope that by sharing these stories we can inspire future generations by illustrating how bravery, patriotism, and perseverance can truly make a difference. We would not have the freedom and opportunity that we have today without the sacrifices of many women who have broken with the societal norms of their day to stand for freedom. This proposed women\u2019s history museum would be built at no cost to the taxpayers and would be funded entirely by private donations -- many of those from women who seek to share the importance of women to our nation\u2019s founding.\u201d\n\u201cThis important legislation will provide a blueprint of steps to take in order to finally honor 51 percent of our population,\u201d said Joan Wages, President and CEO of the National Women\u2019s History Museum.\u00a0 \u201cIt is vital that America, a nation that has done so much to advance equality for women, houses the National Women\u2019s History Museum to celebrate the deep and lasting impact women have made. A museum established under the auspices of this Commission would be the first in any nation to show the full scope of the history of its women; thereby serving as a beacon to people everywhere and further testament that America is truly a nation of liberty and justice for all.\u00a0\u201c\nMaloney, Blackburn and Wages today testified on the importance of this legislation before the U.S. House Committee on Administration. H.R. 863 would establish a Congressional commission to report recommendations to the President and Congress concerning a National Women\u2019s History Museum in Washington, DC on or near the National Mall. The commission for the museum would be privately funded by the nonprofit National Women's History Museum, Inc. (NWHM).\nThe bill has 44 bipartisan cosponsors. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) have introduced a companion measure in the Senate, S. 398.\nWomen\u2019s historical contributions are largely missing from textbooks, memorials, museum exhibits and many other venues.\u00a0In contrast, thousands of years of written history have focused upon the achievements of men. Of the 210 statues in the United States Capitol, only 13 are of female leaders. Fewer than five percent of the 2,400 national historic landmarks chronicle women's achievements, and a recent survey of 18 history textbooks found that only 10 percent of the individuals identified in the text were women.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nThe National Women\u2019s History Museum would change that by telling the fascinating, yet mostly untold stories of important women in American History, like Agent 355, the mysterious woman who sent vital information to General Washington during the Revolutionary War, or Hedy Lamarr, the luminous Hollywood star who invented a radio-guided torpedo that contained the technology that gave rise to cellphone, Wi-Fi and GPS, and many other women.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221215905/http://maloney.house.gov/press-release/maloney-and-blackburn-team-bring-national-women%E2%80%99s-history-museum-nation%E2%80%99s-capital"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7394691240042448, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}