Sponsors (233)
The bill would place the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the National Mall Reserve and push for broader, more transparent, and inclusive programming — increasing visibility and oversight — but raises risks of taxpayer costs, shifts in agency control over Reserve land, and potential constraints on curatorial discretion.
Women and the public: enables siting the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the National Mall Reserve, increasing public access and national visibility for women’s history.
Women, museum stakeholders, and educators: requires the Council to seek broad expert guidance and diverse viewpoints for exhibits, promoting more inclusive and representative programming and educational content.
Taxpayers and government actors: mandates biennial reporting to seven congressional committees, increasing transparency and congressional oversight of how diversity and representation requirements are implemented.
Taxpayers: the bill's retroactive effectiveness and potential accelerated transfers could create unplanned costs for land transfers, construction, or operations that would be borne by taxpayers.
Federal and state agencies (landholders): requires prompt transfer of administrative jurisdiction to the Smithsonian, which may accelerate loss of agency control over Reserve land or structures.
Women, educators, and museum professionals: statutory definitions and required use of sources with specified 'diverse political viewpoints' could constrain curatorial discretion, complicate exhibit development, cause delays, or invite legal disputes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Permits the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum to be sited in the National Mall Reserve, changes prior land-transfer and consultation rules, and requires defined diversity outreach and reporting to Congress.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress May 21, 2026
Allows the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum to be placed within the Reserve of the National Mall despite other legal restrictions, and changes earlier 2021 authorizing language to alter how federal land transfers and stakeholder consultation are handled. It requires federal agency notification and a prompt transfer of administrative jurisdiction to the Smithsonian, tightens and defines requirements for seeking diverse viewpoints in planning, and mandates reporting to specified congressional committees; the changes are applied retroactively to the 2021 law's enactment date.