Supporting the goals and ideals of The Year of the Museum.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 389, a resolution celebrating the Year of the Museum. This resolution recognizes the importance of museums which have served the American public since this country was founded and include every type of institution from A, art to Z, zoo. From arboretums, botanical gardens, zoos, historic

presidential homes and libraries to science centers and art and children's museums, they encourage curiosity, they provide a source of enjoyment as well as education, and they preserve our country's great history for every generation.

I'm sure there is not a person among us who does not have a cherished memory of a visit to a museum. Museums are unique places in our communities. They come in every variety and size. Their collections and the ideas they share cover the broad spectrum of human endeavors-- science, history, nature and art. There is a museum to satisfy and peak the interests of everyone of us.

Museums are public forums. They provide an environment rich with opportunity for intergenerational learning and sharing among children, parents, and grandparents. Museum visitors can come to know the struggles and accomplishments of different cultures and achieve a deeper understanding of their own family's, community's and country's history. But most importantly, museums are fun places to visit.

I have always loved museums and have been fortunate to have a number of world-renowned museums in my own district: the Buffalo Museum of Science, the Martin House Restoration Corporation, the Italian Heritage Museum & Cultural Center of Western NY, the Baker-Cederberg Museum and Archives, the George Eastman House, Landmark Society of Western New York, the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester, Rochester Historical Society, Rochester Museum & Science Center, the Strong Museum and the Susan B. Anthony House. These museums are so diverse; clearly any person could find the perfect museum in which to explore a unique interest.

But it is not just my constituents that have benefited from the presence of museums. All Americans do, because there are museums in nearly every Congressional District across this country. And they help our economy. Museums play an important role in promoting travel and tourism and driving economic development. They bring heightened local and national visibility to communities and their artists, scientists, and educators, and they spend $5.2 billion a year serving the American public. Most museums operate as small or mid-sized community institutions, offer free or reduced admissions at least one day a week, work with local schools to enhance curriculum and education of students and families, and employ paid staff and dedicated volunteers.

In addition to educating and entertaining, museums undertake the immense task of preserving and protecting the more than 750 million objects in their collections, ensuring that they are publicly available to our citizens for this and future generations.

H. Res. 389 recognizes ``The Year of the Museum'' as a celebration of great American cultural, history and traditions. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the vast public service provided by the museums in their own communities by supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 389 and join with my fellow colleagues in celebrating the more than 11,000 museums located in communities across this country.

Museums inspire us to dream, to examine the world around us and beyond, and to discover new and exciting things. Museums enable us, and especially our children, to explore everything from the smallest form to the infinite, from microscopic plants to the vast expanses of the universe.

Museums foster our most basic desire to understand what, where, when, why, and how. They also are a great educational resource that enrich our children's learning by complementing what they experience in school. Children learn best when inspired to think abstractly and creatively, and there is no better place outside of our schools for that to occur.

Museum staffs go to great lengths to consult State educational curricula and guidelines when designing exhibits, thereby further enhancing the quality and relevance of the museum experience. Each year, museums spend over $1 billion to create and stage educational exhibits and special programs.

Those of us here in Washington, D.C., are lucky enough to be close to the Smithsonian Institution, which is comprised of some of the best museums in the world. In the blocks between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, anybody with a desire to learn or explore can visit a tropical rain forest, step back to the time of the Civil War, see art from different cultures and periods, examine spacecraft that have been launched into space, touch a Moon rock, and learn about prehistoric animals.

So I rise in support of this bill because museums are an indispensable part of our education system and nurture our desire to discover what we do not yet know.

I live in a museum-rich environment. My congressional district has the Alder Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, the Chicago Center for Black Music Research Library, Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Historical Society, the Ernest Hemingway Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, the Garfield Park Conservatory, the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, the Hull House Jane Addams Museum, the Illinois Labor History Society, the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, the Peace Museum, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Spertus Museum, the Terra Museum of American Art, and the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago.

So my colleagues can see, Mr. Speaker, there is no way that I could not be supportive of museums.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 389) supporting the goals and ideals of The Year of the Museum.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 389, the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 389 offered by the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) would support the goals and ideals of The Year of the Museum in 2006.

America's museums, some of the Nation's premier cultural learning centers, have for decades educated both young and old on the history of our being. From artistic displays to archaeological artifacts, to science and the natural earth, museums help preserve the past and help us to understand our roles in the modern world.

Museums play a very important supplemental educational role, which is central to their service to the public. People of all ages and backgrounds have traditionally gathered to learn from their exhibits and programs. A recent national survey shows that Americans view museums as one of the most important resources for education and one of the most trusted sources for objective information.

Along with the educational benefits, museums continue to influence travel and tourism. They provide a common experience that families can share and experience across generations. In fact, museums rank in the top three family vacation destinations. American families from all income and education ranges visit museums each year. According to the American Association of Museums, there are 2.3 million museum visits a day, adding up to 865 million visits per year in the United States.

In conclusion, I urge all Members to come together in support of this important and timely resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the State of Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of H. Res. 389.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleague and cochairman of the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) in cosponsoring House Resolution 389 to recognize 2006 as The Year of the Museum.

Today on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums, we recognize the importance of museums, which have been serving the American public since 1773, encouraging curiosity and providing a source of enjoyment and education for every generation.

Our resolution recognizes The Year of the Museum as a celebration of great American culture, history and traditions. Having grown up in an arts family, my mom and dad met in the theater and had a lifelong commitment to the arts. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to experience the value of the arts and humanities throughout my childhood.

Today, families in southwest Connecticut enjoy a wide range of institutions like the Barnum Museum, the Discovery Museum and Museum of Art in Bridgeport, the Bruce Museum of Arts and Science in Greenwich, and the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, to name some.

Nearly all of us in the House of Representatives are fortunate enough to have at least one museum, obviously many more in our district. Think of the impact museums have across our country, providing environments for learning and sharing where children, their parents and their grandparents can work together to connect ideas and experiences in direct, vivid and meaningful ways.

Museums teach the stories of the struggles and accomplishments of different cultures and unfamiliar people and achieve a deeper understanding of their own families, neighborhoods, the country in which they live, and the world at large.

I obviously urge my colleagues to join us in recognizing the vast public service provided by the museums in their own communities by supporting The Year of the Museum Resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 389, supporting the goals and ideals of the Year of the Museum. This year marks the centennial of the American Association of Museums, and in turn we celebrate the museums throughout our nation that educate, entertain, and enrich local communities. I am proud to say I am a cosponsor of this resolution.

There are more than 16,000 museums in the United States that protect and share our cultural heritage. Museums help us understand who we are and where we came from. They preserve our history, our artifacts, and our art, and they display it in ways that increase our understanding of familiar and foreign cultures and of the universe itself.

History comes to life for the millions of children who visit museums every year. 11,000 American museums have educational programs for schoolchildren of all ages. Museums annually spend more than $1 billion and 18 million hours to educate children through school programs such as guided field trips, traveling exhibits, and professional development for teachers.

The 12th District of New Jersey is home many diverse museums, including the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. In addition to exhibits on local history, the State Museum offers a wide array of educational opportunities to children, including family oriented educational workshops and a planetarium. From the vast fine arts collection of the Princeton University Art Museum, to the learning opportunities available at the Vietnam Era Educational Center, I am proud of the benefits that all of the 12th District's museums provide to our community.

I support the goals of the Year of the Museum and I am proud to join my colleagues in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.