Parent's Right to Know Act of 2007

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the committees of jurisdiction for helping move this legislation forward quickly.

Last session what we found was that we just ran out of time. This bill passed unanimously out of the House of Representatives, not a single opposing vote, and we came very, very close in the Senate to having this actually go to the desk of the President, where I am sure he would have signed it. Unfortunately, time became the enemy. And I hope that now, moving this quickly through the process, we will be able to give the Senate the time it needs to move through its process as well.

I want to thank my colleague and friend from Florida, Ms. Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, for her tireless efforts on behalf of this legislation. She and I have served as a, I hope, dynamic duo in trying to move this forward with all our colleagues who were supporting this legislation.

Many us believe that there is no place on this Earth like the National Mall that we have here in Washington, D.C. If anyone from Mars were to come and ask what is it like to be an American, I would send them directly to the National Mall and say, go through the museums that we have at the Smithsonian. Take a look at the various artifacts that give you a sense of our culture, our history, our heritage as a Nation; and you will have a better sense of what it means to be an American after that walk. It would probably take you a few weeks if you want to go through all the different museums, but you will have a better sense of what it means to be an American than, I think, if you go anywhere else in this world.

The only problem I have, and the only disappointment I have, is that you don't get the full picture of what it has meant to be an American. We have moved forward to try to take care of that over the years. We have a museum that recently opened in the last 4 or 5 years that will help us better understand what it has meant to be a Native American in this country. We are going to put shovel in ground very soon in trying to help America understand the history and the plight of many Americans of African descent who have come into this country and the generations that have followed, and what it means to be African American in this country.

I hope, at some point, this commission will report back to us on what best we can do as a Nation to make sure that when someone does walk through the Mall of the Capital and visits those precious museums that we have, that they will have that symphony and that understanding that comes from visiting those tremendous facilities of what it means to be an American and what it is to be proud of our American history and culture.

This legislation, which has the support, I am very glad to say, of a bipartisan group of Members in the House, should help us get a sense from the experts, not politicians, not people who have no real understanding of this, but from the experts of whether or not there is value in moving forward the idea of trying to have a place where we have resided within it, the culture, the experience, the history, the art, the heritage of Americans of Latino descent.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding me the time; thank the two committees of jurisdiction and certainly all the cosponsors of this legislation, but principally to my colleague in crime here, the Congresswoman from Florida, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Mr. Speaker, as chairwoman of the Committee on House Administration, which shares jurisdiction over H.R. 512 with the Committee on Natural Resources, I urge my colleagues to move quickly so that the bill can become law this year and we can begin the process of planning a National Museum of the American Latino here in Washington, D.C.

I congratulate Representative Becerra and Representative Ros-Lehtinen for their leadership in introducing this legislation and for their hard work in pushing it successfully through the House last year.

Persons of Hispanic, or Latino, descent have lived in the Western Hemisphere for 500 years. In the United States, they have become the largest minority group, and their impact will only grow stronger in the future. The culture of the Americas reflects a unique mixture of what was brought from Europe, inherited from the indigenous Native Americans, contributed by Africans forced to come here during the era of slavery, and stirred in the melting pot of interaction with later immigrants from all around the world.

I am pleased to support consideration of a Latino Museum which I hope would undertake serious scholarly research, as well as create and display exhibits to tell the story of the American Latino to an ever growing population which will be increasingly exposed to such cultural influences in the years ahead. This is a project which all Americans can enthusiastically embrace.

Our Committee on House Administration worked for years with the gentleman from Georgia, Representative John Lewis, to establish the Smithsonian African American Museum which finally became law in 2003. That legislation worked its way through Congress over a period of 17 years, passed the House and the Senate in different forms during that time, and then was successfully revived and studied by a Commission appointed by the President and Congress.

Mr. Speaker, that Commission worked through 2002 and early 2003 to compile information and recommendations for Congress to use in considering whether to finally establish the museum, and in what form. While we did not accept all of the Commission's recommendations, I found that it provided invaluable focus and momentum in moving the project forward.

H.R. 512, and any future legislation to establish a new museum which may spring from it, will hopefully enjoy a less tortuous path to a successful conclusion. The Commission to be created relating to the Museum of the American Latino is largely patterned after the African American Museum Commission, and this time we are considering establishing the Commission at the beginning of the process of studying a museum rather than near the end.

The new Commission will examine, among other issues, whether this new museum should be part of the Smithsonian Institution, as is the new African American Museum. The Smithsonian has unique expertise in both museum governance and successfully presenting information which tells a story in both educational and entertaining ways.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 512, which establishes a commission to study the possible creation of a national museum of the American Latino community. As you know, this bill mirrors H.R. 2134, which was referred to the Committee on House Administration in the last Congress and which I was pleased to guide through that committee and present to the House for passage on September 27 of last year. It is only our regret that it did not pass the Senate.

The Latino American community is often recognized for its rich traditions, its sense of community, and deeply rooted beliefs which are woven throughout the fabric of American history. As the Nation's fastest growing ethnic community, the Latino population in America has more than doubled in size in the last 10 years to over 40 million, and continues to grow.

The creation of a national museum of the American Latino community would enable Latino Americans to tell their story in their own words and would create a destination for students, families and visitors that would accurately depict Latino American history.

In order to explore the possibility of creating such a museum, the legislation before us specifies that a commission be created with 23 members, seven of whom would be appointed by the President, and three voting and are non-voting. Each would be appointed by the Speaker, the House Republican leader, the Senate majority leader, and the Senate Republican leader.

Once appointed, the commissioners would assess the cost of the museum, its impact on other Hispanic and Latino-related museums, identify a possible location for the museum, and propose guidelines on the museum's operation. The commission would also work closely with the Latino American community during the design and development phase to ensure that the museum accurately captures the Latino American experience.

I urge my colleagues to, once again, support this important legislation which is the first step in creating a national museum of the American Latino community that will serve as a testament to the vibrant history and tradition of Latino Americans. And I would just be delighted to eventually see this constructed.

Now, Mr. Speaker, at the risk of being the skunk at the garden party, I would like to add a postscript expressing my concern about the proliferation of museums on the Mall and what this may do to the Mall. As you recall, the Mall was designed many, many years ago as a gathering place for America, and it has nobly served that purpose. I believe it is very important that we, in building any additional museums, not impinge on that intent.

So establishing location is I think going to be one of the most difficult parts of the work of this Commission, and I wish them well. But I think it is extremely important that we preserve the National Mall as the gathering place for America and make certain that any additional buildings on the Mall fit well with that purpose.

I rise in strong support today, Mr. Speaker, of H.R. 512, the commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community Act. And I would like to thank my dear friend, Mr. Becerra of California, for his commitment in bringing this important legislation to the floor. We have been working on it for a number of years. It has got strong bipartisan support, and it has been a delight for me to have worked with him and members of my staff to have worked with his staff as well.

As the Republican lead on this legislation, I am so pleased that this bill will take the next step in developing a plan of action for an establishment of a National Museum of the American Latino.

The commission would be comprised of experts in art and museum administration, as well as individuals with experience in the development of similar cultural institutions. The commission would have the responsibility of examining and reporting to Congress and the President a plan to establish a new national museum.

Even as the largest minority group in the United States, Hispanic Americans, are not fully represented by one of the permanent exhibits in Washington's museums, currently there are over 42 million Hispanics in the United States. Furthermore, the Census Bureau estimates that in the year 2050, the Hispanic population in the U.S. will reach over 100 million.

As we can see, Hispanic Americans are our country's largest and fastest growing minority group, and they continue to expand and contribute to the greatness of our wonderful country.

As the first Hispanic American woman elected to Congress, I am so proud to advance the issues affecting all citizens living in our great country. I have been proud to represent my diverse south Florida constituency for many years now in Congress, and I look forward to a future that is, indeed, bright for individuals across our terrific country.

Hispanic Americans are playing an increasing role also in the Nation's economy and in our workforce. For example, according to the Office of Management and Budget, the unemployment rate among the Hispanic community dropped to 4.7, an all-time record low. This statistic demonstrates that the economic policies of lower taxes and less government regulations are working and that all Americans are benefiting from it.

The great diversity of ethnicities and nationalities of the many people of the United States is what makes our Nation strong, is what continues to be a home for many different cultures; and this national museum will signify our strong commitment to proudly exhibit America's rich cultural diversity.

Therefore, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation to ensure that visitors to our Nation's Capital gain a more complete understanding of who we are as Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 512) to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, DC, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 512, which was introduced by my colleague from California, Representative Becerra.

The legislation directs the establishment of a commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of the American Latino, to be located here in Washington, D.C. The commission will be composed of 23 qualified individuals, with seven appointed by the President and the remainder appointed by the majority and minority leadership of the House and Senate.

Under H.R. 512, the commission would be required to prepare a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of the museum, including recommendations for a legislative plan of action to create and construct the museum. The commission's plan would be due not later than 24 months after the date of the commission's first meeting.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 512. Given the contributions that American Latinos have made and continue to make to the cultural and social history of the United States, this is a most fitting measure.

The legislation was the subject of hearings in the House last Congress, and I would note that a nearly identical measure passed the House on September 27, 2006.

As the face of this Nation is represented by many people, the museum would be an opportunity for all of

America to look at the diversity, to appreciate the many peoples that make up this great country of ours.

And I want to take this opportunity to also commend and congratulate my colleague from California, Xavier Becerra, for his leadership on this matter. He has worked very hard with many parties to bring this legislation to fruition.

Mr. Speaker, we strongly support H.R. 512 and urge the adoption of the legislation by the House today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like again to commend Congressman Xavier Becerra of California for bringing H.R. 512 before us and yield him as much time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend from California (Mr. Baca), for remarks on H.R. 512, in which he has been a participant and a hard worker getting the legislation to this point.

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