National Children’s Museum Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1703) to amend title 40, United States Code, to require the Administrator of General Services to enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Children's Museum to provide the National Children's Museum rental space without charge in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1703, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1703, the National Children's Museum Act, which I have sponsored. Last Congress, the House passed this bill by voice vote.

This bipartisan, bicameral bill, which I introduced with Republican Rodney Davis of Illinois and which has been introduced in the Senate by Democrat Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Republican Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia would require the General Services Administration to enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Children's Museum, a congressionally designated museum, to allow the museum to remain in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, a Federally owned building in the Nation's capital without charge for the duration of its existing lease.

The National Building Museum operates under such an agreement. The National Children's Museum is the only congressionally designated museum required to pay rent in a Federal building.

Originally named the Capital Children's Museum, the museum was a staple in D.C. for decades. The museum opened in 1974 in a former convent on H Street Northeast. In 2003, Congress recognized the immense value of having a children's museum in the Nation's capital and officially designated the museum as the National Children's Museum.

After being closed for several years, the museum reopened last year in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in downtown D.C. where it immediately attracted visitors from throughout the Nation's capital and the entire Nation. However, only 18 days later, the coronavirus pandemic forced the museum to close its physical space.

Still, the museum continued to offer valuable online resources to our children as they navigated new, challenging learning circumstances, including over 75 at-home experiment and project video programs and monthly podcasts. The museum has served teachers in 45 States and the District through its virtual field trips since the pandemic began. However, due to revenue losses during the pandemic and other costs, the museum has said it will close permanently without enactment of this bill.

This bill would allow the National Children's Museum to continue to benefit the millions who visit and live in the Nation's capital and the national capital region.

Madam Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of my good friend, Mr. Davis, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, like my friend, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to lead this effort with my good friend and colleague, the chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, Ms. Norton.

As Congresswoman Norton said, this important legislation directs the General Services Administration to provide rent relief to the National Children's Museum that is currently housed in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center right here in Washington, D.C.

Currently, the museum is the only federally designated museum sitting in a Federal building that is required to pay rent. This bill will give the museum the same benefits afforded to other congressionally designated museums.

Prepandemic, the museum offered our children the ability to interact with exhibits that were focused on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. And that allowed children to foster a greater appreciation for our STEM fields.

As our country reopens and we look to the future, the museum will continue to build off that success and become even more valuable of a resource for our youth. In that spirit, I actually look forward to visiting with some of my colleagues soon and talking about this important bill. It is just frustrating that it is the only museum that is congressionally directed that has to pay another government agency, the GSA, for rent when they weren't allowed to be open.

So this is a commonsense bill. It has been great to work with Congresswoman Norton, and I support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Norton for her cooperation on this. It is great to be back on the floor and see everybody. I enjoy this greatly. I certainly hope everybody supports this commonsense bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on June 15, 2022, I voted against bills En Bloc. Had H.R. 610, H.R. 293, H.R. 587, H.R. 1144, H.R. 1921, H.R. 2008, H.R. 2332, H.R. 2545, and H.R. 3642 each received a standalone vote, I would have voted in support of each bill. I opposed the En Bloc because I oppose H.R. 1703.

Madam Speaker, I was unaware that the National Children's Museum was linking to resources that may promote critical race theory or its principles when I initially became a cosponsor. I oppose H.R. 1703 because I do not support using taxpayer dollars for these purposes.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 8 of House Resolution 473, I move to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 293, H.R. 587, H.R. 610, H.R. 1144, H.R. 1703, H.R. 1921, H.R. 2008, H.R. 2332, H.R. 2545, and