National Museum of Play Recognition Act

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

Mr. Speaker, with much delight and joy in my heart, I rise in support of H.R. 3250, the National Museum of Play Recognition Act, introduced by my esteemed colleague--and very playful, I might say--from New York, Representative Joe Morelle.

This legislation would designate the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, as the National Museum of Play.

The Strong Museum is a unique institution dedicated to the exploration of how play serves to promote learning, creativity, discovery, and cultural history.

Who among us has not been in kindergarten or Head Start or preschool either as a child or as a parent of the child and recognize the importance of play in the growth of our children.

Indeed, I was recently reading a book this weekend that pointed out the importance of play and how we tap into the divinity and the creativity in each of us.

That is why this museum, which was established in 1969, initially housing the personal collections of the Rochester local, Margaret Woodbury Strong, is so important.

As one of the largest museums in the country, the Strong Museum displays the most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play and provides families with interactive exhibits and programs.

This institution hosts the National Toy Hall of Fame and the World Video Game Hall of Fame and publishes the peer-reviewed American Journal of Play.

H.R. 3250 recognizes and honors the distinct and special role that the Strong Museum contributes to our national story.

I thank Representative Morelle for his leadership in this effort and the representatives of the Strong Museum for their advocacy.

This is a straightforward, bipartisan, and commonsense effort to honor and recognize the contributions of a unique and dynamic institution. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), the very serious but also very playful sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, as noted above, this bill is quite worthy of our support. While we have been talking about it with a smile in our hearts, we must recognize that it is incredibly important, and we must be thankful to those who have compiled this collection because it is so essential for us to understand our history and the history of play in our country and the contributions it makes to our society.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from New Mexico, who is also playful but serious, for yielding. I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming for her support of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for H.R. 3250, the National Museum of Play Recognition Act. This bipartisan bill will designate the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, where I am grateful and privileged to represent, as the National Museum of Play.

As has been described by my colleagues, the museum was founded by Margaret Woodbury Strong in 1968. It is the only museum of its kind that exists for the exclusive purpose of exploring the ways in which play encourages learning, creativity, and discovery, and how it illuminates cultural history.

Children are the hope of each and every community across this country. We must continue to inspire future generations to learn, grow, and innovate, and we know the best way to do that is through play.

In 2023, the Strong Museum completed its most recent 90,000-square foot expansion of new exhibit space, bringing the museum total square footage to 282,000 square feet of areas of play.

The museum also features the Toy Hall of Fame. Each year, the Hall of Fame selects inductees like the Fisher-Price Corn Popper, the American Girl dolls, the board game Monopoly, the Atari 2600 game system, Slinky, and last year's new inductee, Cabbage Patch Kids.

I am incredibly proud to have such a noteworthy institution in my district, working to serve the children and families from upstate New York and the entire country.

Mr. Speaker, I extend an invitation to all of my colleagues to come to Rochester and spend time at the National Museum of Play.

I also thank Representative Langworthy for his partnership with this legislation, as well as Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and the House Committee on Natural Resources for advancing this bill on a bipartisan and unanimous basis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3250.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3250) to recognize the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3250, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3250, the National Museum of Play Recognition Act, which recognizes the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, as the National Museum of Play.

This bipartisan bill, led by Representatives Morelle and Langworthy, provides Federal recognition without adding to the Federal estate or burdening taxpayers.

Inspired by her parents' passion for traveling, Margaret Woodbury amassed more than 27,000 dolls from around the world.

After her passing, Ms. Woodbury left a large portion of her financial resources for a museum, which opened in downtown Rochester in 1982.

Today, the museum spans over 100,000 square feet, serving as a reminder of the importance of play to visitors from around the country. As our country evaluates the implications of technology in our children's lives, this bill recognizes how play can be utilized to encourage learning, creativity, and discovery in child development.

This bill recognizes the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum, which draws over half a million visitors annually, in no small part, due to its unique important purpose.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill provides recognition to a museum that is a source of local pride without draining taxpayer resources or increasing the burden on the National Park Service. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 107, Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 1125; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 108, H. Res. 1125; and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 109, H.R. 3250.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present due to the mistake of rushing to the 2 p.m. HFAC hearing. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 109.

Stated against: