# H.R. 1329 (119th): Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act This bill authorizes the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum to be located on a particular site within the Reserve of the National Mall in Washington, DC. Specifically, the bill designates the South Monument site as the location for the museum; however, the President may designate an alternative site within 180 days of the bill's enactment. (The site is the undeveloped land across the National Mall from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.) Administrative jurisdiction of the site must be transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. The Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution must have the approval of specified federal entities (e.g., the Commission of Fine Arts) to plan, design, and construct a museum building. The bill (1) outlines the criteria for considering site and design proposals, and (2) requires the Smithsonian Institution to reimburse for costs resulting from the building approval process. The bill directs the museum to be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States. Under this bill, the museum may not identify, present, describe, or depict any biological male as a female. In carrying out its duties, the museum's advisory council must (1) seek and utilize guidance from a broad array of knowledgeable and respected sources reflecting the diversity of the political viewpoints and authentic experiences held by women in the United States, and (2) seek guidance for the creation and substantial revision of exhibits and programs.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: cultural_institution. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: cultural_recognition. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: education. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: national_mall_site. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: sex_based_categories. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: smithsonian. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: women_history. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 187: On Motion to Recommit. Vote type: recommit.
Roll 188: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill combines ordinary prudential provisions on site designation, federal approvals, property transfer, and cost reimbursement with a content restriction that affirms biological sex distinctions in museum presentation. The sex-based provision has a defensible rationale in preserving truthful categories, but it also limits how a federal museum may depict people, which warrants caution rather than a hard moral verdict. No direct advancement of evil is evident in the text.
Theological note: The measure touches on the stewardship of public institutions and whether a national museum should honor the created distinction between male and female in its historical presentation. Its core site and construction provisions are prudential governance matters, while the content restriction raises questions about truthful presentation, the integrity of government speech, and whether viewpoint limits on a cultural institution are just.

## Recorded votes

Roll 187: On Motion to Recommit. Yea 209 · Nay 209 · Other 12.
Roll 188: On Passage. Yea 204 · Nay 216 · Other 10.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-1329-119/