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WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of Hispanic lawmakers is reviving plans to create a museum of Hispanic art, history and culture in the nation's capital.
The call for a national Latino museum comes as Congress continues a contentious debate over immigration, but sponsors said Monday they don't expect the project to be affected.
Florida Republican Mel Martinez, the only foreign-born member of the Senate, joined the push Monday, noting that Hispanic Americans are the largest demographic minority group in the country.
"A museum honoring this community, in our nation's capital, would be a fitting tribute to the important contributions of Hispanic Americans throughout U.S. history," said the Cuban-born Martinez. "The enrichment of American culture and society due to the Hispanic community ought not to go unnoticed."
The House version already has the backing of Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, all Miami Republicans.
Supporters have been pushing the legislation since 2003 and a recent congressional committee gave it a favorable hearing, said Steve Haro, a spokesman for Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat who has been championing the legislation.
"This is a long process, but we've been very encouraged by the reception," Haro said. Supporters of the museum note that the National Museum of the American Indian took more than 20 years to open.
The legislation would provide $3.2 million for a 23-member commission that would look at the viability of creating a museum and launching a fundraising campaign.
The commission would also determine whether the museum would become part of the Smithsonian or be located elsewhere near the Capitol.
"Having a permanent seat at the table would ensure that the world's largest museum complex and our nation's premier cultural institutions are as truly reflective of the nation's people and achievements, as they should be," Becerra told the House Resources Committee's subcommittee on national parks.
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(c) 2006, The Miami Herald. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
