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WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (AFP) - The US Senate has passed legislation that would create a museum in the US capital honoring the achievements of American women.
The National Women's History Museum Act, which passed unanimously on Friday, would establish a museum "to research and present the historic contributions that women have made to all aspects of human endeavor."
The legislation also aims to "explore and present in a fair and balanced way the contributions that women have made to the nation in their various roles in family and society," according to the text of the legislation.
The House of Representatives now must approve similar legislation for the act to become law.
Officials anticipate the museum would attract more than 1.5 million visitors each year.
"Such a museum would also showcase the many important social, economic, cultural, and political contributions that women have made to our country," said Republican Senator Susan Collins, a key backer of the legislation, in a statement on Monday.
The women's museum is to be located in a vacant federal building a short walk from the National Mall, home to some of Washington's most visited cultural landmarks, along with museums honoring the cultures of Native Americans, Asians, and Africans.
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