Congressional Backers Renew Push for National Latino Museum

Bills with bipartisan sponsorship were submitted in the House and Senate Friday calling for an unused Smithsonian building on Washington’s National Mall to be designated the site for a proposed Museum of the American Latino, the Los Angeles Times writes.

The measure, if approved, would not commit the federal government to fund a museum devoted to Latino history and culture, but would set in motion the planning and design process. The cost of creating the Smithsonian-affiliated institution has been estimated at $402-million to $609-million, to be split between government funding and private donations.

Similar legislation to earmark the site and start planning was submitted in November 2011 but lapsed without action by the previous Congress.