Congress mandates diverse viewpoints in new Latino museum on National Mall
H.R. 1330 — Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino Act · Filed by Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) · 130 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill permits the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino to be built on the National Mall's Reserve—an area previously off-limits by federal law—and requires the museum's Board of Trustees to seek diverse political viewpoints and authentic experiences from Hispanic and Latino communities when creating exhibits and programs. Congress will receive biennial reports on the museum's compliance with these diversity requirements.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to authorize a new Smithsonian museum on federal land and mandate curatorial diversity standards. It is a straightforward cultural and institutional measure, not a financial carve-out or deregulation.
What the text implies
- The 'broad array' and 'knowledgeable and respected source' definitions create a curatorial standard that is enforceable via congressional oversight and biennial reporting, potentially setting a precedent for diversity mandates in other federal cultural institutions.
- The bill requires transfer of land or structures from other federal agencies to the Smithsonian 'as soon as practicable'—a mandatory conveyance that may displace or repurpose existing federal uses without explicit appropriation language.
- Biennial reporting to eight separate congressional committees creates a high-visibility accountability mechanism, making the museum's curatorial choices subject to ongoing legislative scrutiny.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain a new federally funded cultural institution on the National Mall dedicated to Hispanic and Latino heritage, and the bill imposes enforceable requirements that the museum's exhibits reflect diverse political viewpoints and authentic community experiences—strengthening public accountability over curatorial decisions. The bill removes a legal barrier without imposing costs on the public.
Who stands to gain
- Smithsonian Institution (receives new museum, land transfer, and operational authority)
Named in the bill
Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, Board of Regents, Board of Trustees, National Mall Reserve, House Committee on Natural Resources, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, House Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Where it stands
130 cosponsors: 94 Democrats, 36 Republicans.
- Feb 13, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 13, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on House Administration · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (5,167 characters) on Sep 23, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
“Congress mandates diverse viewpoints in new Latino museum on National Mall” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr1330 Report an error