Extending Authorization for National Great Blacks in Wax Museum

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Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3967 renews the authority to spend appropriations for the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. A legislative hearing was held on this bill, but, unfortunately, the National Park Service did not provide us with any information about this program or the necessity to fund it. What we did learn is that this program will be funded and overseen through the Department of Justice, leaving us with even more questions, not the least of which is why this bill went through a public lands committee.

That being said, I am concerned that extending Federal spending at this time may not be appropriate until we can better understand how this program will be administered and what has been done in the last 6 years since it was originally authorized.

Finally, while I have no doubt that the Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a positive influence in the City of Baltimore, it is unclear why it is necessary to involve the Federal Government in the wax museum industry. This may be yet another highly illustrative example of why we are buried by overwhelming Federal debt.

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