§8617A United States Navy Museum System

Summary

The Secretary of the Navy must run and support a group of official Navy museums called the United States Navy Museum System. It includes 11 named museums (for example, the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, the Naval Academy Museum, the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Submarine Force Museum, the USS Constitution detachment in Boston, and others) and any additional museums the Secretary adds if they meet rules. To add a museum, the Secretary must require that it is historically important, open to the public with education programs, and fits the Navy’s mission to preserve its heritage. The Secretary must also create rules for closing museums. A museum cannot be closed until the Secretary tells the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and provides a plan for the collections’ care or display, how staff matters will be handled, any efforts to keep the museum open through public‑private partnerships, and a cost estimate to move and preserve the collections. The committees must wait 90 days after getting the notice before a closure can happen. The Secretary may make partnerships, including with nonprofits, to help fund and run the museums as allowed by law.