Ros-Lehtinen pushes for Latino Smithsonian | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Miami Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has joined a bipartisan push for a new museum on the National Mall to honor the contributions of Latino-Americans.

Inspired by the opening of Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, a bipartisan group of Latino Senators and House members have filed new legislation for the proposed Latino museum.

An estimated 56 million Latinos live in the United States and represent about 17 percent of the U.S. population. Ros-Lehtinen called the new legislation a step closer to showcasing the community’s legacy.

“Our history and heritage has been embedded in the United States for centuries, and we remain the nation's largest ethnic group, bringing our contributions every day to the American way of life,” Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. “The creation of this museum will allow for those stories to be told.”

President Barack Obama will officially open the 400,000-square-foot African-American history museum during a ceremony on Saturday. Capitalizing on the momentum - and in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month -- Ros-Lehtinen and the authors of the companion bills, Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Ca., and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., want to turn the iconic Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building, next to the Smithsonian Castle, into a new American Latino Museum.

Members of Congress have been trying to get a Latino museum for over a decade, but have been unsuccessful gaining the funds. Becerra, who sponsored similar legislation in 2003, said there is no better time to recognize those contributions.

“The success of America could not have been accomplished without the successes of Latinos,” Becerra said in a statement. “But right now, when people from all over the world visit Washington, D.C., they leave without having an understanding of what it means to be an American of Latino descent.”