U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield secured final passage of legislation today that officially designates the Museum of the American Quilter's Society in Paducah as the National Quilt Museum of the United States. The designation has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and now awaits signature from the President.

"For more than 15 years, the Museum of the American Quilter's Society has been a cultural, educational and economic pillar of Paducah and the surrounding region," Whitfield said. "This American treasure has long deserved national recognition and I am pleased my colleagues in the House and Senate have joined with me to give this museum the distinction it has earned." The House passed S. 2739, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, an omnibus bill which designates and makes adjustments to numerous national parks, wildernesses, trails, heritage areas, scenic rivers, memorials and museums. Whitfield's legislation, which designates the Paducah Quilt Museum as the National Quilt Museum of the United States, was included in the omnibus bill.

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society will join a select group of less than twenty nationally designated museums, which include the Smithsonian museums, the American Art Museum and the National Museum of Health and Medicine, among others.

The Paducah museum averages 40,000 visitors per year from across the country and has had visitors from 25 foreign countries. These tourists spend money in Paducah and the surrounding areas, and, as a result, help bring economic benefits to the community. Designation of the facility as a National Museum will bring additional attention to the area and help increase the number of visitors.

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society is a non-profit institution established to educate, promote, and honor today's quilt makers. The Museum started over 16 years ago and is the largest Quilt Museum in the world. The Museum has three exhibit galleries, the largest quilt exhibit space of any Quilt Museum. This space provides over 13,400 square feet for the museum to showcase over 150 quilts year-round.

Quilts in the Museum's permanent collection have been made by quilters from 44 of the 50 states and a number of foreign countries. The museum also offers workshops and educational opportunities for children and adults alike. They host an annual Quilt Camp for Kids, offer tours of the museum for children and host the "School Block Challenge," a competition where students from Kindergarten through high school are invited to submit quilt blocks to be judged by age group.