Kansas City, Mo. ? Sen. Jim Talent announced a resolution Monday to make the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum the country’s official home to the history of the all-black teams of the sport’s past.

The museum opened in Kansas City in 1990, but supporters say the congressional action could help secure funding as other Negro Leagues projects crop up elsewhere.

“The idea behind the resolution is to recognize that this is America’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum,” Talent, R-Mo., said at a news conference at the museum.

“This is the museum that has preserved the history of these incredible men and their families.”

The resolution is co-sponsored in the House by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. and was to be presented to both chambers today.

NLBM board President Mark Bryant said national designation would help the museum collect artifacts, license team logos, expand facilities and create additional exhibits.

The last Negro Leagues team folded in the 1960s. The museum is billed as the only public museum devoted to the story of the Negro Leagues and its players.

Bob Kendrick, director of marketing of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said Talent’s resolution could give the NLBM an edge as it tries to fend off competition from Negro Leagues projects proposed for other cities, including a Negro Leagues Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C., and a Baseball Heritage Museum in Cleveland.

“As we are vying for public funds, it gives us a little bit of a competitive advantage,” Kendrick said.

“There have been mentions of other Negro Leagues-related museum projects, and clearly we don’t see a need for that.”

Kansas City was home to the Monarchs, a Negro Leagues team that once included Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in major league baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945.