ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 178

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JULY 27, 2020

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Resolution No. 178.

This resolution urges Congress to pass legislation requiring the removal of all Confederate statues in the United States Capitol building.

     There are few places in the United States where symbols of the country’s history are more prominently on display and in greater abundance than the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C..  The National Statuary Hall Collection, established in 1864, was created with the goal of honoring important historical figures in United States history.  Each state is encouraged to contribute two statues, subject to approval by the state legislature and governor, to the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection.  There are currently eleven statues of individuals who served in the Confederacy on display in the Capitol complex with some, such as Confederate President Jefferson Davis, located just steps from the House chamber. 

     There have been calls over the years to remove these statues, but such calls have led only to various rearrangement of statues within the collection.  In conjunction with protests over police brutality, existing legislative action taken to remove Confederate portraits in the Capitol, and steps taken to rename military installations that are currently named after Confederates, lawmakers and American citizens have renewed calls to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol building.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has led these renewed calls for removal of the Confederate statues at the Capitol, and Democratic leaders Barbara Lee and Bennie Thompson introduced legislation in furtherance of this goal.  The introduced legislation, H.R. 7217, aims to remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol within 120 days, with the statues then being either reclaimed by the individual states or given to the Smithsonian museums. 

     Those who committed treason against the United States, and lead the nation into its most painful and bloody war to preserve the institution of slavery, are not patriots and should not be afforded the honor of having their images on display in the United States Capitol.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.