S. 573 — Introduced in Senate

II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 573 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 28, 2023Mr. Booker (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Van Hollen, and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration A BILL To remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Confederate Monument Removal Act. 2. Requirements and removal procedures (a) Requirements Section 1814 of the Revised Statutes (2 U.S.C. 2131) is amended by inserting (other than persons who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America) after military services. (b) Statue removal procedures (1) In general The Architect of the Capitol shall— (A) identify all statues on display in the United States Capitol that do not meet the requirements of section 1814 of the Revised Statutes (2 U.S.C. 2131), as amended by subsection (a); and (B) subject to the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, arrange for the removal of each such statue from the United States Capitol by not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. (2) Removal and return of statues (A) Returning statues to States In the case of a statue that is removed under this subsection which was provided for display by a State, the Architect of the Capitol shall arrange to transfer and deliver the statue, and transfer ownership of the statue, to the State if the State so requests and agrees to pay any costs related to the transportation of the statue to the State. (B) Other situations Any statue removed under this subsection that is not transferred and delivered to a State in accordance with subparagraph (A) shall remain in the custody of the Architect of the Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol shall store the removed statue in a nonpublic location. (3) Replacement of statues A State that has a statue removed under this subsection shall be able to replace such statue in accordance with the requirements and procedures of section 1814 of the Revised Statutes (2 U.S.C. 2131) and section 311 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 2132). (4) Authorization and appropriations (A) In general There are appropriated for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000 to the Architect of the Capitol to carry out this section, including the costs related to the removal, transfer, security, and storage of the statues described in paragraph (1)(A). (B) Availability Amounts appropriated under subparagraph (A) shall remain available until expended.