A bill that passed out of the House State Government committee Thursday would give legislators final approval to add or remove permanent statues or artwork in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda – including statues of historical figures.
House Bill 513 would move the ability to approve new permanent fixtures or remove existing ones from the state’s Historic Properties Advisory Commission to the General Assembly. Currently, that commission – which oversees the maintenance, furnishings and repairs at the Capitol – has final say over articles placed on the property.
The last statue to be removed from the Capitol Rotunda was one of former Kentucky-born Confederate president Jefferson Davis in 2020 following a vote from the Historic Properties Advisory Commission.
Republican Rep. David Hale of Wellington, who’s sponsoring the measure, testified at Thursday’s meeting that his bill has “nothing to do” with the removal of the monument of the Confederate leader.
“That statue has been removed. That is behind us. My goal of this bill was to deal with the statues, the artwork, and the beautiful artwork and the statues that are there currently,” Hale said. “I personally believe that, as elected officials, we should have the authority and the final say so to make that decision.”
House Minority Floor Leader Derrick Graham said he thinks the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue was the “direct reason” the bill was introduced. The Frankfort representative said the power to make decisions about permanent fixtures at the Capitol should remain with the Historic Properties Advisory Commission.
“I would hope that we would put these kinds of things in the hands of those individuals who serve on the committee, who are appointed by the governor, who are well known and well regarded in regards to the history of the Commonwealth, whether it's north, south, east or west,” Graham said.
A renewed push to remove Confederate monuments came about in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. His death at the hands of police sparked a nationwide reckoning over the country’s legacy with racial injustice, and led to the removal of more than 100 Confederate symbols around the country.
The 15-foot Jefferson Davis marble statue that once resided in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda was unveiled in 1936 at the height of the Jim Crow Era. At the time of the statue’s removal, historic properties commission member Cathy Thomas said the legacy of the Davis statue was to “reaffirm a legacy of White Supremacy.”
There are currently four statues of prominent men with connections to Kentucky in the Capitol Rotunda: President Abraham Lincoln; statesman Henry Clay; Vice President Alben Barkley; and pioneer surgeon Ephraim McDowell.
Under House Bill 513, members of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission would be held “jointly and severally liable” for costs to remove or reinstall permanent artwork if the group acts against a General Assembly ruling.
The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.
