Funding provided for the erection of a new statue in the United States Capitol Statuary Hall, and money appropriated.
Summary
HF474 appropriates $200,000 from the Minnesota general fund in fiscal year 2026 to the commissioner of administration to replace the existing Henry Mower Rice statue in the United States Capitol’s Statuary Hall with a statue of Hubert H. Humphrey. The bill directs that the appropriation cover removal and transport of the Rice statue to the Minnesota State Historical Society, recasting the Humphrey statue currently on the Minnesota State Capitol mall, and installation of the new statue in Washington, D.C. The money is a one-time appropriation and remains available until the project is completed or abandoned.
The bill is a capital investment measure and would affect state spending and administration related to Minnesota’s representation in the National Statuary Hall Collection. It does not amend broader policy programs or regulatory statutes, but it does authorize the use of state funds for a commemorative public art project and the transfer of a historic statue to a state historical institution. The effective date is the day after final enactment.
Impact
HF474 would create a one-time $200,000 general fund appropriation and authorize the commissioner of administration to carry out the replacement of Minnesota’s Statuary Hall statue in the U.S. Capitol. Its practical effect is to redirect state resources toward the removal, transport, recasting, and installation of a new Hubert H. Humphrey statue, while preserving the Henry Mower Rice statue at the Minnesota State Historical Society. The bill primarily affects state capital investment and cultural/historical property management rather than regulatory law.
Sentiment
Based on the available record, the bill appears to be presented in a straightforward, supportive manner, with no recorded committee testimony, amendments, or votes indicating opposition. The authorship and referral to the Capital Investment Committee suggest it was treated as a funding and project authorization measure. Because there are no transcripts or vote tallies provided, the overall sentiment can only be characterized as neutral-to-supportive from the bill’s introduction and framing.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of debate, if raised later, would likely concern the use of general fund dollars for a statue project, the decision to replace Henry Mower Rice with Hubert H. Humphrey, and the handling of the removed statue. However, the supplied record does not show any expressed objections, competing viewpoints, or recorded controversy.
Requesting the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress of the United States Congress to approve replacement of the statue of Henry Mower Rice now on display in National Statuary Hall in the Capitol of the United States
Joint Committee on Library of Congress of United States Congress requested to approve replacement of statue of Henry Mower Rice now on display in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol, and memorial resolution proposed.