Authorizing the State Preservation Board to approve the construction of a Texas Life Monument at the State Capitol Complex.
Summary
HCR 109 is a concurrent resolution authorizing the State Preservation Board, subject to existing law and board rules, to approve construction of a Texas Life Monument at the State Capitol Complex at a site outside the historic Capitol grounds. The resolution describes the proposed monument as an eight-foot bronze sculpture by artist Timothy Schmalz depicting a mother with an unborn child, and frames it as a tribute to the miracle of life, motherhood, fatherhood, and the nuclear family.
The resolution does not amend the Texas Government Code or create a new regulatory program. Instead, it expresses the Legislature’s approval for a specific monument project and directs the secretary of state to transmit the resolution to the State Preservation Board. Any construction would still have to comply with Chapter 443, Government Code, and the board’s rules, including requirements related to private funding, size and design limits, and timely completion.
Impact
HCR 109 would affect state action primarily by giving legislative authorization for the State Preservation Board to consider and approve a new monument at the Capitol Complex. It would not directly change substantive law, but it would operate within the existing monument-approval framework in Chapter 443, Government Code, and could lead to placement of a privately funded monument on state property outside the historic Capitol grounds. The practical impact would be on the Capitol grounds, the State Preservation Board’s decision-making, and the groups supporting or opposing the monument’s message.
Sentiment
The available context suggests generally supportive sentiment among the bill’s authors and supporters, who present the monument as a celebration of life, family, and motherhood. The resolution’s language is affirmative and commemorative rather than regulatory, and there is no recorded committee transcript or vote detail in the provided materials showing organized opposition or debate. The bill’s status of being laid on the table subject to call indicates it did not advance cleanly at that stage, but the record provided does not explain why.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are likely ideological and symbolic rather than procedural. Supporters view the monument as a public celebration of unborn life and the family structure, while critics could object to the monument’s anti-abortion implications, its religious or moral framing, or the use of state Capitol space for a message on a divisive social issue. Another possible issue is whether the monument should be placed on state grounds at all, even outside the historic Capitol grounds, given concerns about public endorsement, site selection, and the use of a government venue for a privately funded expressive display.