BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Isadore Hall, III
Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SJR 4 Hearing Date: 3/24/2015
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|Author: |Lara |
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|Version: |3/18/2015 Amended |
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|Urgency: | |Fiscal: |No |
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|Consultant:|Felipe Lopez |
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SUBJECT: Sally Ride statue.
DIGEST: This resolution memorializes the Congress of the
United States to place a statue of Sally Ride next to the statue
of former President Ronald Reagan in the Congressional
collection representing California and to replace the statue of
Father Junipero Serra, currently one of two statues representing
California in Statuary Hall.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1.Creates, under federal law, the National Statuary Hall which
establishes that each state has the right to donate statues,
in marble, or bronze, not exceeding two in number for each
state, of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and
illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished
civic or military services.
2.Provides, under federal law, that any state may request the
Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the
replacement of a statue the state has provided for display in
Statuary Hall in the Capitol of the United States only if all
of the following conditions are met:
A The request has been approved by a resolution adopted by
the legislature of the state and the request has been
SJR 4 (Lara) Page 2 of ?
approved by the Governor of the state.
B. The statue to be replaced has been displayed in the
Capitol of the United States for at least 10 years as of
the time the request is made, except that the Joint
Committee on the Library of Congress may waive this
requirement for cause at the request of a state.
1.Specifies, under federal law that if the Joint Committee on
the Library of Congress approves a request, the Architect of
the Capitol (AOC) shall enter into an agreement with the state
to carry out the replacement in accordance with the request
and any conditions the Joint Committee on the Library of
Congress may require for its approval. Such agreement shall
provide that:
A The new statue shall be subject to the same conditions
and restrictions as apply to any statue provided by the
state.
B. The state shall pay any costs related to the
replacement, including costs in connection with the design,
construction, transportation, and placement of the new
statue, the removal and transportation of the statue being
replaced, and any unveiling ceremony.
1.Specifies, under federal law, that ownership of any statue
replaced shall be transferred to the state.
2.Specifies, under federal law, that if any statue is removed
from the Capitol of the United States as part of a transfer of
ownership, then it may not be returned to the Capitol for
display unless such display is specifically authorized by
federal law.
3.Specifies, under federal law, that the AOC, upon the approval
of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress and with the
advice of the Commission of Fine Arts as requested, is
authorized and directed to relocate within the United States
Capitol any of the statues received from the states and to
provide for the reception, location, and relocation of the
statues received from the states.
This resolution:
SJR 4 (Lara) Page 3 of ?
1.Memorializes the Congress of the United States to place a
statue of Sally Ride next to the statue of former President
Ronald Reagan in the Congressional collection representing
California.
2.Specifies that Father Junipero Serra can best be memorialized
by locating his statue in a place of honor in California where
citizens and visitors can enjoy it and be reminded of his
significant historical impact upon the state.
3.Specifies that California has a citizen born in California,
Sally Kristen Ride, Ph.D., who is exceptionally worthy of
national commemoration.
4.Specifies that Sally Ride stands alone in California and
American history as a pioneer in space exploration, academia,
and as a role model to Americans everywhere.
5.Specifies that on June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first
American woman and youngest American to go into space when she
traveled aboard the Challenger.
6.Specifies that the Commission on the Status of Women shall
select a commission to represent the state in selecting the
sculptor or sculptors to sculpt the statue and obtain the
necessary funds to carry out this resolution.
Background
Purpose of the Resolution: According to the author, SJR 4
declares that the California Legislature supports memorializing
the Congress of the United States to place a statue of Dr. Sally
Ride, alongside the statue of former President Ronald Reagan in
the congressional collection representing California. SJR 4
also proposes relocating the statue of Father Serra to a
location in California where citizens and visitors can enjoy it
and be reminded of his significant historical impact upon our
state. Dr. Ride would become the first woman to represent
California and the first member of the LGBT community
represented in Statuary Hall.
It should be noted that while SJR 4 specifies that the statue of
Sally Ride should be placed "alongside the Statue of former
President Ronald Reagan," the final location of the Sally Ride
Statue would be determined by the AOC with approval by the Joint
SJR 4 (Lara) Page 4 of ?
Committee on the Library of Congress.
Sally Ride (1951-2012): Born on May 26, 1951, Sally ride is
best known for being the first American woman in space and still
remains the youngest American to travel to space.
Sally Ride grew up in Los Angeles, California and attended
Stanford University where she studied physics and English. She
continued her education at Stanford earning a master's degree in
1975 and a Ph. D. in 1978. Following her time at Stanford, Ride
was accepted into the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's astronaut program (NASA).
After completion of the program Sally Ride became the first
American woman in space on June 18, 1983 aboard space shuttle
Challenger. During her first mission, the five-person crew
deployed two communications satellites and conducted
pharmaceutical experiments. Soon after, Dr. Sally Ride took her
second trip to space aboard Challenger.
After leaving NASA in 1987, Dr. Ride focused much of her efforts
on science education and trying to get young girls interested in
science. In 2001, Dr. Ride founded Sally Ride Science to
develop and provide classroom materials, programs, and
professional development opportunities for K-12 science,
technology, engineering, and math educators.
Dr. Ride was a member of the President's Committee Advisors on
Science and Technology, director of the California Space
Institute, inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the
California Hall of Fame, the Aviation Hall of Fame, and the
Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Dr. Ride died on July 23, 2013 at the age of 61, following a
battle with pancreatic cancer. Following her death, she
received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack
Obama, the highest civilian honor bestowed in the United States.
Father Junipero Serra (1713-1784): Father Junipero Serra was
born in Majorca on November 24, 1713; he joined the Franciscan
Order at the age of 16. Soon after joining, he gained
prominence as an eloquent preacher and eventually became a
professor of theology. His dream was to become a missionary to
America and thus he traveled to Mexico City in 1750.
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In 1769 Father Junipero Serra established a mission in present
day San Diego, California. This would become the first of many
missions that would include San Antonio, San Buenaventura, San
Carlos, San Francisco de Assisi, San Gabriel, San Juan
Capistrano, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara. This was a
difficult task considering that Father Serra was already in his
fifties and suffered from a chronic ulcerated condition on one
of his legs. Father Serra was ascetic and uncompromising in his
zeal to convert Native Americans to Christianity and to make his
missions self-sufficient. Inhabitants built their own homes,
spun wool for garments, and pursued careers as masons,
carpenters, blacksmiths, and millers; thousands of barrels of
grain were kept in reserve supply, and herds of cattle, sheep,
horses, and swine were maintained.
Father Junipero Serra died in Monterey, California, on August
28, 1784. Later this year, Pope Francis is scheduled to travel
to the United States and canonize Father Junipero Serra.
National Statuary Hall Collection: The creation of the National
Statuary Hall Collection was authorized by the United States
Congress in 1864 to allow each state to provide two statues of
notable citizens for display in the United States Capitol. The
Joint Committee on the Library of Congress has oversight of the
collection, and, under the committee's direction, the AOC is
responsible for the reception, placement, and care of the
statues. The subjects of the statue must be a deceased person
who was a citizen of the United States and is illustrious for
historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services.
Though many individuals were born in the state that their
statue is representing, this is not a requirement.
The entire collection consists of statues contributed by 50
states; for a total of 100 statues. Thirty-five statues are
currently located in National Security Hall, six in the Rotunda,
13 in the Crypt, 13 in the Hall of Columns, and 24 in the
Capitol Visitor Center. The remaining statues are located in
various areas throughout the House and Senate wings of the
Capitol.
California's current contributions to the collection are Father
Junipero Serra and President Ronald Wilson Reagan. The statue of
Father Junipero Serra was given to the National Statuary Hall
Collection in 1931 and is currently being displayed in the
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National Security Hall. President Ronald Reagan's statue was
donated by the State of California in 2009 and is located in the
Rotunda. The Reagan statue replaced the statue of Thomas Starr
King, who spoke zealously in favor of the Union and was credited
by President Abraham Lincoln with preventing California from
becoming a separate republic. Starr King is sometimes referred
to as "the orator who saved the nation." The statue of Starr
King had been on display since 1931. It is now on display within
the Civil War Memorial Grove in Capitol Park, which surrounds
the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
Replacing of Statues: In 2000, federal legislation was enacted
that allowed any state to request the Joint Committee on the
Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the
state had previously provided. Since passage only a handful of
statues have been replaced. Federal legislation requires that
the request be approved by a resolution adopted by the
legislature of the state and approved by the Governor of the
state. Furthermore, the statue to be replaced had to have been
displayed for at least 10 years. Before submitting a request to
the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress the state must
also select a committee or commission to represent the state in
selecting the sculptor, and directs the method of obtaining the
necessary funds to carry the resolution into effect.
Expenditures for which the state is responsible includes the
cost of paying the sculptor for designing and carving or casting
the statue; designing and fabricating the pedestal; transporting
the statue and pedestal to the United States Capitol; removing
and transporting the replaced statue; temporarily erecting the
new statue on its pedestal in the location approved for the
unveiling ceremony; certain expenses related to the unveiling
ceremony; and any other expenses that the state commission may
find it necessary to incur.
Once the resolution is approved by the Governor of the state, a
duly authorized state official, typically the governor, then
submits to the AOC, a written request to provide a new statue, a
description of the location in the state where the replaced
statue will be displayed after it is transferred, and a copy of
the applicable enacted state legislation authorizing the
replacement. The AOC reviews the request for completeness and
forwards it to the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.
The Committee will then approve or deny the request.
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If the request is approved by the Joint Committee on the Library
of Congress, the AOC formalizes an agreement with the state to
guide the process. The agreement consists of the state's
commitment to follow the guidelines for the design and
fabrication of statues and to take responsibility for any cost
related to the design, construction, transportation, and
placement of the new statue; the removal and transportation of
the statue being replaced, and any unveiling ceremony.
Prior/Related Legislation
SJR 3 (Hollingsworth), Res. Chapter 136, Statutes of 2006. The
resolution memorialized the Congress of the United States to
place a statue of former President Ronald Reagan next to the
statue of Father Junipero Serra in the Congressional collection
representing California.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.: No Local: No
SUPPORT:
Association of California Commissions for Women
Building Healthy Communities, Long Beach
Equality California
Junior League of Long Beach
Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
Long Beach Unified School District
Pride Real Estate Professional Association
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
South Bay Junior Woman's Club
Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
The Wall Las Memorias Project
Woman's Club of Redondo Beach
16 Retired NASA Astronauts
OPPOSITION:
City of San Juan Capistrano
Honorable Kerry Ferguson, San Juan Capistrano City Council
Member
1 individual
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ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The California Association of
California Commissions for Women argue that Dr. Sally Ride's
contributions in the field of science, physics and space
exploration, as well as her civic service and investment in
science education are not only worthy of this recognition, but
they exemplify our state's rich history of advancement, growth,
diversity, tolerance, and inclusion. The believe that Dr. Ride
will represent our state's modern history and will ensure that
our generation and future generations will be inspired and learn
that anything is possible when you pursue your dreams, including
those that break every ceiling, reach beyond the sky and touch
the stars.
Equality California (EQCA) states that Dr. Ride would continue
to make history with SJR 4 by becoming the first woman to
represent California, and the first member of the LGBT community
to be memorialized in the Statuary Hall. Equality California
further states that a statue of Dr. Ride would be particularly
meaningful to EQCA and to the LGBT community in California and
beyond, because Dr. Ride would be the first member of our
community represented in Statuary hall.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: The City of San Juan Capistrano
writes in opposition of the resolution stating that even though
they appreciate that Sally Ride is worthy of recognition, they
believe that relocating the current bronze statue of Father
Junipero Serra from the U.S. Capitol would diminish his legacy
and role of establishing the mission system, which laid a
foundation for what would become the State of California.
Opponents also argue that diminishing our appreciation of Father
Serra's contributions at the same time that Pope Francis is
scheduled to canonize the mission founder and gain such
international recognition makes very little sense. Opponents
further argue that the diminished presence of Father Serra
nationally would undermine the collective contribution that the
21 missions continue to make in supporting the California
identity as a place of education, history, and travel.