BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SJR 4|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SJR 4
Author: Lara (D), et al.
Amended: 3/18/15
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE: 10-0, 3/24/15
AYES: Hall, Berryhill, Block, Gaines, Hernandez, Hill, Hueso,
Lara, McGuire, Vidak
NO VOTE RECORDED: Galgiani
SUBJECT: Sally Ride statue
SOURCE: Author
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 federal law:
1.Creates 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 that any state may request the Joint Committee on the
Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the
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state has provided for display in Statuary Hall in the United
States Capitol 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
approved by the governor of the state.
B. The statue to be replaced has been displayed in the
United States Capitol 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 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 that ownership of any statue replaced shall be
transferred to the state.
2.Specifies that if any statue is removed from the United States
Capitol as part of a transfer of ownership, then it may not be
returned to the United States Capitol for display unless such
display is specifically authorized by federal law.
3.Specifies 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
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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:
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
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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 lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (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
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 (NASA) astronaut program.
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.
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.
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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, Spain, 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.
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.
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Though many individuals were born in the state that their
statue is representing, this is not a requirement.
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
National Statuary 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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.: No Local: No
SUPPORT: (Verified 3/24/15)
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: (Verified 3/24/15)
City of San Juan Capistrano
Kerry Ferguson, San Juan Capistrano City Council Member
1 individual
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The Association of California
Commissions for Women argues 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.
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
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to be memorialized in Statuary Hall. EQCA 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 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 United States
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.
Prepared by:Felipe Lopez / G.O. / (916) 651-1530
3/24/15 17:34:24
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