BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SJR 4
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Date of Hearing: June 30, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS, TOURISM, AND
INTERNET MEDIA
Ian Charles Calderon, Chair
SJR
4 (Lara) - As Amended March 18, 2015
SENATE VOTE: 22-10
SUBJECT: Sally Ride statue.
SUMMARY: 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. Specifically, 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.
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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.
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:
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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
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.
3)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.
4)Specifies, under federal law, that ownership of any statue
replaced shall be transferred to the state.
5)Specifies, under federal law, that if any statue is removed
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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.
6)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.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Author's statement of need for legislation. 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
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Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.
2)Background:
a) History of the National Statuary Hall. 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
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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 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.
b) Rules for replacing 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
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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.
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.
3)Proposed Honoree - Dr. Sally Ride (1951-2012). Born on May 26,
1951 in Encino California, 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
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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.
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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.
4)Current inhabitant - Father Junipero Serra (1713-1784). Father
Junipero Serra was born on the Spanish island of 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.
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.
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,
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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.
5)Support: Sally Ride is a deserving and historic representative
of two communities which are underrepresented in Statuary
Hall, LGBT and women. 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 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.
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6)Opposition: Father Serra is a founding father of our state who
is set to become a Saint for his work here, now is not the
time to remove his tributary statue from Statuary Hall. 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 including the California Catholic
Conference 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 and
urge delaying this conversation until after the canonization
takes place.
7)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.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
American Association of University Women - California
Association of California Commissions for Women
Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach
El Segundo Woman's Club
Equity California
Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
Long Beach Unified School District
Pride Real Estate Professional Association
16 Retired NASA Astronauts
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
4 members of the South Bay Junior Woman's Club
Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
The Wall Las Memorias Project
Viejas Tribal Government
Woman's Club of Redondo Beach
2 individuals
Opposition
California Catholic Conference
City of San Juan Capistrano
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2 individuals
Analysis Prepared by:Dana Mitchell / A.,E.,S.,T., & I.M. / (916)
319-3450