MORGANTOWN – The House Government Organization Committee on Monday approved a bill opponents say is aimed at keeping Confederate monuments on state Capitol grounds. It will head to the full House next.
HB 2174 is called the West Virginia Monument and Memorial Protection Act. The presence of some Capitol grounds monuments – such as the Stonewall Jackson statue in front of the Capitol at the east end and the Robert C. Byrd statue in the rotunda – have been called into question because of their associations with racism.
It lists a number of items: monuments, memorials, nameplates, plaques, schools, streets, bridges, buildings, parks, preserves and reserves.
It says if they’re built or named in honor of military figures, events or organizations from all wars since the French and Indian War to now, and it’s located on public property, it can’t be relocated, removed, altered, renamed, rededicated or otherwise disturbed.
Other provisions wrap in things honoring labor unions, African-American civil rights and Native Americans.
An entity having control of the public property on which one of these items is situated may petition the state Historic Preservation Office for a permit to remove, alter or relocate it.
During discussion of the bill, Randall Reid-Smith, curator of the Department of Culture and History, and Susan Pierce, director of historic preservation section and deputy state historic preservation officer, told the delegates that Historic Preservation Office now only permits archaeological projects; this bill would give it a new task. Also, Pierce said, all of her staff already have assigned tasks under federal hisotric preservation guidelines.
Delegates expressed confusion over a particular sentence in the bill and asked Pierce about it. The sentence reads: “This section shall apply to items, structures, or areas described in subsection (b) in existence prior to January 1, 1970, and those lawfully erected, named or dedicated on or after January 1, 1970.
They asked why that date is significant and why it appears to apply to anything both before and after.
Pierce guessed it might be trying to account for the 50-year guideline for things to be considered historic but she really didn’t know.
Two bill co-sponsors on the committee said they didn’t write the bill and didn’t know either, they just signed on to support the bill in its overall concept.
Bill opponents also noted that the bill refers to the War Between the States and not the Civil War and wondered why, but got no answer.
Delegate Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, said the bill seems specifically aimed at Confederate monuments at the Capitol, as he’s not aware of any efforts anywhere to do away with monuments to labor unions, African-Americans or Native Americans.
He and several colleagues proposed three amendments that all failed, including one to change the bill’s name to the West Virginia Confederate Monument and Memorial Protection Act.
Defending that one, he said, “I just ask if you’re on team freedom or team slavery, team democracy or team insurrection.”
In debate before the vote to pass the bill, Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, said “I think this is a really sad day.” We fought a war to eliminate slavery and it’s wrong to honor insurrectionists who committed treason against the Union, she said.
She doesn’t want to deny history, she said, but she doesn’t want to honor murderers and slaveholders.
Delegate Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, said, “I think this bill really upholds white supremacy.”
Committee vice chair Geoff Foster, R-Putnam, defended it saying all the bill does is set up a process for removing a statue.
The vote was 19-6 to approve it and send it to the House floor.
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