S-0619.1

SENATE BILL 5237

BySenators Carlyle, Hunt, Saldaña, Nguyen, and Mullet

AN ACT Relating to the creation of a work group to study and make recommendations on a statue to replace Marcus Whitman; creating new sections; and providing expiration dates.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

(2) The legislature finds that under rigorous, objective review Marcus Whitman does not meet the standards of being one our state's top honorees with a statue display in Olympia and statuary hall in the United States capitol. To address this, the legislature intends to exercise its ability, through legislation enacted by the United States congress in 2000, P.L. 106-554 Sec. 311, to replace the statue of Marcus Whitman in the national statuary hall. The legislature also intends to replace the statue of Marcus Whitman in the Washington state capitol building. Therefore, the legislature intends to create a work group to make recommendations regarding an appropriate replacement for the Marcus Whitman statue and provide the information needed to request that the joint committee of congress on the library approve the replacement of the statue of Marcus Whitman with a new statue.

(3) This section expires November 1, 2020.

(a) The director of the department of archaeology and historic preservation or his or her designee, who shall serve as the chair of the work group;

(b) One member from each of the four major caucuses of the legislature;

(c) The director of the Washington state historical society or his or her designee;

(d) The director of the department of enterprise services or his or her designee;

(e) A representative of the capitol campus design advisory committee that is not the same member as another legislative member already designated to be part of the work group;

(f) A representative from the legacy Washington program; and

(g) Four representatives from the public appointed by the governor.

(2) The work group shall:

(a) Conduct a statewide tour that shall include at least five meetings with at least two meetings on the east side of the Cascade mountains to study and review Washington state history and recommend three individuals who after a rigorous and objective review are worthy of representing Washington state;

(b) Provide the names of the recommended individuals and their qualifications;

(c) Recommend a committee or commission to represent the state in selecting a sculptor for the new statue;

(d) Recommend where to display the replaced Marcus Whitman statue from the national statuary hall after it is transferred back to Washington state;

(e) Provide information regarding the anticipated funding needed for:

(i) The design, carving, or casting of the statue based on the guidelines set by the joint committee of congress on the library and the architect of the capitol;

(ii) The design or fabrication of the pedestal;

(iii) Transportation of the statue and pedestal to the United States capitol;

(iv) An unveiling ceremony, if desired, or other expenses that may be necessary for the statue replacement;

(v) Temporarily erecting the new statue on its pedestal in the location approved for the unveiling ceremony, if desired; and

(vi) Removing and transporting the Marcus Whitman statue back to Washington state; and

(f) Make recommendations regarding the funding sources that may be available, which may include solicitation of private funds or a method for obtaining the necessary funds.

(3) Legislative members of the work group shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with chapter 43.03 RCW.

(4) The work group shall submit a report of its recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 by November 1, 2019.

(5) This section expires November 1, 2020.

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