[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4994 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4994

 To prohibit the use of Federal funds for Confederate symbols, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 10, 2021

   Mr. Espaillat (for himself, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Meng, Mr. 
 Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Bass, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, 
    Mr. Raskin, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Brown, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. 
Velazquez, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Rush, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Jacobs of California, 
   Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Costa, Mr. McNerney, Mr. 
 Kilmer, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Carson, 
  Ms. Norton, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New 
York, and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
     to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 
 Committees on Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit the use of Federal funds for Confederate symbols, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``No Federal Funding for Confederate 
Symbols Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Confederate battle flag is one of the most 
        controversial symbols from U.S. history, signifying a 
        representation of racism, slavery, and the oppression of 
        African Americans.
            (2) The Confederate flag and the erection of Confederate 
        monuments were used as symbols to resist efforts to dismantle 
        Jim Crow segregation, and have become pillars of Ku Klux Klan 
        rallies.
            (3) There are at least 1,503 symbols of the Confederacy in 
        public spaces, including 109 public schools named after 
        prominent Confederates, many with large African-American 
        student populations.
            (4) There are more than 700 Confederate monuments and 
        statues on public property throughout the country, the vast 
        majority in the South. These include 96 monuments in Virginia, 
        90 in Georgia, and 90 in North Carolina.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL FUNDS RESTRICTION.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (c), no Federal 
funds may be used for the creation, maintenance, or display, as 
applicable, of any Confederate symbol on Federal public land, including 
any highway, park, subway, Federal building, military installation, 
street, or other Federal property.
    (b) Confederate Symbol Defined.--The term ``Confederate symbol'' 
includes the following:
            (1) A Confederate battle flag.
            (2) Any symbol or other signage that honors the 
        Confederacy.
            (3) Any monument or statue that honors a Confederate leader 
        or soldier or the Confederate States of America.
    (c) Exceptions.--Subsection (a) does not apply--
            (1) if the use of such funds is necessary to allow for 
        removal of the Confederate symbol to address public safety; or
            (2) in the case of a Confederate symbol created, 
        maintained, or displayed in a museum or educational exhibit.
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