[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H854-H855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROCUREMENT AND PLACEMENT OF STATUE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN THE UNITED
STATES CAPITOL
Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 250) to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to procure
a statue of Benjamin Franklin for placement in the Capitol.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 250
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROCUREMENT AND PLACEMENT OF STATUE OF BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN IN THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL.
(a) Obtaining of Statue.--Not later than December 31, 2025,
the Joint Committee on the Library shall enter into an
agreement to obtain a statue of Benjamin Franklin, under such
terms and conditions as the Joint Committee considers
appropriate consistent with applicable law.
(b) Placement.--Not later than December 31, 2026, the Joint
Committee shall place the statue obtained under subsection
(a) in a suitable permanent location in the United States
Capitol where the statue is accessible to the public during a
guided tour of the Capitol provided by the Capitol Visitor
Center.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Steil) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.
General Leave
Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Wisconsin?
There was no objection.
Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, today I bring forward two bills. Our Nation faces
major challenges and concerns, and this body continues to work on
those. While we do that, these bills are simple and noncontroversial
and do require legislative action to take effect.
I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 250 to direct the
Joint Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Benjamin Franklin
for placement in the Capitol.
The nonpartisan legislation will allow Congress to place a statue of
Benjamin Franklin in the Capitol. The legislation will require that not
later than 2 years after enactment, the Joint Committee on the Library
shall enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Benjamin Franklin.
It will also be required that the statue be placed in a publicly
accessible permanent location no later than December 31, 2026.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representatives Houlahan and Fitzpatrick and
their 72 additional cosponsors for bringing this legislation forward. I
urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 250, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my dear friend and
colleague, the chair of the Committee on House Administration, for
bringing these bills to the floor and also for his partnership and all
the great cooperation that we enjoy.
I rise today in support of H.R. 250. The bipartisan legislation would
direct the Joint Committee on the Library, as Mr. Steil said, to
procure a statue of Benjamin Franklin for placement in the Capitol to
be observed by all those blessed to come and tour the United States
Capitol.
As my colleague and friend, the sponsor of this bill, along with
Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and Chrissy Houlahan have observed--
and I am quite certain will observe once again in just a few moments--
while there are references to Benjamin Franklin across the Capitol and
a statue tucked away in a back hallway, it is black when there are no
lights on. There is no statue of one of the most important Founding
Fathers accessible to the millions of visitors who have the privilege
of touring the Capitol each year.
This legislation would change that, honoring one of the greatest
minds and patriots in American history.
Benjamin Franklin was a statesman, diplomat, scientist, inventor,
political philosopher, and businessman. His groundbreaking experiments
pushed forward scientific understanding, his role as the first
Postmaster General created the foundation of our modern mail system,
and he was resolutely committed to freeing the Colonies from British
rule.
He helped draft both the Declaration of Independence and the United
States Constitution, and he negotiated the treaty that ended the
Revolutionary War. His genius has shaped our Nation in innumerable
ways, and he deserves to be prominently displayed and honored in the
United States Capitol.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with the Joint Committee on
the Library to obtain a new statue of Benjamin Franklin. I urge my
colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) to speak on the bill.
Mr. FITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman, my friend from
Wisconsin, Representative Steil, for yielding.
To my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), this is
really the product of her hard work. I was proud to partner with her
and accept an invitation. If Benjamin Franklin were here today, he
would give Representative Houlahan a big hug of gratitude for finally
recognizing him.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in resolute support of H.R. 250, the
Benjamin Franklin statue placement act. Alongside my friend and
colleague from Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Houlahan, I am proud to
advance this effort to enshrine one of America's most extraordinary
minds and consequential patriots in the heart of our Nation's Capitol.
Madam Speaker, few figures in our history so fully embody the spirit
of American ingenuity, perseverance, and democratic virtue as Benjamin
Franklin. He was a statesman whose diplomacy secured our independence,
a philosopher whose wisdom guided our early Republic, and an inventor
whose genius advanced mankind.
More than a son of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin was and remains a
towering architect of the American experiment, a testament to what is
possible when vision and virtue work in concert with one another.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of our great Nation, it is both
fitting and necessary that Benjamin Franklin take his rightful place
amongst the great figures enshrined in this amazing
[[Page H855]]
place. To commemorate this milestone without visibly honoring one of
its chief architects would be to overlook the very ideals that built
our great Republic.
Benjamin Franklin lived his life with a deliberate sense of purpose,
beginning each day by asking: What good shall I do on this day? And
ending every evening in reflection: What good have I done today?
Madam Speaker, that is not just a measure of a life well lived. It is
the measure of leadership, of duty, and of a nation that strives always
to be better than it was the day before. Let us take up that challenge
not merely in words but in action.
Let us ensure that Benjamin Franklin's presence in these Halls serves
as a constant reminder that our charge is not to serve ourselves, but
to serve a greater good.
At the close of each day, may we too be able to answer that question
with certainty, having served with purpose, led with integrity, and
upheld the ideals that Franklin and our Founders entrusted to us.
Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), who is my dear friend and the person who
has really led this effort.
Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Morelle for
yielding.
Today, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to rise and offer
this bipartisan legislation, H.R. 250, the Benjamin Franklin statue
placement act. It is so very important to highlight moments where we do
come together here in the body, and this bipartisan, bicameral
legislation is a bright moment of that kind of unity.
I am really grateful for the support and partnership of my colleagues
in this effort, Representative Fitzpatrick and Senators Coons and
Boozman, on the other side of the Capitol.
The Benjamin Franklin statue placement act does seek to honor
Benjamin Franklin, as mentioned, a renowned author, inventor,
statesman, and dare I offer, the most important Founding Father of our
great Nation.
Mr. Franklin's accomplishments and inventions are numerous and
infamous. Electricity, bifocals, and the lightning rod are just a
couple of examples that every day still centuries later are in our
lives. He is known, as was mentioned earlier, for very pithy, very
profound, and witty statements, such as a stitch in time saves nine or
a penny saved is a penny earned. Most memorable, perhaps, is: ``It is a
republic, if you can keep it.''
Arguably, Mr. Franklin's most important accolade is that he is the
only person to have signed formally all three foundational documents
separating our new Nation from the British monarchy.
The Treaty of Paris, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of
Rights, together known as the Charters of Freedom, boast the signatures
of some of our Nation's most revered figures. Mr. Franklin's signature
is the only one that appears on all three documents, however. That is
not only something worthy of note, but something, of course, to
celebrate.
This is why I was shocked when I learned on my very first official
tour of the Capitol Building--which was given to me by my own team
member, Emma Consoli, who is the one we really should thank for this
legislation--that there are no statues on the Capitol tour of Mr.
Franklin. Indeed, Mr. Franklin's lone statue sits at the base of a
stairwell, a dark stairwell, just off the Senate floor, out of sight of
the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the Capitol.
As we approach this Nation's 250th anniversary, it really is of
utmost importance to have Mr. Franklin rightly on display and
immortalized for his contributions to our foundation. The Benjamin
Franklin statue placement act will do just that.
While Representative Fitzpatrick and I both are both immensely proud
of Pennsylvania's own Ben Franklin, we know this is not just for
Pennsylvania but for our entire country. I am very grateful to the 77
Members who shared this sentiment last Congress and to our 22 evenly
bipartisan original cosponsors and to the 33 Members who have already
sponsored it today.
I am also very grateful for the leadership of Chairman Steil and
Ranking Member Morelle who supported this bill and believed in it as it
passed through the House Administration Committee unanimously in
September.
This placement act, as written, directs the Joint Committee on the
Library to procure and to place a statue of Mr. Franklin along the
Capitol tour route, as mentioned, before 2026 ends in celebration of
our 250th anniversary.
The installation of this statue in the Capitol Building will not only
be an apt celebration for such an important figure in our history, but
it is something that I will urge my colleagues to make sure that we
vote in favor of today, so we can start that clock ticking. It is
important that we take up this legislation now so that this awesome
statue that has already been built and already been donated can be cast
to perfection and placed ahead of 2026.
I am grateful for the support of this effort. I thank the sculptor,
Zenos Frudakis, for his beautiful work already. I appreciate so much
the hard work that has gone into this by all of the people who stand
around me for being able to get this to the floor for consideration.
Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared close.
Mr. MORELLE. In closing, Madam Speaker, I thank the people who have
spoken here on an idea whose time has more than come. I think this is
the appropriate way, and particularly, as Ms. Houlahan says, in
recognition of our 250th anniversary upcoming, this will be the
appropriate way to honor one of our truly great founding members of the
American Revolution and our country.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I would like to say, once again, I thank my
colleagues, Representative Houlahan and Representative Fitzpatrick, and
my long working relationship with Ranking Member Morelle for being able
to bring this to the floor.
It is correctly noted that as we approach the 250th anniversary of
the United States of America, I think it is true and important that we
put this statue here in the United States Capitol.
Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge my colleagues to
support H.R. 250, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Steil) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 250.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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