II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 663 

To direct the Joint Committee on the Library, in accordance with section 

1831 of the Revised Statutes, to accept a statue depicting Harriet 

Tubman from the Harriet Tubman Statue Commission of Maryland 

and display the statue in a prominent location in the Capitol. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 10, 2021 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Rules and Administration 

A BILL 

To direct the Joint Committee on the Library, in accordance 

with section 1831 of the Revised Statutes, to accept 

a statue depicting Harriet Tubman from the Harriet 

Tubman Statue Commission of Maryland and display 

the statue in a prominent location in the Capitol. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery 

6 under the given name Araminta Ross in Maryland in 

7 about 1820. 


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•S 663 IS

1 (2) Beaten severely as a child, she suffered a 

2 traumatic head injury at the hand of a slave owner 

3 early in her life, which caused a lifetime of head4 aches, seizures, and vision difficulties. 

5 (3) In 1849, she fled north to freedom and then 

6 immediately returned to Maryland, risking her life to 

7 free her family. 

8 (4) She joined the Underground Railroad, 

9 which was a secret network of free African Ameri10 cans and White sympathizers who helped runaway 

11 slaves escape the South. 

12 (5) She became known as ‘‘the Moses to her 

13 people’’ as a conductor on the Underground Rail14 road, risking her life time and time again to return 

15 to Maryland and lead slaves to freedom. 

16 (6) When the Civil War began, she became a 

17 Union spy, organizing an espionage network of 

18 slaves and freedmen who operated behind Confed19 erate lines. 

20 (7) On several occasions, she led military raid21 ing parties and also tended to the Union wounded 

22 as an army nurse. 

23 (8) After the Civil War, she devoted herself to 

24 women’s suffrage, the care of orphans and invalids, 

25 and the establishment of freedmen’s schools. 


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1 (9) The Harriet Tubman Statue Commission of 

2 Maryland has authorized a gift of a statue of Har3 riet Tubman to the United States Government to 

4 commemorate her work on behalf of civil rights and 

5 service to our Nation. 

6 SEC. 2. AGREEMENT FOR ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF HAR7 RIET TUBMAN; DISPLAY OF STATUE IN CAP8 ITOL. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—Not later than 2 years after 

10 the date of enactment of this Act, the Joint Committee 

11 on the Library shall accept from the Harriet Tubman 

12 Statue Commission of Maryland the donation of a statue 

13 depicting Harriet Tubman, subject to the terms and condi14 tions that the Joint Committee considers appropriate. 

15 (b) DISPLAY IN CAPITOL.—After receiving the statue 

16 provided under the agreement entered into under sub17 section (a), the Architect of the Capitol, under the direc18 tion of the Joint Committee on the Library, shall place 

19 the statue in a prominent permanent location in the Cap20 itol. 

21 (c) COSTS.—All costs associated with the donation, 

22 including transportation of the statue to, and placement 

23 in, the Capitol, shall be paid by the Harriet Tubman Stat24 ue Commission of Maryland. 

Æ 


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