IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 94 

Authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony to present 

the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune from the people of Florida for 

placement in National Statuary Hall. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2020 

Mr. WALTZ (for himself, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, 

Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. SOTO, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. MAST, Mr. POSEY, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. 

SPANO, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. WASSERMAN

SCHULTZ, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mr. CRIST, and Ms. 

FRANKEL) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a 

ceremony to present the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune 

from the people of Florida for placement in National 

Statuary Hall. 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875, 

in Mayesville, South Carolina, and she was the first 

member of her family, including all of her 16 siblings, 

born free following the conclusion of the Civil War; 

Whereas beginning at a young age, Mary McLeod Bethune 

became engaged with learning and teaching after receiving an opportunity to attend Trinity Presbyterian MisVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:04 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC94.IH HC94

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•HCON 94 IH 

sion School in her hometown, and her dedication was evidenced through attending as many classes as she could 

and teaching her parents and siblings what she had 

learned; 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune was awarded a scholarship 

allowing her to enroll at the then-Scotia Seminary for 

Girls in Concord, North Carolina, from which she graduated in 1893, and she went on to continue her studies 

at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago; 

Whereas upon graduating from the Moody Bible Institute, 

Mary McLeod Bethune became a teacher and taught at 

schools in Georgia and South Carolina before moving to 

Florida to teach at the Palatka Mission School; 

Whereas through observing the burgeoning Black population 

in the area prompted by labor needed for railroad construction, Mary McLeod Bethune decided to follow 

through with her dream of opening her own school; 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune bought a small cottage in 

Daytona Beach to allow for the opening of the Daytona 

Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls 

in 1904 and through her commitment to fundraising, the 

school’s enrollment grew from 5 to 250 students in just 

2 years; 

Whereas the school continued to grow, which eventually resulted in its merger with the Cookman Institute for Men 

in Jacksonville to form Bethune-Cookman College, where 

she later served as president; 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune’s advocacy continued with 

her founding of the National Council of Negro Women 

and her appointment as Director of the Division of Negro 


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•HCON 94 IH 

Affairs of the National Youth Administration by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; 

Whereas through her position as the highest ranking AfricanAmerican woman in the Federal Government, Mary 

McLeod Bethune was able to assist African-American 

youth in finding employment and worked with the Women’s Army Corps during World War II to recruit AfricanAmerican female officers; 

Whereas upon her death in 1955, Mary McLeod Bethune’s 

inspirational leadership was praised by many, including 

former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who lauded ‘‘her 

wisdom and her goodness’’; 

Whereas in 1995, the United States National Park Service 

established the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House 

National Historic Site in Washington, DC, which has 

preserved the townhouse that was once her personal residence and the first headquarters of the National Council 

of Negro Women; 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune’s legacy continues to be felt 

in Florida through the continued success of BethuneCookman University, whose enrollment is currently approaching a record high of 4,000 students; 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune’s significant contributions to 

advance equality for all persons represent the highest 

ideals of America; 

Whereas, on March 19, 2018, the Florida legislature passed, 

and the Governor of Florida signed into law, legislation 

authorizing the placement of a statue memorializing 

Mary McLeod Bethune in the National Statuary Hall collection; and 


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•HCON 94 IH 

Whereas Mary McLeod Bethune’s significant contributions to 

advance equality for all persons represent the highest 

ideals of America, and her statue deserves permanent 

placement in a location within the Capitol complex that 

has high public visibility in order to inspire future generations of Americans: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. USE OF ROTUNDA FOR CEREMONY FOR PRES4 ENTATION OF STATUE OF MARY MCLEOD BE5 THUNE FROM THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA FOR 

6 PLACEMENT IN NATIONAL STATUARY HALL. 

7 (a) CEREMONY TO PRESENT STATUE.—The State of 

8 Florida is authorized to use the rotunda of the Capitol 

9 on a date mutually agreed to by the Speaker of the House 

10 of Representatives and the majority leader of the Senate 

11 for a ceremony to present the statue of Mary McLeod Be12 thune from the people of Florida for placement in Na13 tional Statuary Hall. The Architect of the Capitol and the 

14 Capitol Police Board shall take such action as may be nec15 essary with respect to physical preparations and security 

16 for the ceremony. 

17 (b) DISPLAY IN ROTUNDA.—The statue shall be dis18 played in the rotunda of the Capitol for a period of not 

19 more than 6 months, after which period the statue shall 

20 be moved to its permanent location in National Statuary 

21 Hall. 


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•HCON 94 IH 

1 SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL. 

2 The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall 

3 transmit a copy of this concurrent resolution to the Gov4 ernor of Florida, the Mayor of Daytona Beach, Florida, 

5 and the President of Bethune-Cookman University in 

6 Daytona Beach, Florida. 

Æ 


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