I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6026 
To prohibit the destruction of civil rights memorials, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2020 
Mr. COHEN (for himself and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To prohibit the destruction of civil rights memorials, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Civil Rights Legacy 
Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON DESTRUCTION OF CERTAIN PROP-
ERTY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 65 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘§ 1370. Prohibiting destruction of civil rights memo-
rials 
‘‘(a) DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.—Whoever, in a 
circumstance described in subsection (b), intentionally de-
faces, damages, or destroys a protected memorial under 
subsection (c) or any structure, plaque, statue, or monu-
ment on public property that commemorates a covered 
civil rights event or a covered civil rights figure shall— 
‘‘(1) in the case that such defacement, damage, 
or destruction is in an amount that is equal to or 
less than $5,000, be required to complete up to 300 
hours of community service, fined under this title, or 
imprisoned not more than a year; or 
‘‘(2) in the case that such defacement, damage, 
or destruction is in an amount that is more than 
$5,000, be fined under this title or imprisoned not 
more than 3 years. 
‘‘(b) CIRCUMSTANCES.—A circumstance described in 
this subsection is that— 
‘‘(1) in committing the offense described in sub-
section (a), the defendant travels or causes another 
to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, or uses 
the mail or an instrumentality of interstate or for-
eign commerce; or 
‘‘(2) the structure, plaque, statue, or monument 
described in subsection (a) is located on property 
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owned by, or under the jurisdiction of, the Federal 
Government. 
‘‘(c) PROTECTED MEMORIALS.—The following are 
protected memorials: 
‘‘(1) Emmett Till Memorial, Mississippi. 
‘‘(2) Mississippi Freedom Trail Markers, Mis-
sissippi. 
‘‘(3) Edmund Pettus Bridge, Alabama. 
‘‘(4) Birmingham Civil Rights National Monu-
ment, Alabama. 
‘‘(5) Civil Rights Memorial Center, Memorial to 
Peace & Justice, Alabama. 
‘‘(6) Virginia Civil Rights Memorial, Virginia. 
‘‘(7) Landmark for Peace Memorial in Dr. Mar-
tin Luther King Jr. Park, Indiana. 
‘‘(8) Harriet Ross Tubman Memorial, Massa-
chusetts. 
‘‘(9) National Civil Rights Museum at the Lor-
raine Motel, Tennessee. 
‘‘(10) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, 
Colorado. 
‘‘(11) Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad 
National Monument, Maryland. 
‘‘(12) African American Civil War Memorial, 
Washington, DC. 
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‘‘(13) Freedom Riders National Monument, 
Alabama. 
‘‘(14) African Burial Ground National Monu-
ment, New York. 
‘‘(15) Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National 
Monument, Ohio. 
‘‘(16) Reconstruction Era National Park, South 
Carolina. 
‘‘(17) George Washington Carver National 
Monument, Missouri. 
‘‘(18) Medgar and Myrlie Evers National 
Monument, Mississippi. 
‘‘(19) Markers on the Civil Rights Trail. 
‘‘(d) RESTITUTION.—Whoever is convicted of an of-
fense under this section shall be ordered to pay restitution. 
‘‘(e) COVERED EVENTS AND FIGURES.—In this sec-
tion— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘covered civil rights figure’ means 
any figure on the list submitted by the United 
States Commission on Civil Rights pursuant to sec-
tion 3(a) of the Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act; 
and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘covered civil rights event’ means 
any event on the list submitted by the United States 
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Commission on Civil Rights pursuant to section 3(a) 
of the Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections for 
chapter 65 of title 18, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following item: 
‘‘1370. Prohibiting destruction of civil rights memorials.’’. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the United States Commis-
sion on Civil Rights shall develop and submit to the Attor-
ney General a list of covered civil rights events and covered 
civil rights figures as follows: 
(1) COVERED CIVIL RIGHTS EVENT.—For pur-
poses of developing a list of covered civil rights 
events, the United States Commission on Civil 
Rights shall include on the list any event that— 
(A) memorializes the struggle to secure 
equal rights for groups suffering from discrimi-
nation on the basis of race, religion, disability, 
gender identity, or sexual orientation during the 
Civil Rights Movement and other social move-
ments; and 
(B) left a positive impression on a unit of 
local government, a State, or the United States. 
(2) COVERED CIVIL RIGHTS FIGURE.—For pur-
poses of developing a list of covered civil rights fig-
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