An Act To Replace a Statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1604
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Amends: 27 MRSA §304

Legislative Document 
No. 1604 
S.P. 645 
In Senate, February 23, 2016 
An Act To Replace a Statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection 
Reported by Senator LANGLEY of Hancock for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 51, section 2. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  27 MRSA §304 is enacted to read: 
§304.  Statues in National Statuary Hall 
This section governs the placement and replacement of statues provided by the State 
to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. 
1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A.  "Cultural agencies" means the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Historic 
Preservation Commission and the Maine State Museum Commission. 
2.  Oversight.  The cultural agencies, in collaboration, shall carry out the provisions 
of this section. 
3.  Statues.  The cultural agencies shall ensure that statues provided by the State to 
represent Maine in the National Statuary Hall Collection comply with any applicable 
federal laws. 
A.  A statue placed in the National Statuary Hall Collection by the cultural agencies 
must represent Maine as demonstrated by the results of a survey of public opinion in 
the State. 
B.  A statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection that is replaced must be returned 
to the State and placed within public view.  A statue returned to the State from the 
National Statuary Hall Collection is property of the Maine State Museum. 
4.  Funding for replacement.  The costs of replacing a statue provided by the State 
to the National Statuary Hall Collection, including, but not limited to, the costs of 
commissioning an artist, materials, transport, fees, engineering studies and insurance and 
other costs related to creating or acquiring a replacement statue and costs related to the 
replaced statue and its relocation to the State, must be funded entirely by private 
donations. 
Sec. 2.  Replacement of statue of Hannibal Hamlin.  By March 15, 2020, the 
Maine Arts Commission, the Maine State Museum Commission and the Maine Historic 
Preservation Commission, as established by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 
12004-G, subsections 7-B, 7-C and 7-D, respectively, shall in accordance with Title 27, 
section 304 replace the statue of Hannibal Hamlin that is currently located in the National 
Statuary Hall Collection with a statue of Margaret Chase Smith that meets all applicable 
federal requirements.  The commissions shall relocate the statue of Hannibal Hamlin to 
the State and place it within public view within the Maine State House, if feasible, or on 
the grounds of the Maine State House. 
SUMMARY 
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural 
Affairs pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 51, section 2.  As required by the resolve, the 
Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Maine 
State Museum Commission submitted to the committee their study and recommendations 
regarding the replacement of statues provided by the State to the National Statuary Hall 
Collection in the United States Capitol.  This bill reflects the recommendations of the 
study. 
The committee has not taken a position on the substance of the study plan or this bill, 
and by reporting this bill out the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to 
suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of the study plan or this bill.  The 
committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of turning the study plan into a 
printed bill that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing and 
subsequent processing in the normal course.  The committee is taking this action to 
ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the commissions' proposal. 
This bill provides that the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Historic Preservation 
Commission and the Maine State Museum Commission are responsible for the placement 
and replacement of statues representing Maine in the National Statuary Hall Collection in 
the United States Capitol.  A statue must meet all applicable federal requirements; 
replacement of a statue must be funded from private sources; and a replaced statue must 
be returned to Maine, where it must be displayed in public view.  The bill requires a 
statue placed in the National Statuary Hall Collection to represent Maine as demonstrated 
by the results of a survey of public opinion.  This bill also directs the Maine Arts 
Commission, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Maine State Museum 
Commission to replace the statue of Hannibal Hamlin currently in the National Statuary 
Hall Collection with a statue of Margaret Chase Smith by March 15, 2020.