Confederate monuments bill fails to get House vote

A bill to make it more difficult, if not impossible, to remove or change Confederate monuments and other historic memorials will not get a vote this session in the Texas House.

Senate Bill 1663 was not included on the final agenda for bills that must receive a vote by Tuesday night's deadline in the House, all but ending an effort that sparked passions on both sides of the debate.

Rep. James White, R-Hillister, said that although the bill he sponsored appears to have failed, he hoped it sent a message that political officials need to ensure that all sides are represented before historic monuments and designations, including street names, are changed.

"I hope so, or else you are going to see another one next session that's even more aggressive," White told the American-Statesman.

There is still a chance to add dead bills as amendments in the final week of the legislative session, but finding germane legislation to carry an amendment on monuments is expected to be difficult.

The bill originated in the Senate, where Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, sought to require approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate to remove or alter monuments that had been on state land for 25 years or longer.

Removing or altering historic monuments on city or county land for at least 25 years would have required a supermajority of a city council or county commissioner's court.

During Senate debate on his bill, Creighton said he grew concerned after statues honoring Confederate figures were removed from a Dallas park and from the University of Texas campus. Monuments and memorials should help society remember the past, both good and bad, and should not be eradicated, he said.

Creighton's bill was approved with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.

In the House, however, it was changed last week to ban the removal or alteration of historic monuments and memorials that had been in place for 40 years or longer. Other restrictions were proposed for younger monuments.

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said Monday that Confederate statues and monuments belong in a museum, where they can be placed in historical context, not in the public square, where they were frequently erected to intimidate African Americans.

"You shouldn't have to have a constant reminder of what the Confederacy has stood for in terms of slavery," West told the American-Statesman. "No one is attempting to erase history."

Like White, Creighton said Monday that he hoped support for SB 1663 "will discourage deleting Texas history out of haste" and lead to "a more thoughtful, transparent and collaborative process when considering historical monuments."

Despite the failure of SB 1663, a committee of three Republicans and three Democrats — to be led by the Administration Committee chairman, Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola — will study the 19 portraits hanging on the Senate chamber’s walls.

The paintings include Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America, and Albert Sidney Johnston, a Confederate general who commanded the western front early in the Civil War.

After the Senate's two African American senators complained about the message sent by the paintings, SB 1663 was amended to create a special committee to study the historical relevance of the paintings and recommend whether any should be removed or replaced.

When all 31 senators supported the amendment, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he would appoint the committee even if the bill failed to become law.