H.Con.Res. 27 (112^th): Providing for the acceptance of a statue of Gerald R. Ford from the people of Michigan for placement in the United States Capitol.

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/1/hconres27.

Background

According to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history.  The entire collection now consists of 100 statues—two each contributed by all 50 states.  Initially, all state statues were placed in National Statuary Hall.  According to the AOC, however, “the aesthetic appearance of the Hall began to suffer from overcrowding until, in 1933, the situation became unbearable. At that time the Hall held 65 statues, which stood, in some cases, three deep. More important, the structure of the chamber would not support the weight of any more statues.  Thus, on February 24, 1933, Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution No. 47 to provide for the relocation of statues and to govern the reception and placement of future additions.”  Under current law, “Any state may request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the State has provided for display in Statuary Hall in the Capitol of the United States.”

According to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, Gerald Rudolph Ford was born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska, and moved to Grand Rapid, Michigan, shortly after his birth.  Ford attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he played football on two national championship teams and majored in economics.  Ford went on to attend law school at Yale and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served from 1949 to 1973.  In 1973, while serving in the House, Ford was nominated by President Nixon to fill a vacancy for Vice President of the U.S.  When President Nixon resigned in 1974, Ford took the oath of office as President on August 9, 1974.  President Ford died on December 26, 2006 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Summary

H.Con.Res. 27 would provide for the placement of a statue of President Gerald R. Ford, furnished by the people of Michigan, in the U.S. Capitol.  Under the resolution, Congress would officially accept a statue from the state of Michigan in a presentation ceremony in the rotunda of the Capitol on May 3, 2011.  In addition, the resolution would authorize the Architect of the Capitol to display the statue of President Ford in the rotunda. 

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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