Reps. Miller, Switalski, Slavens, Hammel, Bennett, Coulouris, Roberts, Constan and Warren offered the following concurrent resolution:
House Concurrent Resolution No. 7.
A concurrent resolution to express the wish of the people of Michigan to erect a statue of Walter P. Reuther in place of the Zachariah Chandler statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection and to urge the Governor to establish a commission to carry out this replacement.
Whereas, The National Statuary Hall Collection was authorized by Congress in 1864 in order to allow each state to provide two statues of notable citizens for display in the United States Capitol. Lewis Cass and Zachariah Chandler represent Michigan. Federal legislation allows a state to request by resolution that the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress approve the replacement of a statue on display in the National Statuary Hall Collection; and
Whereas, We request that the statue of Zachariah Chandler, given in 1913, be replaced with a statue of Walter P. Reuther. Walter Reuther, who was born in 1907 and who died in 1970, came to Detroit to work in the auto industry. It is here that Walter Reuther forged his reputation as a union leader during the Great Depression. In the decades after World War II, Walter Reuther led the United Auto Workers as its president and succeeded in elevating autoworker wages and benefits to levels that allowed these workers to enjoy a middle class lifestyle and view the future with hope. He was an advisor to presidents, an advocate for civil rights, and a leader in reaching out to labor organizations around the world. Walter P. Reuther's efforts on behalf of the workers of an industry that defines Michigan make him worthy of representing our state in the National Statuary Hall Collection; and Whereas, We urge the Governor to appoint a seven-person Walter P. Reuther Statue Commission to oversee the replacement process and to select a sculptor who will create a statue of Walter P. Reuther that reflects his leading role in Michigan history; and
Whereas, The commission must be able to apply for, receive and expend monies from any source, public or private, including but not limited to, gifts, grants, donations of monies and government appropriations. The commission should also have the authority to accept donations of labor, services, or other things of value from any public or private agency or person, to carry out the work of the commission; to pay the costs of the sculptor, carving or casting the statue, creating a pedestal and any desired inscription, transporting the statue and pedestal to the United States Capitol, removing and transporting the replaced statue of Zachariah Chandler, temporarily erecting the new statue of Walter Reuther in the Rotunda of the Capitol for the unveiling ceremony, and expenses related to the unveiling ceremony; and to defray any other expenses that the commission may find it necessary to incur. Individual members of the commission must fully comply with the provisions of the Act No. 196 of the Public Acts of 1973, as amended, being Section 15.341 et seq. of the Michigan Compiled Laws, governing the standards of conduct for public officers and employees of the state of Michigan; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we express the wish of the people of Michigan to erect a statue of Walter P. Reuther in place of the Zachariah Chandler statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge the Governor to approve this replacement and sign an agreement with the Architect of the Capitol to replace the Zachariah Chandler statue with one of Walter P. Reuther; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge the Governor to establish a seven-member Walter P. Reuther Commission to select a sculptor and to oversee the replacement process; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of Michigan and the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.