When the 2018 legislative session starts in January, the Florida House could be poised to quickly pass a bill that would lead to the creation of a slavery memorial at the state Capitol.
The House Government Accountability Committee on Tuesday voted 23-0 to approve a bill (HB 67), filed by Rep. Kionne McGhee, D-Miami, and Rep. Larry Lee Jr., D-Port St. Lucie, that would establish the memorial.
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The bill, which also was approved unanimously by two other panels, is positioned to go to the full House during the 2018 session.
The measure would require the Department of Management Services to develop a plan for the memorial in the Capitol Complex after considering recommendations from the Florida Historical Commission.
McGhee said the memorial would “honor the nameless and forgotten men and women and children who have gone unrecognized for their weighty contributions to our great state and to the United States.”
A Senate version of the bill (SB 286), filed by Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, has not been heard in committees.