HR7915-119

In Committee

Clarence Mitchell, Jr. Statue Act

119th Congress Introduced Mar 12, 2026

Summary

What This Bill Does

The Clarence Mitchell, Jr. Statue Act records congressional findings about Mitchell's Baltimore upbringing, legal and newspaper career, leadership of the NAACP Washington Bureau, advocacy for major civil-rights, voting-rights, and fair-housing laws, service at the United Nations, and receipt of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The operative section requires the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, within two years, to enter an agreement to obtain a statue of Clarence Mitchell, Jr. The Joint Committee may authorize the Architect of the Capitol to execute the agreement and related contracts. Once obtained, the statue must be placed permanently in a public location inside the United States Capitol. The bill authorizes whatever sums are necessary and makes those funds available until spent.

Who Benefits and How

United States Capitol visitors benefit from permanent public access to a memorial explaining Clarence Mitchell's civil-rights work. Civil-rights educators, NAACP historians, Baltimore history institutions, and people studying congressional advocacy gain a prominent federal commemorative resource. Sculptors, foundries, and other statue contractors may compete for the acquisition work.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Joint Committee on the Library must negotiate an acquisition agreement and select a permanent public location within two years. Architect of the Capitol procurement staff may need to contract for design, fabrication, transport, and installation. Capitol facilities staff must accommodate and maintain the statue. Federal Capitol appropriations bear the acquisition and placement costs, with no dollar ceiling specified.

Key Provisions

  • Recognizes Clarence Mitchell's role in securing major civil-rights legislation.
  • Notes his leadership of the NAACP Washington Bureau and extensive congressional testimony.
  • Requires a statue-acquisition agreement within two years.
  • Allows the Joint Committee to delegate contracting to the Architect of the Capitol.
  • Requires permanent placement in a public location in the United States Capitol.
  • Authorizes all sums necessary for acquisition and placement.
  • Keeps appropriated amounts available until expended.

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Requires Congress's Joint Committee on the Library to obtain and permanently display a Clarence Mitchell, Jr. statue in the United States Capitol within two years and authorizes necessary funding.

Key Policy Areas

Civil Rights History, Capitol Art, Federal Procurement, Public Memorials, Federal Appropriations

Primary Purpose

Requires Congress's Joint Committee on the Library to obtain and permanently display a Clarence Mitchell, Jr. statue in the United States Capitol within two years and authorizes necessary funding.

Policy Domains

Civil Rights History Capitol Art Federal Procurement Public Memorials Federal Appropriations

Sections 2 and 3 Clarence Mitchell findings and statue placement

Identified Gains
  • United States Capitol visitors
  • Civil-rights educators
  • NAACP history researchers
  • Baltimore history institutions
  • Statue fabrication contractors
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih
Civil-rights educators: ,
NAACP history researchers:
Baltimore history institutions:
Statue fabrication contractors:
United States Capitol visitors:
Identified Costs
  • Joint Committee on the Library staff
  • Architect of the Capitol procurement staff
  • Capitol facilities staff
  • Federal Capitol appropriations accounts
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih
Capitol facilities staff:
Joint Committee on the Library staff:
Federal Capitol appropriations accounts:
Architect of the Capitol procurement staff:

Legislative Progress

In Committee
Introduced Committee Passed
Mar 12, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced in House

Mar 12, 2026

Mr. Mfume (for himself, Mr. Olszewski, Ms. Elfreth, Mr. Bishop, …

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Government
4 mentions across 1 clause
-4 negative

Architect of the Capitol procurement staff, Capitol facilities staff, Federal Capitol appropriations accounts

Museums
1 mention across 1 clause
+1 positive

United States Capitol visitors

Arts & Culture
1 mention across 1 clause
+1 positive

Statue fabrication contractors

Education
1 mention across 1 clause
?1 uncertain

Civil-rights educators studying Clarence Mitchell

Advocacy Groups
1 mention across 1 clause
?1 uncertain

NAACP history researchers

2/3
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Civil Rights History Capitol Art Federal Procurement Public Memorials Federal Appropriations
Actor Mappings
"architect"
→ Architect of the Capitol
"joint_committee"
→ Joint Committee of Congress on the Library
"clarence_mitchell"
→ Civil-rights advocate Clarence Mitchell, Jr.

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

1 term
"Clarence Mitchell statue project" §3

The federally funded acquisition, contracting, permanent public placement, and maintenance of a Clarence Mitchell, Jr. statue in the United States Capitol.

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology