SB242: SB242 Capitol Art Standards Commission; placement of a monument in honor of the Honorable Clarence Thomas within the Nathan Deal Judicial Center; provide

This bill sets up a process for placing a monument honoring Justice Clarence Thomas, a Georgia native and U.S. Supreme Court justice, inside the Nathan Deal Judicial Center. It amends Georgia's law on the Capitol Art Standards Commission (O.C.G.A. § 45-13-71) to give the commission a new job: overseeing the design, procurement, and placement of the monument. The bill adds a new section to state law (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-130) spelling out the details. A special monument committee made up of two House members, two Senate members, and one member each appointed by the Governor from each chamber must give final approval before the monument is placed; that committee dissolves once the monument goes up. No state money can be used to design or buy the monument. Instead, the commission must rely on private gifts and donations. The monument cannot be placed until the state secures any needed intellectual property license.

• Adds a new duty to the Capitol Art Standards Commission's responsibilities (O.C.G.A. § 45-13-71) to oversee a monument honoring Justice Clarence Thomas.
• Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-130) authorizing placement of the monument inside the Nathan Deal Judicial Center.
• Establishes a temporary monument approval committee made up of legislators and gubernatorial appointees that must sign off before the monument is installed.
• Bans the use of public funds for designing or procuring the monument, requiring it be paid for entirely through private gifts and donations.
• Requires the state to obtain any necessary intellectual property license before the monument can be built and placed.
• Dissolves the monument committee automatically once the monument has been placed.

The Capitol Art Standards Commission, which gains new oversight duties; members of the General Assembly and the Governor, who appoint the monument approval committee; and private donors or organizations who would fund the project, since no state money can be used.

If enacted, a monument to Justice Clarence Thomas would be added to a state judicial building, funded entirely through private donations rather than taxpayer money, giving legislators and the Governor a formal role in approving its design and placement before it goes up.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 45-13-71 to add commission oversight of the monument's design, procurement, and placement.
• Section 2 creates new O.C.G.A. § 50-3-130, authorizing the monument's placement in the Nathan Deal Judicial Center, subject to available funds.
• Subsection (b) creates a five-member monument committee (two House members, two Senate members, one Governor appointee from each chamber) that must give final approval; it dissolves once the monument is placed.
• Subsection (c) prohibits public funds for design or procurement and directs that only private gifts and donations be used.
• Subsection (d) requires the monument to be procured and placed only after the state secures any needed intellectual property license.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
2. 2026-01-12Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
3. 2025-03-06Senate Tabled (Senate)
4. 2025-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
5. 2025-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
6. 2025-02-24Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
7. 2025-02-21Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)Primary sponsor
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)

• state monuments
• Clarence Thomas
• Nathan Deal Judicial Center
• Capitol Art Standards Commission
• private funding of public art