SB 242: Capitol Art Standards Commission; placement of a monument in honor of the Honorable Clarence Thomas within the Nathan Deal Judicial Center; provide

Georgia's Capitol Art Standards Commission currently oversees art and monuments placed at the state capitol complex. This bill adds a new duty for the commission: overseeing the design, procurement, and placement of a monument honoring Justice Clarence Thomas, who grew up in Georgia, inside the Nathan Deal Judicial Center. The bill creates a new Code section setting up a monument committee made up of two House members appointed by the Speaker, two Senate members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and one member from each chamber appointed by the Governor. That committee must give final approval on the monument's design before it moves forward, and it dissolves once the monument is placed. No state tax money can be used to design or build it; the commission can only use private gifts and donations. The monument cannot be installed until the state secures any needed intellectual property license related to it.

• Adds a new duty to Georgia's Capitol Art Standards Commission law (O.C.G.A. § 45-13-71) to oversee a monument honoring Justice Clarence Thomas.
• Creates a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-130) authorizing placement of the monument inside the Nathan Deal Judicial Center.
• Establishes a five-member legislative monument committee, appointed by the House Speaker, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor, to give final design approval.
• Bans the use of public funds for designing or procuring the monument, limiting funding to private gifts, donations, or foundation money.
• Requires the state to obtain any necessary intellectual property license before the monument can be procured or placed.
• Dissolves the monument committee automatically once the monument is placed.

The Capitol Art Standards Commission, which gains new oversight duties; members of the General Assembly appointed to the monument committee; the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and House Speaker, who make appointments; and private donors or foundations who would fund the monument instead of taxpayers.

If enacted, a monument to Justice Clarence Thomas would be added to a state judicial building, but the bill ensures taxpayer money cannot pay for its design or construction, relying instead on private donations, and installation depends on securing intellectual property rights first.

• 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 O.C.G.A. § 50-3-130, authorizing the monument 'subject to the availability of funds' at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center.
• Subsection (b) sets up a five-member monument committee for final design approval and specifies it dissolves once the monument is placed.
• Subsection (c) prohibits public funding for design or procurement, allowing only private gifts and donations.
• Subsection (d) requires the state to obtain any needed intellectual property license before the monument is procured or placed.
• 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-31)Primary sponsor
• Ben Watson (R, SD-1)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-51)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-27)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-30)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-6)
• John F. Kennedy (R, SD-18)

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