Senate Bill No. 459
(By Senator Sprouse)
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[Introduced February 5, 2003; referred to the Committee on
Government Organization.]
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A BILL to amend article three, chapter ten of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated section three,
relating to prohibiting the renaming or rededication of
certain monuments and memorials.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article three, chapter ten of the code of West Virginia,
one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by
adding thereto a new section, designated section three, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 3. MONUMENTS, TABLETS AND MEMORIALS.
§10-3-3. Monuments for pioneers and historic localities.
No Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American
War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian
Gulf War, Native American, or African-American historical monuments or memorials erected on public property of the state may be
renamed. No street, bridge, structure, park, preserve, reserve or
other public area of the state dedicated in memory of or named for
any historic figure or historic event may be renamed or rededicated
on behalf of a political officeholder until that officeholder has
been deceased for a minimum of ten years. No person may prevent
the public entity responsible for the monument or memorial from
taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the
protection, preservation and care of these monuments, memorials or
nameplates.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to
prohibit the renaming or
rededication of certain monuments and memorials.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.