Dianne Feinstein: “Rosa Parks has been described as the ``Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement.'' Her actions on a Montgomery bus…”

“Rosa Parks has been described as the ``Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement.'' Her actions on a Montgomery bus in 1955 sparked one of the Nation's largest movements against racial segregation: the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Due to those brave actions, Rosa Parks became an icon of civil disobedience. In 2005, Congress voted to preserve the legacy of Rosa Parks by authorizing a statue of her to be placed in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. A statue of Rosa Parks would be a fitting tribute to the struggle for equal rights for all Americans. But two years later, the statue has not been obtained. It is time to remove the hurdles, and ensure that Rosa Parks is honored as Congress intended. The law designated Congress's Joint Committee on the Library to obtain the statue. But it was later determined that the Joint Committee does not have the technical ability or resources to enter into contracts or pay for the statue. And now that law is set to expire on December 1, 2007, without ever achieving its intended goal. So, to correct the problems in the original law, I have introduced a stand alone bill that would: designate the Architect of the Capitol as the agent of the Joint Committee; and extend the deadline by 2 more years.”