Equality in the Halls of Congress Act

The Equality in the Halls of Congress Act would authorize U.S. territories to provide statues for display in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. Currently, only the 50 states are permitted to contribute statues to this collection, with each state allowed to furnish up to two statues honoring deceased citizens known for distinguished service. This bill would extend that same opportunity to U.S. territories including Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

If enacted, each territory would be responsible for the costs of creating and transporting its statue to the Capitol. The bill is currently under consideration by the House Committee on House Administration and has not yet been voted on by the full House. Similar proposals have been introduced in previous Congresses but have not been enacted into law.