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Over Democrats’ objections, Mullis’ monuments protection bill clears Georgia House committee

Senate Rules Chairman Jeff Mullis takes to the well to defend the committee assignments Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 in Atlanta. Female senators on both sides of the aisle blasted what they're calling sexism in committee assignments after Sen. Renee Unterman was moved from her powerful position as the chairwoman of the health committee to the lower-profile science and technology. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan touted the fact that four committees are chaired by women this year. Two women chaired committees last year. Unterman, and Democrats, are arguing that the move is cosmetic, since those committees see very few bills. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Senate Rules Chairman Jeff Mullis takes to the well to defend the committee assignments Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 in Atlanta. Female senators on both sides of the aisle blasted what they're calling sexism in committee assignments after Sen. Renee Unterman was moved from her powerful position as the chairwoman of the health committee to the lower-profile science and technology. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan touted the fact that four committees are chaired by women this year. Two women chaired committees last year. Unterman, and Democrats, are arguing that the move is cosmetic, since those committees see very few bills. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Senate Rules Chairman Jeff Mullis takes to the well to defend the committee assignments Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 in Atlanta. Female senators on both sides of the aisle blasted what they're calling sexism in committee assignments after Sen. Renee Unterman was moved from her powerful position as the chairwoman of the health committee to the lower-profile science and technology. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan touted the fact that four committees are chaired by women this year. Two women chaired committees last year. Unterman, and Democrats, are arguing that the move is cosmetic, since those committees see very few bills. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

By Tyler Jett 4 min read

photo Staff Photo by Robin Rudd A monument to the Confederate Soldiers of Walker County, Georgia stands in front of the Historic Chattooga Academy in LaFayette on August 17, 2017. The monument was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1909. Chattooga Academy served as Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg’s headquarters from September 10-17, 1863.

Over the continued objections of Democrats, state Sen. Jeff Mullis’ monuments protection bill passed out of the House Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday afternoon.

The bill allows owners of monuments to sue for up to three times the cost of the damage if someone vandalizes their structures. The bill applies to a slew of monuments, including those honoring military, cultural, religious or political figures.

But Democrats argue the bill is a step backwards in their push to remove some Confederate monuments. The bill explicitly prohibits the government from moving these statues into museums, something civil rights advocates have proposed as a compromise.

The NAACP DeKalb County Branch president has objected to Mullis’ bill in part because community leaders in Decatur have pushed to remove an obelisk from its city square. The obelisk honors the Confederate troops as a “covenant keeping race.”

“There really is a serious policy consideration that is totally inconsistent with any respect for local control,” said state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur. “The state of Georgia tells the city of Decatur what to do with its obelisk.”