Why It Matters
A bill advancing through the Louisiana legislature would shift control of historical monuments removed from public spaces by local governments to the state, potentially relocating them to state parks and historical sites. The measure has particular significance for New Orleans, where three Confederate monuments taken down in 2017 remain in city-owned storage nearly a decade later.
What Happened
The Louisiana House of Representatives approved legislation that would require the Office of State Parks to take custody of any “historical statue or monument” owned by a government entity and removed from public display on or after August 1, 2006. The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Bayham (R-Chalmette), cleared the House by a wide margin and now heads to the Louisiana Senate for consideration.
Under the bill, the Office of State Parks — overseen by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser — would be obligated to relocate each monument to a publicly accessible site outside the parish where it originally stood. The state park system would also be required to install signs at each monument’s new location providing historical context, including the circumstances surrounding both its original erection and its eventual removal.
Bayham and Nungesser said they worked together on the proposal and that it is aimed at handling removed monuments in what they described as a thoughtful and respectful manner. Nungesser said he has consulted with a group of Black pastors on the language that would accompany the monuments. “I’m hoping this is something that can bring people together and is not a divide,” Nungesser said. “Telling the story, both good and bad, is not a bad thing.”
Although the bill does not reference Confederate monuments by name, Nungesser confirmed publicly that Confederate statues removed in New Orleans in 2017 are the primary subject of the legislation. Three of the four monuments taken down during that effort remain in municipal storage. The fourth — a 19th-century obelisk connected to a white supremacist insurrection — has reportedly been part of a California museum exhibit on removed Confederate monuments.
Cities including Lafayette and Shreveport also removed Confederate statues from public property in 2021 and 2022. Those monuments have since been placed at a Confederate cemetery and a battlefield site in other parts of the state.
By the Numbers
- 78–14: Vote by which the Louisiana House passed the bill
- 4: Confederate monuments removed by New Orleans in 2017
- 3: Of those monuments still held in city storage
- 16: Louisiana historical sites within the state parks system that could serve as relocation destinations
- 2006: Earliest removal date covered under the bill’s provisions
Zoom Out
Louisiana is one of several Southern states grappling with the question of what to do with Confederate monuments removed from public squares and courthouse lawns over the past decade. Bayham noted that lawmakers in other states have pursued legislation aimed at restoring or replacing removed monuments outright. He said his bill was designed as a more measured alternative — preserving the monuments while adding historical context rather than simply returning them to their original locations.
The broader debate over Confederate monuments intensified nationwide following the 2015 Charleston church shooting and accelerated after the 2020 death of George Floyd, with hundreds of statues removed across the South. The legislation also arrives during a contentious state legislative session in Louisiana. Gov. Jeff Landry recently suspended U.S. House primaries to allow lawmakers time to redraw the congressional map — a move with significant implications for the state’s Black congressional representatives.
What’s Next
The bill must clear the Louisiana Senate before it can be sent to the governor for signature. If enacted, control over the New Orleans monuments would transfer automatically to Nungesser’s office without requiring approval from New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno or the City Council. Bayham and Nungesser indicated that relocation costs would be covered through private funding rather than state appropriations. Specific destination sites have not been finalized, though both sponsors said monuments would be placed at historically relevant parks outside the New Orleans area.