# Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act

This bill makes it a federal crime to intentionally damage, deface, or destroy civil rights memorials and monuments. If someone spray-paints a statue, breaks a plaque, or otherwise damages these protected sites, they could face serious legal consequences including fines, community service, or prison time.

The law applies to a specific list of 19 well-known civil rights landmarks—including the Emmett Till Memorial in Mississippi, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington DC, and the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Tennessee. It also covers any other statues, plaques, or monuments on public property that commemorate important civil rights figures or events. The bill gives the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights the job of creating and updating a list of which people and events qualify for protection, so the law can expand over time as new memorials are created.

The penalties depend on how much damage is done. If the damage costs $5,000 or less, someone could face up to a year in prison, community service of up to 300 hours, or fines. If the damage exceeds $5,000, the penalty increases to up to three years in prison and fines. Anyone convicted must also pay restitution—meaning they have to pay to repair or replace what they damaged. The law only applies when someone travels across state lines to commit the damage, uses the mail or interstate commerce to do it, or when the memorial is on federal property.

Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act

Cohen, Steve

Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act This bill makes it a crime to deface, damage, or destroy certain memorials that commemorate civil rights events or figures. An individual convicted under this act must pay restitution and is subject to additional penalties that vary based on the cost of the defacement, damage, or destruction.