[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 301 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
House Calendar No. 81
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 301
[Report No. 117-358]
To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition
known as ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' as the national hymn of the
United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2021
Mr. Clyburn (for himself, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mr. Aguilar, Ms.
Wilson of Florida, Mr. Butterfield, Ms. Bass, Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Horsford, Mr.
Rush, Ms. Jacobs of California, Ms. Tlaib, Mrs. Luria, Ms. Johnson of
Texas, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Suozzi, Mr.
Evans, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Lieu, Mr.
Khanna, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Carson, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms.
Davids of Kansas, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Ross, Mr. Pascrell, Mr.
Soto, Mr. Norcross, Ms. Norton, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms.
Jackson Lee, Ms. Meng, and Ms. Slotkin) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
June 7, 2022
Additional sponsors: Ms. Bush, Ms. Dean, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. San Nicolas,
and Ms. Williams of Georgia
June 7, 2022
Reported with an amendment, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered
to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January
13, 2021]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition
known as ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' as the national hymn of the
United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' is a beloved hymn that is
currently produced and distributed by approximately 40
religious publishing houses throughout the United States.
(2) ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' is regularly sung at
various religious services and choir performances at community
and cultural events to commemorate the struggles that have
accompanied our Nation's ``pursuit of a more perfect Union''.
(3) James Weldon Johnson wrote the poem ``Lift Every Voice
and Sing'' in 1899 to celebrate the anniversary of President
Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and his brother, J. Rosamond
Johnson, set the poem to music.
(4) ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' was first performed on
February 12, 1900, by a choir of 500 school children from the
Stanton School in the Johnsons' hometown of Jacksonville,
Florida, where James Weldon Johnson served as the principal.
(5) In 1905, Booker T. Washington's recognition of ``Lift
Every Voice and Sing'' helped to make it a very popular song in
Black communities throughout the United States.
(6) In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt named James
Weldon Johnson to diplomatic positions in Venezuela and
Nicaragua, and when he returned to the United States, he became
affiliated with the NAACP.
(7) In the 1920s, the NAACP chose ``Lift Every Voice and
Sing'' as its official song and it was dubbed the ``Black
National anthem''.
(8) In 1934, James Weldon Johnson, a graduate of Clark
Atlanta University, became the first African-American professor
at New York University, and later served in a similar capacity
at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.
(9) The lyrics of ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' inspired
the 16 foot sculpture, ``The Harp'' created by the renowned
artist Augusta Savage and commissioned by the 1939 New York
World's Fair.
(10) ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' is sung at gatherings of
the Faith and Politics Institute, whose bipartisan programs and
pilgrimages include participation by Members of Congress, and
was co-chaired for many years by the late Congressmen, Democrat
John Lewis and Republican Amo Houghton, both of whom
transitioned in 2020.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL HYMN.
(a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 36, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 306. National hymn
``The composition consisting of the words and music known as `Lift
Every Voice and Sing' is designated as the national hymn of the United
States.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 3 of
title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``306. National hymn.''.
House Calendar No. 81
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 301
[Report No. 117-358]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition
known as ``Lift Every Voice and Sing'' as the national hymn of the
United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
June 7, 2022
Reported with an amendment, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered
to be printed