Legislation on Billy Frank Jr. statue passes Washington House

A statue of Marcus Whitman at the U.S. Capitol may be replaced with the late Billy Frank Jr. if a bill in the state House of Representatives is signed into law.

House Bill 1372 passed in a 92-5 vote Monday. It would remove the Whitman statue from the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol and insert a statue of Frank instead.

“This little bill here seems to be just a small touch of history, but it’s a great piece of history,” said Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, during a debate held online Monday. Lekanoff is HB 1372’s primary sponsor.

Lekanoff said during the debate Whitman, who would be returned to Walla Walla, represents a rich piece of history. But he represents the past, she said, and Frank will reflect a new piece of history.

“Billy didn’t care who you loved, where you come from (or) what color you were,” Lekanoff said. “He wanted to know if you love the salmon. He wanted to know if you love the clean air (and) the clean water.”

Frank, a Nisqually tribe member, was the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for about 30 years, according to the bill’s text. Frank was committed to protecting endangered salmon, as well as tribes’ treaty rights.

Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, is co-sponsoring HB 1372. Ybarra said during the virtual floor debate when he was appointed to the Legislature in 2019, he did not know who Frank was, so he asked Lekanoff to tell him Frank’s story.

“We spent maybe 20-25 minutes on the floor,” Ybarra said. “She told me who Billy Frank Jr. was, and it seemed to me that he was an important person.”

Each state in the nation is allowed to provide two statues of “notable citizens” to display at the National Statuary Hall Collection, according to the bill’s text. Washington’s statues currently include Whitman and Mother Joseph.

Rep. Mike Volz, R-Spokane, said during the debate Frank was committed to his family, tribe and the state. HB 1372 is not just about replacing a statue in an ornate building — it is about celebrating and acknowledging an important figure, he said.

Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, said during the virtual floor debate his father would attend meetings with Frank regarding the future of the Nisqually River. There was a time when Frank stood up against the idea of the federal government taking control of the river, he said.

“He’s been an example to the entire world,” Wilcox said.

During the afternoon session, the state House of Representatives also approved:

HB 1152 (in a 56-41 vote) creates comprehensive health districts.

HB 1161 (97-0) makes changes to the state Department of Health’s drug take-back program.

HB 1328 (81-17) exempts information that may reveal a person’s identity from the Public Records Act when the information is submitted to an agency to investigate a threat to public health, like COVID-19.