U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) on Feb. 5 praised the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of legislation he sponsored to honor Arkansas civil rights champion and lawyer, Scipio Jones.
The House on Wednesday approved the Scipio Jones Post Office Portrait Act, H.R. 3317, which Rep. Hill introduced in June 2019 to permit a portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed in the Little Rock, Ark., post office that bears his name.
“Arkansans are deeply proud of Scipio Jones and his courageous fight for justice and equality, and today’s action by the House ensures that generations of Arkansans and visitors alike will have a visual reminder of his important role in Arkansas’s history,” Rep. Hill said.
Scipio Africanus Jones, who was born to a slave in 1863, went on to attend college and in 1885 earned a bachelor’s degree. In 1889, Jones passed the bar and was admitted to practice before the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1900 and then by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905.
In 2007, the U.S. House passed legislation to name the post office located at 1700 Main Street in Little Rock after Jones and there’s a plaque there with his name. However, post office regulations restrict the items that can be placed on display.
If enacted, H.R. 3317 would allow a full-sized portrait of Jones to be displayed at the post office and funds for the portrait would be raised privately.
“I thank the House Oversight Committee for quickly bringing this legislation to the House floor for a vote, as well as Senator Boozman and Senator Cotton for partnering with me to introduce companion legislation in the Senate,” said Rep. Hill. “Sometimes it takes an act of Congress, and I am grateful to have so many partners and supporters in the Capitol.”