HB349 Summary: Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017

• Prohibits relocation, removal, alteration, or renaming of monuments on public property except through a waiver process approved by the Alabama Committee on Memorial Preservation.

• Restricts renaming of schools, streets, bridges, buildings, parks, preserves, or reserves on public property that have been named or dedicated for more than 50 years to honor historical events, persons, groups, movements, or military service.

• Creates the Alabama Committee on Memorial Preservation with 11 members appointed by various state officials, historians, and legislative leaders, with authority to grant waivers and issue restoration orders for illegally removed monuments.

• Establishes a 90-day waiver application review process requiring detailed documentation and public comments, with applications automatically granted if the committee does not decide within 90 days; allows appeals to Montgomery County Circuit Court.

• Exempts museums and archives, the Department of Transportation, local governments, universities, and utilities when monuments interfere with infrastructure, though these entities must strive to preserve monuments to the greatest extent possible.