OH HB581

Requests Congressional Joint Committee on the Library of Congress approval to replace Ohio's statue of Governor William Allen with a statue of Thomas Edison in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Identifies Thomas Edison as a native of Milan, Ohio, whose inventions (phonograph, kinetoscope, incandescent light bulb) and World War I military consulting work warrant inclusion in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Notes Edison's impact on Ohio through establishment of Edison Steel Company in Cleveland, an early electric power station in Tiffin, and General Electric Company's first industrial park in Ohio.

Establishes the Ohio Statuary Hall Commission as a nonprofit corporation responsible for selecting a sculptor and funding all costs related to creating and installing the Thomas Edison statue.

Requires the Governor to submit this act and a letter to the Architect of the Capitol requesting Joint Committee approval for the statue replacement.