Legislation to allow a privately funded statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Capitol grounds is on its way to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.

House Bill 1080 received final approval in the House on Tuesday by a vote of 171-2. Rep. Charles Gregory, R-Kennesaw, and Rep. Sam Moore, R-Macedonia, were the lone votes against it.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus,would create a special committee to plan the monument and to approve the design.

The Legislature earlier gave final approval to HB 702, which would allow a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol.

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, is interviewed during a live-to-tape recording of the Politically Georgia podcast at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6, 2025. (Nathan Posner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. 
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez