A Tennessee lawmaker from Knoxville has filed legislation to place a statue of Dolly Parton at the State Capitol, reviving an idea that Parton herself once asked state leaders to shelve. State Rep. Sam McKenzie filed the bill proposing the statue, with the design calling for it to face the direction of the Ryman Auditorium.
McKenzie, a Democrat who represents Knoxville, filed the bill Nov. 4, according to WBIR, proposing a plan to place a statue of the East Tennessee Songbird on the Capitol grounds. The bill also proposes creating a separate Dolly Parton Fund within the state's general fund, which would be financed by gifts, grants and other donations the state receives. That money would pay for the statue's design, construction and installation, and whatever remains afterward would go toward upkeep and maintenance until the fund runs dry, per the same WBIR report.
An earlier bill, sponsored by John Mark Windle and filed as House Bill 0135, describes itself as an act amending Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, relative to honoring Dolly Parton, according to the Tennessee General Assembly. McKenzie's proposal now awaits the start of the state's new two-year legislative session, which the Nashville Banner reports is set to convene Jan. 12, 2027.
A Statue Idea Dolly Once Turned Down
This isn't the first time Tennessee lawmakers have tried to put Parton's likeness on Capitol grounds. In 2021, then-Democratic Rep. John Mark Windle sponsored a bill that would have commissioned a statue of Parton facing the Ryman Auditorium, according to WKRN. Windle withdrew that bill after Parton herself asked lawmakers to remove it from consideration, the station reported.
At the time, Parton suggested the honor might be more fitting someday down the road. “Perhaps after I'm gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I'm certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol,” she said, according to Rolling Stone's coverage of the episode from February 2021.
Lawmakers Weighing Other Tributes
McKenzie's bill is one of several ideas Tennessee legislators have floated since Parton's death. Republican and Democratic leaders told WKRN they plan to consult Parton's friends and family before advancing any concrete proposals, and House leadership from both parties said they're still brainstorming ways to honor her at the Capitol.
Among the other ideas: Republican Sen. Jessie Seal has proposed designating Sept. 25 as “9 to 5 Day” in Parton's memory, and state Rep. Todd Warner has said he plans to sponsor legislation renaming Nashville International Airport after her, per WKRN's reporting. Tennessee separately proclaimed Sept. 25, 2026 as 9 to 5 Day to celebrate Parton, and Nashville is working to rename the airport in her honor.
Remembering the East Tennessee Songbird
Parton died in Nashville on Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80, after having been diagnosed with cancer shortly before her death. Flags across the state were flown at half-staff for a week following her death, and national landmarks were lit pink in her memory.
