A bill that would require cities, towns, counties and state agencies to seek approval from a court or a state committee to move or rename historical monuments and buildings moved a step closer to becoming law in Alabama today.

The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act, by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, was approved by the State Government Committee in the House of Representative.

That puts it in position for final approval by the House.

The Senate approved the bill last month.

Allen and other lawmakers have sponsored similar bills since 2015, when former Gov. Robert Bentley removed Confederate flags from the Confederate Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol.

The bill does not apply to flags.

It applies to monuments on public property, including statues, portraits and markers, although not the roadside signs typically called historical markers.

A monument more than 20 years old could not be moved or renamed without court permission.

A monument less than 20 years old could not be moved or renamed without a waiver from the Committee on Alabama Monument Protection, which would be created by the new law.

The 12-member committee would include four lawmakers, two mayors or city council members appointed by the governor, a county commissioner appointed by the governor, and members appointed by the heads of the Department of Archives and History; the Alabama Historical Commission; the Alabama Historical Association; the Alabama Trust for Historical Preservation; and the Black Heritage Council.

A memorial street named after a person, event or group for at least 15 years could not be renamed without approval of the committee.

Allen has said the purpose of his bill is to preserve commemorations of important parts of the state's history.

Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-Anniston, a member of the committee, told her colleagues she knew it was going to pass but did not support it and spoke briefly on what it was like to grow up during the era of segregation.