Urges U.S. Department of Treasure to place Harriet Tubman on $20 bill without delay.

AR116

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 116

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Urges U.S. Department of Treasury to place Harriet
Tubman on $20 bill without delay.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Assembly
Resolution
urging the United States
Department of the Treasury to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill without
delay.

Whereas,

Harriet Tubman remains one of the most famous women in American History; and

Whereas,

An escaped slave herself, Tubman served as a conductor on the Underground
Railroad leading 70 slaves out of Maryland north to their freedom while also
providing instruction to 70 more who found their way to freedom on their own;
and

Whereas,

For a brief period of time, Tubman called New Jersey home working as a cook to
raise money for her work as a conductor and settling freed slaves in Cape May;
and

Whereas,

In addition to her work on the Underground Railroad, she served as a spy,
nurse, and cook for the Union Army during the Civil War; and

Whereas,

In running a spy ring in South Carolina, Tubman proved herself invaluable at
gathering clandestine information, forming alliances, and avoiding capture; and

Whereas,

Tubman often ventured behind Confederate lines disguising herself as a field
hand, and lead scouting missions to identify and map out the locations of enemy
mines, supply depots, and troops; and

Whereas,

On June 1, 1863 she, along with Union Colonel James Montgomery and his Second
South Carolina Volunteers, launched a raid on plantations along the Combahee
River; and

Whereas,

Although illiterate and unable to write down any of the intelligence she
gathered, Tubman committed everything to memory and used it to guide ships
towards strategic points near the shores of the Combahee River thereby allowing
Union forces to avoid locations of torpedoes, pick up fleeing slaves, and
deploy troops to destroy nearby Confederate plantations; and

Whereas,

By the time it concluded, the Combahee Ferry Raid dealt a significant blow to
the South�s slaveholder economy and rescued more than 700 slaves from bondage,
some of whom later enlisted in the Union army; and

Whereas,

For her role in the raid, Tubman became the first woman in United States
history to lead an armed military operation; and

Whereas,

In her later years, Tubman dedicated herself to the cause of women�s suffrage
and established a home for the elderly; and

Whereas,

Currently, plans to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill have been delayed
until at least 2030; and

Whereas,

Given the extraordinary life she led, Harriet Tubman is worthy of recognition
on United States currency and plans to place her likeness on the $20 bill
should be implemented without delay; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This House respectfully
urges the United States Department of the Treasury to place the likeness of
Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill without delay in recognition of her lifelong
dedication to the cause of freedom and equality.

���� 2.��� Copies of this
resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the
Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, the
Secretary of the Treasury, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United
States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,
and each member of Congress elected from this State.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution urges the
President of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury to place the
likeness of Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill without delay.� Currently, plans to
place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill have been delayed until at least 2030.

���� Harriet Tubman remains one of
the most famous women in American History. Through her work as a conductor on
the Underground Railroad, as a scout and spy for the Union Army, and as a
supporter of women�s suffrage, Tubman dedicated herself to the cause of freedom
and equality for all individuals regardless of race or gender.� Given the
extraordinary life she led, this House believes Harriet Tubman is worthy of
being depicted on this nation�s currency and efforts to place her likeness on
the $20 bill should be done without delay.