[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2919 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2919

  To promote preservation and public awareness of the history of the 
Underground Railroad by providing financial assistance, to the Freedom 
                      Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 22, 1999

Mr. Portman (for himself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Regula, Mr. Clyburn, 
    Mr. Hobson, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Lucas of Kentucky, Mr. 
   Boehner, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Hill of Indiana) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To promote preservation and public awareness of the history of the 
Underground Railroad by providing financial assistance, to the Freedom 
                      Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Underground Railroad 
Freedom Center Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center 
        (hereinafter ``Freedom Center'') was founded in 1995;
            (2) the objectives of the Freedom Center are to interpret 
        the history of the Underground Railroad through development of 
        a national cultural institution in Cincinnati, Ohio, that will 
        house an interpretive center, including museum, educational, 
        and research facilities, all dedicated to communicating to the 
        public the importance of the quest for human freedom which 
        provided the foundation for the historic and inspiring story of 
        the Underground Railroad;
            (3) the city of Cincinnati has granted exclusive 
        development rights for a prime riverfront location to the 
        Freedom Center;
            (4) the Freedom Center will be a national center linked 
        through state-of-the-art technology to Underground Railroad 
        sites and facilities throughout the United States and to a 
        constituency that reaches across the United States, Canada, 
        Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond; and
            (5) the Freedom Center has reached an agreement with the 
        National Park Service to pursue a range of historical and 
        educational cooperative activities related to the Underground 
        Railroad, including but not limited to assisting the National 
        Park Service in the implementation of the National Underground 
        Railroad Network to Freedom Act.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to promote preservation and public awareness of the 
        history of the Underground Railroad;
            (2) to assist the Freedom Center in the development of its 
        programs and facilities in Cincinnati, Ohio; and
            (3) to assist the National Park Service in the 
        implementation of the National Underground Railroad Network to 
        Freedom Act (16 U.S.C. 469l).

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Project budget.--The term ``project budget'' means the 
        total amount of funds expended by the Freedom Center on 
        construction of its facility, development of its programs and 
        exhibits, research, collection of informative and educational 
        activities related to the history of the Underground Railroad, 
        and any administrative activities necessary to the operation of 
        the Freedom Center, prior to the opening of the Freedom Center 
        facility in Cincinnati, Ohio.
            (3) Federal share.--The term ``Federal share'' means an 
        amount not to exceed 20 percent of the project budget and shall 
        include all amounts received from the Federal Government under 
        this legislation and any other Federal programs.
            (4) Non-federal share.--The term ``non-Federal share'' 
        means all amounts obtained by the Freedom Center for the 
        implementation of its facilities and programs from any source 
        other than the Federal Government, and shall not be less than 
        80 percent of the project budget.
            (5) The freedom center facility.--The term ``the Freedom 
        Center facility'' means the facility, including the building 
        and surrounding site, which will house the museum and research 
        institute to be constructed and developed in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
        on the site described in section 4(c).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Program Authorized.--From sums appropriated pursuant to the 
authority of subsection (d) in any fiscal year, the Secretary is 
authorized and directed to provide financial assistance to the Freedom 
Center, in order to pay the Federal share of the cost of authorized 
activities described in section 5.
    (b) Expenditure on Non-Federal Property.--The Secretary is 
authorized to expend appropriated funds under subsection (a) of this 
section to assist in the construction of the Freedom Center facility 
and the development of programs and exhibits for that facility which 
will be funded primarily through private and non-Federal funds, on 
property owned by the city of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and the 
State of Ohio.
    (c) Description of the Freedom Center Facility Site.--The facility 
referred to in subsections (a) and (b) will be located on a site 
described as follows: a 2-block area south of new South Second, west of 
Walnut Street, north of relocated Theodore M. Berry Way, and east of 
Vine Street in Cincinnati, Ohio.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $16,000,000 for the 4 fiscal year period beginning October 
1, 1999. Funds not to exceed that total amount may be appropriated in 1 
or more of such fiscal years. Funds shall not be disbursed until the 
Freedom Center has commitments for a minimum of 50 percent of the non-
Federal share.
    (e) Availability of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, funds appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act shall 
remain available for obligation and expenditure until the end of the 
fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year for which the funds were 
appropriated.
    (f) NPS Employees.--The Secretary is authorized to use employees of 
the National Park Service to carry out any agreement entered into 
between the Freedom Center and the Secretary with respect to activities 
authorized under section 5.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Freedom Center may engage in any activity 
related to its objectives addressed in section 2(a), including, but not 
limited to, construction of the Freedom Center facility, development of 
programs and exhibits related to the history of the Underground 
Railroad, research, collection of information and artifacts and 
educational activities related to the history of the Underground 
Railroad, and any administrative activities necessary to the operation 
of the Freedom Center.
    (b) Priorities.--The Freedom Center shall give priority to--
            (1) construction of the Freedom Center facility;
            (2) development of programs and exhibits to be presented in 
        or from the Freedom Center facility; and
            (3) providing assistance to the National Park Service in 
        the implementation of the National Underground Railroad Network 
        to Freedom Act (16 U.S.C. 469l).

SEC. 6. APPLICATION.

    (a) In General.--The Freedom Center shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing or 
accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require. Each application shall--
            (1) describe the activities for which assistance is sought;
            (2) provide assurances that the non-Federal share of the 
        cost of activities of the Freedom Center shall be paid from 
        non-Federal sources, together with an accounting of costs 
        expended by the Freedom Center to date, a budget of costs to be 
        incurred prior to the opening of the Freedom Center facility, 
        an accounting of funds raised to date, both Federal and non-
        Federal, and a projection of funds to be raised through the 
        completion of the Freedom Center facility.
    (b) Approval.--The Secretary shall approve the application 
submitted pursuant to subsection (a) unless such application fails to 
comply with the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    The Freedom Center shall submit an annual report to the appropriate 
committees of the Congress not later than January 31, 2000, and each 
succeeding year thereafter for any fiscal year in which Federal funds 
are expended pursuant to this Act. The report shall--
            (1) include a financial statement addressing the Freedom 
        Center's costs incurred to date and projected costs, and funds 
        raised to date and projected fundraising goals;
            (2) include a comprehensive and detailed description of the 
        Freedom Center's activities for the preceding and succeeding 
        fiscal years; and
            (3) include a description of the activities taken to assure 
        compliance with this Act.
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