[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2345 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.2345
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand
An Act
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource
study concerning the preservation and public use of sites associated
with Harriet Tubman located in Auburn, New York, and for other purposes.
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 ``Harriet Tubman Special Resource
Study Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a plantation in
Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1821;
(2) in 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plantation on foot,
using the North Star for direction and following a route through
Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, where she
gained her freedom;
(3) Harriet Tubman is an important figure in the history of the
United States, and is most famous for her role as a ``conductor''
on the Underground Railroad, in which, as a fugitive slave, she
helped hundreds of enslaved individuals to escape to freedom before
and during the Civil War;
(4) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union Army
as a guide, spy, and nurse;
(5) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an advocate for the
education of black children;
(6) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, in 1857, and
lived there until 1913;
(7) while in Auburn, Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to
caring selflessly and tirelessly for people who could not care for
themselves, was an influential member of the community and an
active member of the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, and
established a home for the elderly;
(8) Harriet Tubman was a friend of William Henry Seward, who
served as the Governor of and a Senator from the State of New York
and as Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln;
(9) 4 sites in Auburn that directly relate to Harriet Tubman
and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places are--
(A) Harriet Tubman's home;
(B) the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged;
(C) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; and
(D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and William Henry
Seward's home in Auburn are national historic landmarks.
SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES IN AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSOCIATED WITH
HARRIET TUBMAN.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a
special resource study of the national significance, feasibility of
long-term preservation, and public use of the following sites
associated with Harriet Tubman:
(1) Harriet Tubman's birthplace, located on Greenbriar Road,
off of Route 50, in Dorchester County, Maryland.
(2) Bazel Church, located 1 mile South of Greenbriar Road in
Cambridge, Maryland.
(3) Harriet Tubman's home, located at 182 South Street, Auburn,
New York.
(4) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at 180 South
Street, Auburn, New York.
(5) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 33
Parker Street, Auburn, New York.
(6) Harriet Tubman's grave at Fort Hill Cemetery, located at 19
Fort Street, Auburn, New York.
(7) William Henry Seward's home, located at 33 South Street,
Auburn, New York.
(b) Inclusion of Sites in the National Park System.--The study
under subsection (a) shall include an analysis and any recommendations
of the Secretary concerning the suitability and feasibility of--
(1) designating one or more of the sites specified in subsection
(a) as units of the National Park System; and
(2) establishing a national heritage corridor that incorporates
the sites specified in subsection (a) and any other sites
associated with Harriet Tubman.
(c) Study Guidelines.--In conducting the study authorized by this
Act, the Secretary shall use the criteria for the study of areas for
potential inclusion in the National Park System contained in section 8
of Public Law 91-383, as amended by section 303 of the National Park
Omnibus Management Act (P.L. 105-391; 112 Stat. 3501).
(d) Consultation.--In preparing and conducting the study under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with--
(1) the Governors of the States of Maryland and New York;
(2) a member of the Board of County Commissioners of Dorchester
County, Maryland;
(3) the Mayor of the city of Auburn, New York;
(4) the owner of the sites specified in subsection (a); and
(5) the appropriate representatives of--
(A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church;
(B) the Bazel Church;
(C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and
(D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc.
(e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which funds
are made available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall submit to Congress a report describing the results of the study.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.