[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2345 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2345

 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 4, 2000

  Mr. Schumer (for himself and Mr. Moynihan) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 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 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;
            (2) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union 
        Army as a guide, spy, and nurse;
            (3) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an advocate for 
        the education of black children;
            (4) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, in 1857, 
        and lived there until 1913;
            (5) 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;
            (6) 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;
            (7) William Henry Seward defied the decision of the Supreme 
        Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857) (holding 
        that African Americans were not citizens of the United States) 
        by selling a house in Auburn to Harriet Tubman;
            (8) 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's grave at Fort Hill Cemetery; 
                and
            (9) the 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 AND WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD.

    (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, located in Auburn, New York:
            (1) Harriet Tubman's home, located at 182 South Street.
            (2) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at 180 
        South Street.
            (3) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 33 
        Parker Street.
            (4) Harriet Tubman's grave at Port Hill Cemetery, located 
        at 19 Fort Street.
            (5) William Henry Seward's home, located at 33 South 
        Street.
    (b) Possible Inclusion in the National Park System.--The study 
under subsection (a) shall include an analysis and any recommendations 
of the Secretary regarding the suitability and feasibility of 
incorporating 1 or more of the sites specified in subsection (a) into 
the National Park System.
    (c) Consultation.--In preparing the study, the Secretary shall 
consult with--
            (1) the Governor of the State of New York;
            (2) the Mayor of the city of Auburn, New York;
            (3) the owners of the sites specified in subsection (a); 
        and
            (4) the appropriate representatives of--
                    (A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; and
                    (B) the Harriet Tubman Foundation.
    (d) 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.
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