[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2345 Referred in House (RFH)]

  2d Session
                                S. 2345


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 2000

                 Referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 P.L. 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.

            Passed the Senate October 5 (legislative day, September 
      22), 2000.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.