[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2966 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2966

    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
   resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada 
Chavez and the farm labor movement to determine appropriate methods for 
                 their preservation and interpretation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2001

Ms. Solis (for herself, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. 
 Baca, Mr. Becerra, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Rodriguez, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. 
 Hinojosa, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Reyes, Mr. 
Frost, Mr. Filner, Mr. Wynn, and Ms. McKinney) introduced the following 
         bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
   resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada 
Chavez and the farm labor movement to determine appropriate methods for 
                 their preservation and interpretation.

    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 ``Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, on a 
        small farm near Yuma, Arizona.
            (2) At age 10, Cesar Chavez and his family became migrant 
        farm workers after losing their farm in the Great Depression.
            (3) Throughout his youth and into his adulthood, Cesar 
        Chavez migrated across the southwest, laboring in the fields 
        and vineyards, which exposed him to the hardships and 
        injustices of farm worker life.
            (4) Cesar Chavez's life as an organizer and public servant 
        began in 1952, when he left the fields and joined the Community 
        Service Organization, a community-based self-help organization. 
        While with the Community Service Organization, he conducted 
        voter registration drives and campaigns against racial and 
        economic discrimination, and in the late 1950's and early 
        1960's served as the organization's national director.
            (5) In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers 
        Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of 
        America.
            (6) In founding and leading the first successful farm 
        workers union in American history from 1962 to 1993, Cesar 
        Chavez achieved for tens of thousands of farm workers dignity 
        and respect, fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, 
        humane living conditions, and countless other rights and 
        protections.
            (7) The leadership and humanitarianism of Cesar Chavez 
        continues to influence and inspire millions of Americans to 
        seek social justice and civil rights for the poor and 
        disenfranchised in our society.
            (8) The life of Cesar Chavez and his family provides an 
        outstanding opportunity to illustrate and interpret the history 
        of agricultural labor in the West.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall complete a 
special resource study to determine appropriate methods for preserving 
and interpreting certain sites located in the states of Arizona and 
California and other states that are significant to the life of Cesar 
E. Chavez and the farm labor movement in the western United States.
    (b) Study Guidelines.--
            (1) Criteria.--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 Parks Omnibus Management Act of 
        1998 (Public Law 105-391; 112 Stat. 3501).
            (2) Determination of sites eligible for listing on national 
        register of historic places.--The Secretary shall also 
        determine whether any of the sites meet the criteria for being 
        listed on the National Register of Historic Places or 
        designation as National Historic Landmarks pursuant to the 
        Historic Sites Act of 1935 (Public Law 74-292; 16 U.S.C. 461) 
        and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended 
        (Public Law 89-665; U.S.C. 470).
    (c) Consultation.--In preparing and conducting the study under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with the following:
            (1) The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation.
            (2) The United Farm Workers Union.
            (3) Local and state historical associations and societies.
            (4) The State Historic Preservation Officers of Arizona, 
        California, and other states as determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Report.--Upon completion of the study required by this Act, the 
Secretary shall submit the results of the study to the Committee on 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $300,000 to carry out this Act.
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