[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1959 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1959

   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the 
 former Eagledale Ferry Dock in the State of Washington for potential 
                 inclusion in the National Park System.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2002

  Mrs. Murray (for herself and Ms. Cantwell) 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 study of the 
 former Eagledale Ferry Dock in the State of Washington for potential 
                 inclusion in the National Park System.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) on February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano 
        Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066, which set in motion 
        the forced exile of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans;
            (2) in the State of Washington, 12,892 Japanese American 
        men, women, and children were incarcerated for 3 years, an 
        incarceration that violated the most basic freedoms of citizens 
        of the United States;
            (3) on March 30, 1942, 227 Bainbridge Island residents were 
        the first Japanese Americans in the history of the United 
        States to be forcibly removed from their homes by the United 
        States Army and sent to internment camps;
            (4) those residents began the journey to the interment 
        camps when they boarded the ferry Kehloken from the former 
        Eagledale Ferry Dock, located at the end of Taylor Avenue in 
        Bainbridge Island, Washington;
            (5) the city of Bainbridge Island has adopted a resolution 
        stating that the site of the former Eagledale Ferry Dock should 
        be a national memorial;
            (6) similar resolutions have been introduced in the 
        legislature in the State of Washington;
            (7)(A) while the camps at the Minidoka National Monument 
        and Manzanar National Historic Site tell the story of a time in 
        the history of the United States when constitutional rights 
        were ignored, the camps were placed by design in very remote 
        places that are not easily accessible to visitors; and
            (B) the site at Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from 
        Seattle, Washington, would be accessible to more people;
            (8) Bainbridge Island provides a unique opportunity to 
        create a site that will--
                    (A) honor the Japanese Americans who suffered 
                during the internment;
                    (B) cherish their friends and community who stood 
                beside them and welcomed them home; and
                    (C) inspire all persons to stand firm in the event 
                the United States succumbs to similar fears again;
            (9) the site at Bainbridge Island should be recognized by 
        the National Park Service based on--
                    (A) the national significance of the site;
                    (B) the association of the site with significant 
                events; and
                    (C) the integrity of the location and setting of 
                the site; and
            (10) the site at Bainbridge Island is critical as an anchor 
        for future efforts to identify, interpret, serve, and 
        ultimately honor the influence of Japanese Americans on 
        Bainbridge Island.

SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act 
as the ``Secretary'') shall conduct a study of the site commonly known 
as the ``Eagledale Ferry Dock'' at Taylor Avenue in Bainbridge Island, 
Washington, and the historical events associated with the site, to 
evaluate--
            (1) the national significance of the site; and
            (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the site 
        as a unit of the National Park System.
    (b) Criteria.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall use the criteria for the study of areas for potential 
inclusion in the National Park System under section 8 of Public Law 91-
383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5).
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which funds 
are made available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
the Senate a report that describes--
            (1) the findings of the study; and
            (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
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