110 HR 3114 IH: National Women’s Rights History Project U.S. House of Representatives 2007-07-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3114 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 19, 2007 Ms. Slaughter (for herself, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Arcuri, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. McDermott, Mr. George Miller of California, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Cummings, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Ms. Carson, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Inslee, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. McNulty, Ms. Berkley, Ms. Norton, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Shays, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Walsh of New York, Mr. Kucinich, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Shea-Porter, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Filner, and Ms. DeLauro) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a commemorative trail in connection with the Women’s Rights National Historical Park to link properties that are historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women’s suffrage, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title; findings

(a)

Short Title

This Act may be cited as the National Women’s Rights History Project Act. (b)

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)The women’s rights movement is one of the three great protest traditions in United States history, sharing that status with the struggle for racial equality and the labor movement. These movements challenged Americans to consider the essential meaning of the Declaration of Independence: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.. (2)New York State in the nineteenth century was at the cutting edge of these movements, including the womans’ rights movement. On July 19, 1848, a group of activists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Jane Hunt, and Mary Ann M’Clintock, convened the first Women’s Rights Convention at Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York. During the Convention, 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments calling for a broad array of rights for women, including suffrage. (3)Susan B. Anthony formed the Equal Rights Association, refuted ideas that women were inferior to men, and fought for women’s right to vote. She also campaigned for the rights of women to own property, to keep their own earnings, and to have custody of their children. In 1900, she persuaded the University of Rochester to admit women. (4)In 1869, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and others formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, and Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and others formed the American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1890, these merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Through mass campaigns involving thousands of women and men all across the country, National American Woman Suffrage Association helped secure passage of the Nineteenth amendment to the United States Constitution, officially certified on August 26, 1920, giving women the right to vote. (5)In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the women’s movement expanded to play a critical role in shaping policies on education, legal reform, and economic and social welfare.

2.

Establishment of votes for women’s history trail route as feature of women's rights national historical park

Title XVI of Public Law 96–607 is amended by inserting after section 1601 (16 U.S.C. 410ll) the following new section:

1602.

Votes for women trail

(a)

Finding

Congress finds that there is an opportunity for the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, New York, to work in partnership with historically and thematically related properties in the corridor between the eastern border of New York State and the Niagara Frontier, including the Susan B. Anthony House, to tell the story of the 72-year fight for women’s suffrage. (b)

Establishment of Trail Route

The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of National Park Service, with concurrence of the agency having jurisdiction over the relevant roads, is authorized to designate a vehicular tour route, to be known as the Votes for Women History Trail Route, to link properties in the State of New York that are historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women’s suffrage in the United States. (c)

Administration

The Votes for Women Trail shall be administered by the National Park Service through Women’s Rights National Historical Park. (d)

Activities

To facilitate the establishment of the Votes for Women Trail and the dissemination of information regarding the Trail Route, the Secretary shall— (1)produce and disseminate appropriate educational materials regarding the Trail Route, such as handbooks, maps, exhibits, signs, interpretive guides, and electronic information; (2)coordinate the management, planning, and standards of the auto route in partnership with participating properties, other Federal agencies, and State and local governments; (3)create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or device to mark the Votes for Women History Trail Route; and (4)issue guidelines for the use of such symbol or device. (e)

Elements of Trail Route

The Secretary may designate as an official stop on the Votes for Women History Trail Route any of the following properties, subject to the consent of the owner of the property: (1)All units and programs of Women’s Rights National Historical Park that pertain to the struggle for women’s suffrage. (2)Other Federal, State, local, and privately owned properties that the Secretary determines have a verifiable connection to the struggle for women’s suffrage. (3)Other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, commemorative, research, or interpretive nature that the Secretary determines to be directly related to the struggle for women’s suffrage. (f)

Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding

(1)

Authorized

To facilitate the establishment of the Votes for Women Trail and to ensure effective coordination of the Federal and non-Federal properties designated as stops along the Trail Route, the Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements and memorandums of understanding with, and provide technical and financial assistance to, other Federal agencies, the State of New York, localities, regional governmental bodies, and private entities. (2)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior such sums as are necessary for the period of fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2012 to provide financial assistance to cooperating entities pursuant to agreements or memorandums entered into under paragraph (1).

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3.

National women’s rights history project national registry

(a)

In General

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to make annual grants to State historic preservation offices for up to 5 years to assist those State historic preservation offices in surveying, evaluating, and nominating women’s rights history properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The Secretary shall ensure that the National Register travel itinerary website, Places Where Women Made History is updated to contain the results of the inventory and links to websites related to places on the inventory when such links are available. (b)

Eligibility

When offering grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority grants related to properties associated with the multiple facets of the women’s rights movement such as politics, economics, education, religion, and social and family rights. (c)

Authorization of Appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for the period of fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2012.

4.

National women’s rights history project partnerships network

(a)

Grants

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to make matching grants and give technical assistance for development of a network of governmental and nongovernmental entities whose purpose is to provide interpretive and educational program development of national women’s rights history, including historic preservation. Matching grants for historic preservation specific to the network may be made available through State historic preservation offices. (b)

Management of network

The network shall be managed through a nongovernmental entity, identified by the Secretary of the Interior through a competitive process. The nongovernmental managing entity shall work in partnership with the National Park Service and State historic preservation offices to coordinate operation of the network. (c)

Authorization of Appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for the period of fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2012.