[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5653 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5653

  To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the Gold Hill 
                      Ranch in Coloma, California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 30, 2010

 Mr. McClintock (for himself and Ms. Matsui) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the Gold Hill 
                      Ranch in Coloma, California.

    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 ``Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Preservation 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Gold Hill Ranch in Coloma, California, was the 
        location of the founding of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm 
        Colony in 1869;
            (2) the Ranch is--
                    (A) the oldest property in North America to be 
                associated with Japanese immigration; and
                    (B) the only property associated with the 
                immigration of samurai following the Meiji Restoration;
            (3) the Ranch includes--
                    (A) an 1860s home that was occupied by the 
                Wakamatsu settlers;
                    (B) mulberry trees planted by the silk farmers; and
                    (C) the grave stone of Okei Ito, which is the 
                oldest Japanese immigrant grave in the United States; 
                and
            (4) a variety of non-Federal funds have been obligated with 
        respect to the acquisition and restoration of the Ranch, 
        including--
                    (A) to be applied toward acquisition of the Ranch, 
                $1,000,000 from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, $485,000 
                from the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, and 
                $530,000 from private donations; and
                    (B) to be applied toward restoration of the Graner 
                farmhouse, $483,750 from the California Cultural and 
                Historical Endowment.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Gold 
        Hill-Wakamatsu Site'' and dated May 7, 2009.
            (2) Ranch.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``Ranch'' means the Gold 
                Hill Ranch in Coloma, California (El Dorado County 
                Assessor's Parcel No. 089-010-06), comprising 
                approximately 272 acres, which is more particularly 
                described as the SW\1/4\ and the SW \1/2\ of the SE \1/
                4\ of Sec. 29 and the N\1/2\NE\1/4\ of Sec. 32, T. 11 
                N., R. 10 E., of El Dorado County, California.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``Ranch'' excludes the 
                small inholding of the Gold Trail School District, as 
                depicted on the map.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of 
        Land Management.

SEC. 4. ACQUISITION OF GOLD HILL RANCH, COLOMA, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may acquire by donation or by 
purchase with donated or appropriated funds, from willing owners only, 
the lands or interests in lands described in section 3(2).
    (b) Administration of Acquired Lands.--Lands and interests in lands 
acquired under this section shall be administered by the Secretary in 
accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
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