[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 125 (Thursday, September 12, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H10330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCING LEGISLATION COMMEMORATING THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

  (Mr. PORTMAN asked and was given permission to address theHouse for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I am going to introduce legislation 
commemorating an important story in our Nation's history, the 
underground railroad in my hometown of Cincinnati, which was a major 
stop in the underground railroad, a vital means for thousands of slaves 
to escape to freedom until the end of the Civil War.
  The stories of the brave men, women, and children of all races that 
comprised the underground railroad experience have tremendous power to 
inspire us and teach us about racial understanding, about cooperation, 
reconciliation today, 130 years later.
  The legislation I am introducing today is simple. It authorizes no 
additional Federal funding. The citizens of Cincinnati have already 
raised more than $400,000 in private contributions for this effort. The 
bill designates the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in 
Cincinnati as an affiliated area within the National Park Service, and 
establishes a framework for cooperation between the Underground 
Railroad Center and the National Park Service.
  People from around the country will be able to come to this center to 
learn more about this important chapter in our history. Mr. Speaker, I 
want to commend the dedicated Cincinnatians who have led this effort, 
and I would urge all of my colleagues to join me in this.

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