[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 123 (Thursday, October 5, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10001-S10002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HARRIET TUBMAN SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY ACT

  The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (S. 2345) to direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 
concerning the preservation and public use of sites associated with 
Harriet Tubman located in Auburn, NY, and for other purposes, which had 
been reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with 
an amendment to strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the 
part printed in italic.

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Harriet Tubman Special 
     Resource Study Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a plantation in 
     Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1821;
       (2) in 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plantation on foot, 
     using the North Star for direction and following a route 
     through Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to Philadelpha, 
     where she gained her freedom;
       (3) Harriet Tubman is an important figure in the history of 
     the United States, and is most famous for her role as a 
     ``conductor'' on the Underground Railroad, in which, as a 
     fugitive slave, she helped hundreds of enslaved individuals 
     to esacape to freedom before and during the Civil War;
       (4) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union 
     Army as a guide, spy, and nurse;
       (5) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an advocate for 
     the education of black children;
       (6) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, in 1857, 
     and lived there until 1913;
       (7) while in Auburn, Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to 
     caring selflessly and tirelessly for people who could not 
     care for themselves, was an influential member of the 
     community and an active member of the Thompson Memorial 
     A.M.E. Zion Church, and established a home for the elderly;
       (8) Harriet Tubman was a friend of William Henry Seward, 
     who served as the Governor of and a Senator from the State of 
     New York and as Secretary of State under President Abraham 
     Lincoln;
       (9) 4 sites in Auburn that directly relate to Harriet 
     Tubman and are listed on the National Register of Historic 
     Places are--
       (A) Harriet Tubman's home;
       (B) the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged;
       (C) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; and
       (D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and William Henry 
     Seward's home in Auburn are national historic landmarks.

     SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES IN AUBURN, NEW YORK, 
                   ASSOCIATED WITH HARRIET TUBMAN.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
     conduct a special resource study of the national 
     significance, feasibility of long-term preservation, and 
     public use of the following sites associated with Harriet 
     Tubman:
       (1) Harriet Tubman's Birthplace, located on Greenbriar 
     Road, off of Route 50, in Dorchester County, Maryland.
       (2) Bazel Church, located 1 mile South of Greenbriar Road 
     in Cambridge, Maryland.
       (3) Harriet Tubman's home, located at 182 South Street, 
     Auburn, New York.
       (4) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at 180 
     South Street, Auburn, New York.
       (5) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 33 
     Parker Street, Auburn, New York.
       (6) Harriet Tubman's grave at Port Hill Cemetery, located 
     at 19 Fort Street, Auburn, New York.
       (7) William Henry Seward's home, located at 33 South 
     Street, Auburn, New York.
       (b) Inclusion of Sites in the National Park System.--The 
     study under subsection (a) shall include an analysis and any 
     recommendations of the Secretary concerning the suitability 
     and feasibility of--
       (1) designating one or more of the sites specified in 
     subsection (a) as units of the National Park System; and
       (2) establishing a national heritage corridor that 
     incorporates the sites specified in subsection (a) and any 
     other sites associated with Harriet Tubman.
       (c) Study Guidelines.--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 P.L. 91-383, as amended by 
     Section 303 of the National Park Omnibus Management Act 
     ((P.L. 105-391), 112 Stat. 3501).
       (d) Consultation.--In preparing and conducting the study 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with--
       (1) the Governors of the States of Maryland and New York;
       (2) a member of the Board of County Commissioners of 
     Dorchester County, Maryland;
       (3) the Mayor of the city of Auburn, New York;
       (4) the owner of the sites specified in subsection (a); and
       (5) the appropriate representatives of--
       (A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church;
       (B) the Bazel Church;
       (C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and
       (D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc.
       (e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which 
     funds are made available for the study under subsection (a), 
     the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing 
     the results of the study.

  The amendment (No. 4295) was agreed to, as follows:


                           amendment no. 4295

               (Purpose: To make a technical correction)

       On page 7, line 24, strike ``Port Hill Cemetery,'' and 
     insert in lieu thereof ``Fort Hill Cemetery,''.

  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, 
was agreed to.
  The bill (S. 2345), as amended, was read the third time and passed, 
as follows:

                                S. 2345

       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 ``Harriet Tubman Special 
     Resource Study Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a plantation in 
     Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1821;
       (2) in 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plantation on foot, 
     using the North Star for direction and following a route 
     through Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, 
     where she gained her freedom;
       (3) Harriet Tubman is an important figure in the history of 
     the United States, and is most famous for her role as a 
     ``conductor'' on the Underground Railroad, in which, as a 
     fugitive slave, she helped hundreds of enslaved individuals 
     to escape to freedom before and during the Civil War;
       (4) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union 
     Army as a guide, spy, and nurse;
       (5) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an advocate for 
     the education of black children;
       (6) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, in 1857, 
     and lived there until 1913;
       (7) while in Auburn, Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to 
     caring selflessly and tirelessly for people who could not 
     care for themselves, was an influential member of the 
     community and an active member of the Thompson Memorial 
     A.M.E. Zion Church, and established a home for the elderly;
       (8) Harriet Tubman was a friend of William Henry Seward, 
     who served as the Governor of and a Senator from the State of 
     New York and as Secretary of State under President Abraham 
     Lincoln;

[[Page S10002]]

       (9) 4 sites in Auburn that directly relate to Harriet 
     Tubman and are listed on the National Register of Historic 
     Places are--
       (A) Harriet Tubman's home;
       (B) the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged;
       (C) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; and
       (D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and William Henry 
     Seward's home in Auburn are national historic landmarks.

     SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES IN AUBURN, NEW YORK, 
                   ASSOCIATED WITH HARRIET TUBMAN.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
     conduct a special resource study of the national 
     significance, feasibility of long-term preservation, and 
     public use of the following sites associated with Harriet 
     Tubman:
       (1) Harriet Tubman's Birthplace, located on Greenbriar 
     Road, off of Route 50, in Dorchester County, Maryland.
       (2) Bazel Church, located 1 mile South of Greenbriar Road 
     in Cambridge, Maryland.
       (3) Harriet Tubman's home, located at 182 South Street, 
     Auburn, New York.
       (4) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at 180 
     South Street, Auburn, New York.
       (5) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 33 
     Parker Street, Auburn, New York.
       (6) Harriet Tubman's grave at Fort Hill Cemetery, located 
     at 19 Fort Street, Auburn, New York.
       (7) William Henry Seward's home, located at 33 South 
     Street, Auburn, New York.
       (b) Inclusion of Sites in the National Park System.--The 
     study under subsection (a) shall include an analysis and any 
     recommendations of the Secretary concerning the suitability 
     and feasibility of--
       (1) designating one or more of the sites specified in 
     subsection (a) as units of the National Park System; and
       (2) establishing a national heritage corridor that 
     incorporates the sites specified in subsection (a) and any 
     other sites associated with Harriet Tubman.
       (c) Study Guidelines.--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 P.L. 91-383, as amended by 
     Section 303 of the National Park Omnibus Management Act 
     ((P.L. 105-391), 112 Stat. 3501).
       (d) Consultation.--In preparing and conducting the study 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with--
       (1) the Governors of the States of Maryland and New York;
       (2) a member of the Board of County Commissioners of 
     Dorchester County, Maryland;
       (3) the Mayor of the city of Auburn, New York;
       (4) the owner of the sites specified in subsection (a); and
       (5) the appropriate representatives of--
       (A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church;
       (B) the Bazel Church;
       (C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and
       (D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc.
       (e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which 
     funds are made available for the study under subsection (a), 
     the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing 
     the results of the study.

                          ____________________