[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 134 (Tuesday, October 24, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H10717-H10718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HARRIET TUBMAN SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY ACT

  Mr. HANSEN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate 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, New 
York, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read 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;
       (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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  Mr. HANSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, S. 2345, introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer, directs 
the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special study to determine 
the potential inclusion of sites associated with Harriet Tubman in the 
National Park System.
  Harriet Tubman is a famous figure in our Nation's history. After 
gaining her own freedom by escaping to the North, Harriet Tubman helped 
hundreds of enslaved individuals escape to freedom along the 
Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she served the Union as a 
guide, spy, and nurse. After the war, she acted as a powerful advocate 
for the education of black children and care for the elderly.
  This piece of legislation will help determine the suitability and 
feasibility of designating sites associated with Harriet Tubman as a 
unit of the National Park Service.

[[Page H10718]]

  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2345.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Houghton).
  Mr. HOUGHTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding the 
time to me. This will be the shortest endorsement ever, but I would 
like to second the words of the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen). He 
has explained the importance of the Harriet Tubman legacy, and what 
this is is really a resources bill, a study bill.
  This is an extraordinary woman who had a great record in saving many, 
many lives, and the whole thrust of this thing is to be able to study 
the various institutions and the buildings and the area not only in New 
York, but also in Maryland.
  Madam Speaker, I would also like to thank Senator Schumer for his 
endorsement of this. I would like to thank Vince DeForest of the 
National Park Service and also Mike Long of the Auburn City Planning. 
They have done a wonderful job in trying to espouse this whole project.
  As the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) has said, Ms. Tubman was an 
extraordinary historic figure. She served as a nurse and a guide and 
did all sorts of things for saving the lives of people and also 
educating them later on, so we have this opportunity to preserve such a 
tremendous legacy. I would like to ask the House to join in voting for 
this bill.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to join my colleagues in support of this 
legislation, and thank them for bringing it to the floor, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Houghton) for his support and Senator Schumer for 
drafting this legislation. I urge Members to support the bill.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HANSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill, S. 2345.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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