[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 24, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6523-H6525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HISTORIC PRESERVATION 
                             AMENDMENTS ACT

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1606) to amend section 507 of the Omnibus Parks and Public 
Lands Management Act of 1996 to authorize additional appropriations for 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to decrease the matching 
requirement related to such appropriations, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1606

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DECREASED MATCHING REQUIREMENT FOR HISTORIC 
                   BUILDING RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION AT 
                   HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES; 
                   AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Decreased Matching Requirement.--Section 507(c) of the 
     Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (Public 
     Law 104-333; 16 U.S.C. 470a note) is amended--
       (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following 
     new paragraph:
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     Secretary may obligate funds made available under subsection 
     (d) for a grant with respect to a building or structure 
     listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register 
     of Historic Places only if the grantee agrees to provide, 
     from funds derived from non-Federal sources, an amount that 
     is equal to 30 percent of the total cost of the project for 
     which the grant is provided.''; and
       (2) by striking ``(2) The Secretary'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(2) Waiver.--The Secretary''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 507(d) of the 
     Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (16 
     U.S.C. 470a note) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Pursuant to'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(1) 1996 authorization.--Pursuant to''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) Additional authorization.--In addition to amounts 
     made available under paragraph (1), pursuant to section 108 
     of the National Historic Preservation Act, there is 
     authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
     to carry out the purposes of this section.''.
       (c) Application of Amendment.--Subsection (c)(1) of section 
     507 of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 
     1996, as amended by subsection (a), shall apply with respect 
     to--
       (1) funds made available under subsection (d)(2) of such 
     section, as added by subsection (b); and
       (2) funds made available under subsection (d)(1) of such 
     section, as amended by subsection (b), that remain 
     unobligated as of the date of the enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
H.R. 1606, introduced by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Clyburn), will authorize appropriations for the restoration and 
renovation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 
addition, it would decrease matching requirements.
  Many of the buildings at these schools are listed on the National 
Register and, because of their age, are in immediate need of remodeling 
and renovation. GAO identified in a report to Congress the buildings 
needing attention and the estimated cost. This estimate provides the 
foundation for the authorized level prescribed in the legislation. 
While funds have been previously appropriated to help meet restoration 
needs at some of these schools, the matching requirement has proved to 
be a difficult barrier to meet. This bill would lower that barrier by 
lowering the matching requirement and enable these schools to take 
advantage of these restoration opportunities. The historic quality of 
these buildings makes it important that we aid in their preservation.
  The bill contains an amendment to extend the new matching requirement 
to schools where funds have already been appropriated but have been 
left unobligated due to a failure to raise enough funds to meet the 
matching requirement.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation has significant support on both sides 
of the aisle. I urge my colleagues to support this worthy piece of 
legislation. I appreciate the gentleman from South Carolina for all the 
excellent work he has done on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. RAHALL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1606, introduced by my good friend and 
colleague Representative Jim Clyburn, is an important initiative that 
builds upon the work started in 1996 with the passage of the 
historically black colleges and universities' historic preservation 
program.
  The program has been the catalyst for the preservation of historic 
structures at these institutions of higher education. Unfortunately, 
the program has used up all of its existing authorization of funds and 
while its accomplishments to date have been great, the work that still 
needs to be done is even greater.
  Many of the buildings that have been and will be assisted by this 
program are integral elements of the school campus and their 
preservation will not only preserve buildings but also the history and 
spirit of these pioneering institutions.
  In hearings before the Resource Committee on H.R. 1606 last November 
we received moving testimony from Representative Clyburn and others on 
the importance of this program in furthering historic preservation at 
institutions that have played a vital role in the advancement of 
African-Americans and others.
  I want to commend in particular my colleague Representative Jim 
Clyburn for his strong leadership and vision on this legislation. 
Representative Clyburn has been a tireless champion of H.R. 1606. As a 
former educator himself, he well understands importance of this program 
not only to the schools themselves but to the entire nation.
  Last week this House passed H. Res. 523 recognizing the contributions 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities have made and continue to 
make in the education of African-Americans. However, H. Res. 523 just 
talked the talk, but it is H.R. 1606 that walks the walk.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1606 is a substantive measure that will benefit 
these institutions and the nation at large. I strongly support the 
measure and urge its adoption by the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) whose determination, dedication and 
true vision have brought this legislation to the floor today. He is a 
good friend to all of us and a former educator himself. We realize the 
importance of this legislation not only to Historically Black Colleges 
and Universities but to the Nation.
  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding the time 
and for his kind words.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to express my gratitude to the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen), the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), and the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for the tremendous bipartisan 
support H.R. 1606 has received to date. I very much appreciate the 
opportunity to speak today on behalf of my legislation to extend 
authorization of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
Historic Preservation program. This is a day that has been several 
years in the making.
  As a former high school teacher, I have always possessed an acute 
appreciation for history and have enjoyed its study for many years. It 
was part of what motivated me to introduce legislation establishing the 
South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, and I thank the gentleman 
from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) for joining me in support of that 
legislation which Congress authorized in the 1995 Omnibus

[[Page H6524]]

Parks Act. It is also what motivated me to work to appropriate funds 
for a 3-year study of the Gullah culture along the sea islands of South 
Carolina and Georgia. This is a culture very unique and very much at 
threat of extinction. Hopefully this study will give us recommendations 
on how to preserve and interpret what most scholars say is the closest 
African roots of any native-born Americans.
  I have worked very closely for many years and on many issues with 
Dick Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was 
overjoyed when the national trust, acting on the nomination of the 
Southeast Regional African American Preservation Alliance, listed the 
103 HBCU campuses as a category on its 1998 list of the 11 most 
endangered historic sites in the country.
  I say these things to explain how important historic preservation is 
to me personally. But of all the things I have worked on in 
preservation, I am most proud of this HBCU historic preservation 
program. Many of these campuses today date back for a century or more. 
The history contained within the hallowed halls of these institutions 
is as rich and diverse as the students who passed through them.
  The HBCU historic preservation program has had a profound impact on 
three universities in South Carolina's sixth district. But I want to 
tell you what it meant to me as a student of history to see a treasure 
such as Arnett Hall on Allen University's campus in Columbia, South 
Carolina, saved from the brink of destruction. This structure, which 
had been boarded up for almost 40 years, was designed by an African 
American architect, built by the students themselves, and completed in 
June 1891. At the time we were authorizing the original $29 million for 
this program, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 
our State's SHPO, listed Arnett Hall as the most endangered historic 
site in South Carolina. I am happy to report today the building has 
been saved, preserved to the Secretary of the Interior's standards, and 
shines as a beacon in that part of Columbia. The same is true for two 
other historic buildings in my district that have benefited from this 
program, Ministers Hall on Claflin University's campus in Orangeburg 
and Massachusetts Hall on the campus of Voorhees College in Denmark.
  In 1997, the Congressional Black Caucus requested the GAO conduct a 
study to determine the projected cost of preserving all threatened 
historic sites on the 103 HBCU campuses. I was asked to coordinate that 
study with the GAO. The study took one solid year to complete, but it 
was very comprehensive and very objective. The GAO identified 712 
historic sites on those campuses with a projected preservation cost of 
$755 million. That is a lot of money, even in this town. But the need 
has been documented, and over time I believe the schools and this body 
will respond appropriately and adequately.
  The vast majority of these colleges have had a very difficult time 
raising the required dollar for dollar match which the previous 
legislation required. Consequently, many of them would like to have a 
grant. But I believe it is important for the schools themselves to feel 
vested in the project. So my bill requires a 30 percent match. The Park 
Service allows 70 percent of funding for planning and survey projects 
funded from the historic preservation fund, so there is a precedent for 
this ratio and it is a formula that is sorely needed.
  Mr. Speaker, this authorization will allow the campuses with 
structures identified for preservation to do strategic planning. If 
these schools were able to point to the Federal Government's commitment 
to cover 70 percent of the preservation costs, alumni and potential 
donors would be more amenable to contributing the matching funds for 
the projects.
  Mr. Speaker, should this bill become law, it will take many years and 
a strong commitment to meet the need the GAO has documented. But 
without this bill becoming law, we cannot even begin.
  Mr. Speaker, I know this body has shown strong support for 
preservation, and I pledge to do all I can for the historic 
preservation community. There is no issue regarding cultural or 
historic preservation that is more important to our Nation's fabric, 
the Congressional Black Caucus, and to me personally than H.R. 1606.

                              {time}  1730

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Clement).
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time 
and for everything he has done over the years as a great member on the 
Committee on Resources and also a great colleague and member on the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, because he has truly 
made a difference.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say to my good friend, the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), it has been a pleasure over the years 
working with him. He sure has done a lot of things to make things 
happen when it comes to supporting our Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities. I appreciate very much the gentleman from Utah (Chairman 
Hansen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) for being so 
helpful and always being there to listen and be supportive.
  I have been involved in this cause for a long time because I am a 
former college President myself at Cumberland University, a small, 
private, independent college in the State of Tennessee. I am proud to 
be able to say that we have six colleges and universities that fall in 
this category when we talk about Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities in the great State of Tennessee, and that is Fisk 
University, Meharry Medical College and Tennessee State University, all 
located in Nashville, Tennessee. Then we have Lane College in Jackson, 
Tennessee; Lemoyne Owen College in Memphis; and Knoxville College in 
Knoxville, Tennessee.
  For well over a century, Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
have made their mark as vital institutions of higher learning. 
Generations of African American educators, physicians, lawyers, 
scientists and other professionals have found the knowledge, the 
experience and encouragement they needed to reach their full potential 
at these Historically Black Colleges and Universities. They have 
compiled an enviable record of achievement, educating almost 40 percent 
of our Nation's black college graduates. They have educated millions of 
young people and have prepared African American students for the 
challenges and opportunities of this new century.
  I might say also that what the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Clyburn) said a while ago is very true: A lot of them have had a lot of 
difficulty struggling for those dollars to make a difference. That 
first impression at a college or university is so vitally important. 
When they see a college or university that is run down, they are not 
going to give. They are not going to be able to raise any private gifts 
for the university. But if they see a university where their buildings 
are in good shape and good condition, it really does make a real 
difference. I found that at Cumberland University where I was 
president, and I sure have found that at the other colleges and 
universities in the State of Tennessee and around the country that have 
fallen into that category.
  I will never forget when I first got here, Dr. Henry Ponder, who was 
then president of Fisk University, we used to walk those halls, and 
this is before some of you even were here, and we walked those halls 
and tried to get people interested in our Historically Black Colleges 
and Universities. Now we have a lot of new help, and I appreciate that, 
both Democrats and Republicans alike, that realize the importance and 
significance of what I call seed money, and that is what it is, seed 
money, because those are dollars that we are able to share now and 
those are dollars we are able to utilize in order for these colleges 
and universities to keep educating our young people; but not just young 
people, but our working adults that want to go back to our colleges and 
universities.
  I commend our Historically Black Colleges and Universities for their 
dedication to academic excellence and commitment to educational 
opportunity for all.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H6525]]

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Meek).
  (Mrs. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, my colleague and fellow freshman, 
the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), and I came to the 
Congress together. Since then he has been the driving force behind a 
movement to improve our Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 
For that he is to be strongly commended.
  HBCUs, as we call them, remain a critical part of our education 
system. These institutions have significantly increased educational 
access for thousands of economically and socially disadvantaged 
Americans, particularly among young African Americans. Yet our 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities need to maintain and 
improve their facilities in order to continue to meet the needs of 
their students.
  I bet you, Mr. Speaker, if a poll were taken, each Member of this 
House would have an historically black college or university somewhere 
near their district or in some way they have helped an historically 
black college or university. That is extremely important.
  Mr. Speaker, as I noted last week when we passed H. Res. 524 
recognizing the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, it is critical that we honor Historically Black Colleges 
and Universities with our deeds, not just our words, by taking such 
steps as funding them properly in our appropriations process. That is 
what the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) is talking about. 
By passing this bill, we make good on our commitment to our 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and honor them with our 
deeds by making it easier for them to preserve their facilities and 
thereby serve their students and their communities.
  I commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) for this 
excellent bill, ask for our continued effort in this regard, and urge 
all of my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for yielding me time, and I also want 
to commend the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Hansen) and the ranking member of this committee for the outstanding 
work they do all the time on the Committee on Resources. I am not a 
member of this committee, but I often watch its deliberations and pay 
attention to what it is doing, and I think that they, obviously, do an 
outstanding job. I especially want to commend them for bringing this 
legislation to the floor.
  I also want to commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Clyburn), a man who has almost single-handedly in terms of his zest and 
seal, who has been tremendously focused on the problems, attributes and 
contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As a 
matter of fact, he talked so passionately about those in South Carolina 
until sometimes I wish that I had been a South Carolinian and had the 
opportunity to attend one of them.
  I did not attend one in South Carolina, but I did grow up in 
Arkansas, and I attended what is now the University of Arkansas at Pine 
Bluff. The bell tower on that campus, which is the tallest structure in 
that area, they do not have tall buildings in Arkansas, but the bell 
tower is probably the tallest structure in that community, and, for as 
long as I can remember, it has stood as a symbol of educational 
opportunity for African Americans, especially in that area. The alumni 
association is currently trying to replace it, brick by brick.
  As a matter of fact, when I was there we had an outstanding President 
that we fondly called ``Prexy,'' President Lawrence Arnett Davis, Sr., 
whose son now is the chancellor, Chancellor Lawrence Arnett Davis, Jr. 
They both have become institutions.
  So I say to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), when you 
help preserve these institutions, which are indeed struggling but have 
one of the greatest histories and one of the greatest legacies in this 
Nation, and to think that the leaders of many of them were newly-freed 
slaves, individuals who had just come out of slavery when the Moral Act 
was passed and then its subsequent amendments, so, yes, they have done 
exceedingly well. But, again, I commend all of those who have had a 
hand in and who have spoken so passionately about their impact.
  Again I commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) and 
commend the chairman and ranking member of this committee.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1606, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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