[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 147 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H8879-H8880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     BAINBRIDGE ISLAND JAPANESE-AMERICAN MEMORIAL STUDY ACT OF 2002

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for the immediate 
consideration in the House of the bill (H.R. 3747) to direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the site commonly known 
as Eagledale Ferry Dock at Taylor Avenue in the State of Washington for 
potential inclusion in the National Park System.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 3747

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Bainbridge 
     Island Japanese-American Memorial Study Act of 2002''.
       (b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) During World War II on February 19, 1942, President 
     Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, 
     setting in motion the forced exile of more than 110,000 
     Japanese Americans.
       (2) In Washington State, 12,892 men, women and children of 
     Japanese ancestry experienced three years of incarceration, 
     an incarceration violating the most basic freedoms of 
     American citizens.

[[Page H8880]]

       (3) On March 30, 1942, 227 Bainbridge Island residents were 
     the first Japanese Americans in United States history to be 
     forcibly removed from their homes by the U.S. Army and sent 
     to internment camps. They boarded the ferry Kehloken from the 
     former Eagledale Ferry Dock, located at the end of Taylor 
     Avenue, in the city of Bainbridge Island, Washington State.
       (4) The city of Bainbridge Island has adopted a resolution 
     stating that this site should be a National Memorial, and 
     similar resolutions have been introduced in the Washington 
     State Legislature.
       (5) Both the Minidoka National Monument and Manzanar 
     National Historic Site can clearly tell the story of a time 
     in our Nation's history when constitutional rights were 
     ignored. These camps by design were placed in very remote 
     places and are not easily accessible. Bainbridge Island is a 
     short ferry ride from Seattle and the site would be within 
     easy reach of many more people.
       (6) This is a unique opportunity to create a site that will 
     honor those who suffered, cherish the friends and community 
     who stood beside them and welcomed them home, and inspire all 
     to stand firm in the event our nation again succumbs to 
     similar fears.
       (7) The site should be recognized by the National Park 
     Service based on its high degree of national significance, 
     association with significant events, and integrity of its 
     location and setting. This site is critical as an anchor for 
     future efforts to identify, interpret, serve, and ultimately 
     honor the Nikkei--persons of Japanese ancestry--influence on 
     Bainbridge Island.

     SEC. 2. EAGLEDALE FERRY DOCK LOCATION AT TAYLOR AVENUE STUDY 
                   AND REPORT.

       (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out a 
     special resource study regarding the national significance, 
     suitability, and feasibility of designating as a unit of the 
     National Park System the property commonly known as the 
     Eagledale Ferry Dock at Taylor Avenue and the historical 
     events associated with it, located in the town of Bainbridge 
     Island, Kitsap County, Washington.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after funds are first 
     made available for the study under subsection (a), the 
     Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on 
     Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report 
     describing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of 
     the study.
       (c) Requirements for Study.--Except as otherwise provided 
     in this section, the study under subsection (a) shall be 
     conducted in accordance with section 8(c) of Public Law 91-
     383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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