[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8698-H8700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        PROVIDING FOR PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC CONFINEMENT SITES

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur 
in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 1492) to provide for the 
preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans 
were detained during World War II, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:
  Senate amendments
       On page 2, line 15 through 20, strike and insert:
       (b) Grants.--
       (1) Criteria.--The Secretary, after consultation with 
     State, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, 
     educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations 
     (including organizations involved in the preservation of 
     historic confinement sites), shall develop criteria for 
     making grants under paragraph (2) to assist in carrying out 
     subsection (a).
       (2) Provision of grants.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date on which funds are made available to carry out this Act, 
     the Secretary shall, subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, make grants to the entities described in 
     paragraph (1) only in accordance with the criteria developed 
     under that paragraph.
       On page 3, line 21, strike ``25 percent'' and insert: ``50 
     percent''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. 
Bordallo) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as may consume.
  H.R. 1492, introduced by Congressman Bill Thomas, would establish a 
grant program within the Department of the Interior to protect, 
preserve, and interpret historic confinement sites where Japanese 
Americans were detained during World War II.
  While there are two units in the National Park System that recognize 
the internment period, there are many who believe that other internment 
sites should also be preserved short of becoming a part of the park 
system. This bill would further that purpose by providing funds, with a 
partial private match.
  The Senate amendment broadens the consultation requirement to develop 
criteria for making grants, provides a timeline for making grants, and 
increases the nonFederal matching requirement. These are all 
improvements to the original bill and we support them.
  I urge the adoption of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, the changes made to this legislation by 
the Senate have improved the bill, and we continue to support the 
passage of H.R. 1492. Representatives Doris Matsui and Mike Honda are 
to be commended for their tireless efforts on behalf of this proposal. 
We also recognize the senior Senator from the State of Hawaii in the 
other body, and that is the Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, for his 
distinguished work in advancing this important legislation.
  Within 3 months of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, 
Executive Order 9066 authorized the removal of over 100,000 Japanese 
Americans from their homes and their relocation to isolated internment 
camps in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and 
Wyoming. Decades later, our Nation came to understand and regret the 
grave mistakes of the past and the unacceptable premise that American 
citizens could lose their constitutional rights in the name of 
security. The internment camps stand as a stark testimonial to the 
underlying error of that premise.
  As we mentioned when the House first approved this measure on 
November 15, 2005, the injustice of internment is not some distant, 
historical artifact. Rather, for former Members of this body, such as 
former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, or our late colleague, 
Representative Robert Matsui, internment was a painful reality.
  Today, this bill is a testament to the legacy of these loyal 
Americans and honors the memory of their struggles. This legislation is 
not only a tribute to those who suffered the injustice of internment 
but also to the triumphs of our distinguished former colleagues. We 
urge support for H.R. 1492 in their names and in the names of all those 
who have faced, or continue to face, injustice.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas)
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from

[[Page H8699]]

California, and I also want to thank Congressman Radanovich and 
Congresswoman Bordallo for the work that the Resources Committee has 
done, especially Chairman Pombo, and again salute my colleagues Mike 
Honda and Doris Matsui, Devin Nunes, also a member of the committee, 
and, as was indicated, Senators assisting us in moving this in a 
reasonable fashion, Senators Domenici, Thomas, Akaka and Inouye.
  This legislation is, in essence, a modest effort to provide the 
structure and resources necessary for citizens, schools, communities 
and others to undertake projects in the actual locales in which the so-
called internment camps were located. For more than a decade, I 
represented one of those camps in Inyo County, Manzanar. I also came 
into the Congress with Bob Matsui.
  The understanding of this period in our history is essential. It has 
to do with fundamental rights, even of native-born citizens in time of 
war.
  The ability to preserve the actual sites and provide, if you will, an 
on-the-ground understanding was rapidly slipping away from us because 
of the simple distance of time from when this occurred and what has 
been happening in what were once very remote areas of Utah and 
California and other States.
  So I am very, very pleased that both the House and the Senate has 
responded in a reasonable time frame to provide some monetary 
resources, matched by those who are committed to maintain the memory, 
not for the purpose of rubbing in what happened, but to remember it so 
that it does not happen again.
  I thank the gentleman
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he wishes to 
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), my good friend, 
the chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus who 
spent time in an internment camp as an infant.
  (Mr. HONDA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam, my 
colleague and friend, for yielding me the time to address this 
important measure on the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1492, a measure to 
provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where 
Americans of Japanese descent, of Japanese ancestry, were detained 
during World War II.
  I thank very personally Chairman Bill Thomas for his steadfast 
leadership in introducing and working so effectively and ardently to 
move this bill forward. I am also pleased to be an original cosponsor 
of this measure, along with Congresswoman Doris Matsui. I thank the 
Committee on Resources and the Senate for their successful efforts to 
bring us to this point where this bill is about to go to the President 
to be signed into law.
  When I was a member of the California State Assembly, I had the 
privilege of passing legislation to create the California Civil 
Liberties Public Education Program. The measure created a program to 
fund grants for educational activities and the development of 
educational materials to ensure that the events surrounding the 
exclusion, forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans would 
be remembered.
  This program has also shed light on how Executive Order 9066, the 
order paving the way for the internment, impacted others such as 
Italian and German Americans and the people of Japanese ancestry living 
in Latin America.
  While my bill in California helped to preserve the stories of the 
internment period, this bill will help to preserve the physical and 
tangible reminders of this period and will have a deep impact on our 
ability to make the stories real for future generations.
  This bill uses the phrase ``confinement sites'' so funds may be used 
not only for 10 internment camps but for associated sites as well.
  The internment sites, Manzanar, Topaz, Minidoka, Heart Mountain, Tule 
Lake, Gila River, Poston, Amache where I was born, Rohwer, Jerome and 
related confinement sites stand as an important and powerful lesson for 
this Nation.
  Ultimately, by preserving these sites we will demonstrate the 
Nation's commitment to equal justice under the law and preserve a true 
American lesson.
  I commend the groups making up the Japanese American National 
Heritage Coalition and its constituent groups, and the work of Gerald 
Yamada and Floyd Mori in bringing this issue to Congress. I would also 
like to take this opportunity to wish my friend John Tateishi a speedy 
recovery and to thank him for his commitment to upholding civil rights 
as he steps down from his long and accomplished career as national 
director of the Japanese American Citizens League.
  Finally, I again wish to thank Chairman Bill Thomas for his 
passionate dedication to making this bill a reality. The Japanese 
American community thanks you for your heartfelt commitment to this 
important issue and is overjoyed that it can be a part of the final act 
of your illustrious career in Congress.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, it is now my distinct privilege to yield 
as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Matsui), our colleague from Sacramento, who has worked diligently on 
this legislation and who understands firsthand the importance of 
preserving the internment sites, as she was born at the Poston 
internment camp in Arizona.
  (Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans during 
World War II is a painful part of our past. The memories of the time 
that so many innocent Americans spent in stark and isolated camps 
continue to resonate today.
  We honor the memories of those people not by forgetting what 
happened, nor do we honor them by proclaiming that such events could 
never occur in today's United States. Instead, we honor the past by 
preserving the sites where the internment took place. In doing so, we 
deepen our understanding of the internment, and we help educate future 
generations about how to avoid this recurrence.
  Preserving these internment sites is a solemn task we all bear. That 
is why the legislation before us today is so important.
  It directs the Federal Government to partner with local entities to 
identify and protect internment sites. In the process, it will help to 
demonstrate our country's commitment to equality, justice and liberty 
for all.

                              {time}  1245

  These are the founding principles of our Republic. We have no greater 
responsibility as Members of Congress than to protect and further these 
ideals. This legislation will help us do so by communicating the 
lessons of the internment to our children and grandchildren.
  It has been a distinct pleasure of mine to collaborate with so many 
of my colleagues to bring this legislation to the House today. I would 
like to extend my special thanks to my colleague from California, 
Chairman Thomas; and, as he mentioned, he came to the class with my 
late husband, Bob. His leadership has been absolutely instrumental in 
helping to craft this bill and to advance it to the point of passage. I 
would also like to thank my dear colleague Mr. Honda for his tireless 
advocacy. He has proven to be a leader on internment preservation 
issues. He has shepherded this bill through the legislation process, 
and I truly appreciate his efforts. I am proud to stand with him and 
with Chairman Thomas as original cosponsors of this timely and 
necessarily legislation.
  Let us pass it today so that those who come after us, like my two 
young grandchildren Anna and Robby, can visit the places where their 
grandparents, great grandparents, and great, great grandparents were 
wrongly imprisoned. Let us pass it today so that those who come after 
us will know the places where their ancestors struggled for freedom in 
the country that they loved, and let us pass it today so that those who 
come after us will have a physical reminder of what they will never 
allow to happen again.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I want to again acknowledge 
all of the Members of both Chambers who have worked hard on this 
legislation: Congressman Thomas, Congressman Honda, Congressman Matsui,

[[Page H8700]]

Senator Inouye, Senator Akaka, and the leadership of both the Senate 
Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources 
Committee. It has been a privilege of mine to serve with Chairman Pombo 
and Congressman Rahall. We are going to miss working with Chairman 
Thomas and Chairman Pombo. We appreciate their support of this 
legislation, and we look forward to continuing to work under the 
leadership of Congressman Rahall. I thank my friend from California 
(Mr. Radanovich) for managing these bills with me today
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the House suspend the 
rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill, H.R. 1492.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having 
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate 
amendments were concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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