[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD NETWORK TO FREEDOM 
                          REAUTHORIZATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 2007

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Reauthorization Act. I 
would first like to thank the numerous colleagues that have joined me 
in prioritizing this legislation as original cosponsors, especially my 
colleague from Delaware, Representative Castle, and the National Parks 
Conservation Association for its endorsement of this legislation.
  Our Nation's history is in peril when funding for our national parks 
is in peril. We must guarantee our future generations will be able to 
experience the critical journey of sacrifice and triumph that has 
empowered African-Americans and shaped the history of this Nation.
  In pursuit of this charge, the National Park Service has emerged as 
one of the largest stewards of black history in the United States. The 
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom was established in 
1998 and has served as a tremendous historical resource throughout our 
national parks. The Network to Freedom encompasses over 250 programs, 
sites, and partners in over 27 states and the District of Columbia. 
This unique network is a phenomenal national resource in its 
preservation of historic buildings, routes, programs, projects, and 
museums with thematic connections to the Underground Railroad. As the 
only national program dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, 
and dissemination of Underground Railroad history, this network is a 
vital asset to the National Park System.
  Madam Speaker, my esteemed former colleague Congressman Louis Stokes 
established the Network to Freedom with a bipartisan coalition to 
preserve American history. In 1998, his legislation passed the house 
with only two dissenting votes. With such overwhelming support, it is 
only right that we honor the congressional mandate set forth by the 
establishing legislation.
  Honoring this legislation will require concerted action to overcome 
the funding challenges that threaten all national parks. In fact, 
recent National Park Service financial projections show the Network to 
Freedom budget reducing by 72 percent by the year 2011. This vital 
asset will diminish without adequate funding for staff and operations 
to coordinate efforts, as well as additional oversight of grants for 
site development. The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom 
Reauthorization Act calls for a modest $2 million in funding to resolve 
the financial burdens that threaten the existence of the Network to 
Freedom. Importantly, this legislation also maintains the $500,000 in 
grants that have been previously authorized for Network to Freedom site 
and program development. This funding will allow Network to Freedom 
staff to pursue and fulfill their Congressional mandate ``to honor and 
interpret the history of the Underground Railroad.''
  Madam Speaker, I am confident that this bill will protect the 
interpretive interests of our National Park System by providing the 
necessary support staff and oversight for the Network to Freedom to 
exist in perpetuity. As my distinguished former colleague Senator Carol 
Mosley-Braun so eloquently observed in her introduction of the 
companion establishing legislation in the Senate, ``This bill helps to 
preserve the structures and artifacts of an organized resistance 
movement for freedom.'' I urge my colleagues to join me in preserving 
the history of the Underground Railroad so that generations to come 
will understand the sacrifices endured to achieve the freedom 
experienced today.

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