[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 118 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H8203-H8204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD NETWORK TO FREEDOM AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2007
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1239) to amend the National Underground Railroad Network to
Freedom Act of 1998 to provide additional staff and oversight of funds
to carry out the Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1239
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 ``National Underground
Railroad Network to Freedom Amendments Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATIONS FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES.
The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of
1998 (16 U.S.C. 469l et seq.) is amended--
(1) by striking section 3(d);
(2) by striking section 4(d); and
(3) by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) Amounts.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this Act $2,500,000 for each fiscal year, to be
allocated as follows:
``(1) $2,000,000 is to be used for the purposes of section
3.
``(2) $500,000 is to be used for the purposes of section 4.
``(b) Restrictions.--No amounts may be appropriated for the
purposes of this Act except to the Secretary for carrying out
the responsibilities of the Secretary as set forth in this
Act.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by section 2 shall take effect at the
beginning of the fiscal year immediately following the date
of the enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs.
McMorris Rodgers) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
General Leave
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 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 Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 1239, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings),
seeks to further the commitment made by Congress with the passage of
the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 by
reconfiguring the authorization of funds to carry out the act.
Mr. Speaker, the Underground Railroad was a historic protest movement
against slavery which helped escaped slaves find freedom in Northern
States and Canada prior to the Civil War.
The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998
established the Underground Network to Freedom Program administered by
the National Park Service. Today the program carries out important
activities in more than 27 States and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my friend and colleague from
Florida (Mr. Hastings) for his work on this legislation. He has been a
real leader in this bipartisan effort to enhance the Underground
Railroad Network to Freedom Program. We support passage of H.R. 1239,
as amended, and urge its adoption by the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. McMorris Rodgers. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1239,
and yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to commend the sponsor, the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Hastings), as well as the chairman of the subcommittee Mr. Grijalva,
for explaining this bill. We appreciate the work that has been done to
improve the bill, and look forward to see the program succeed. I urge
Members' support.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), the author and sponsor of this
legislation.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of H.R. 1239, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
Reauthorization Act. I introduced this legislation with my good friend,
the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
The widespread bipartisan support this legislation has received with
67 cosponsors and endorsement by the National Parks Conservation
Association has demonstrated that black history is synonymous with
American history as life experience shared by all citizens of America.
I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Mr. Don Young of the
Natural Resources Committee for bringing this important legislation to
the floor, and I would especially like to thank the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the subcommittee chairman, and his counterpart,
Representative Rob Bishop, for their support. And my congratulations to
Mrs. McMorris Rodgers on her recent addition to her family and her
finding time to come and support this legislation as well.
With passage of this legislation, I hope that the National Park
Service will give the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
its due priority with adequate staffing to maintain the growing
network. Toward that end, I would also like to thank the staff of the
respective committees who helped to expedite this matter.
Mr. Speaker, when I joined my esteemed former colleague, as did many
other Members, and the person to whom I am referring is Representative
Lou Stokes, in 1998, he led the effort to establish the National
Underground Railroad to Freedom. I don't think any of us could have
foreseen the emergence of the National Park Service as one of the
largest stewards of black history in the United States. Nor could we
have predicted the rapidly expanding support and interest for one of
the most intriguing multicultural collaborations in the history of our
Nation.
The Network to Freedom is a key feature that diversifies engagement
in interpretive opportunities of our National Park System. It has grown
to 300 programs, sites, and partners in 28 States and the District of
Columbia. This network is a national treasure of historic buildings,
routes, programs, projects, and museums with thematic connections to
the Underground Railroad.
The legislation before us today appropriately adjusts the
authorization levels for the Network to Freedom to reflect the growth
of interest nationally, and the resulting expansion of opportunities.
These adjustments will help to resolve the financial challenges facing
the Network to Freedom that include the lack of consistent development
grants and administrative support for affiliates.
Mr. Speaker, this bill protects the interpretive interests of our
National Park System by providing the necessary support staff and
oversight for
[[Page H8204]]
the Network to Freedom to exist in perpetuity. It is time to take a
stand for the future of our national parks and American history.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill and preserve a vital asset
to the history of our Nation, the Underground Railroad.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of H.R. 1239, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
Reauthorization Act. I introduced this legislation in February with my
good friend Representative Castle of Delaware as one contribution to
the celebration of Black History Month.
The widespread bi-partisan support this legislation has received with
67 cosponsors and endorsement by the National Parks Conservation
Association has demonstrated that Black history is synonymous with
American history as a life experience shared by all citizens of
America.
I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young of the
Natural Resources Committee for bringing this important legislation to
the floor. I would also like to thank Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva
and Representative Rob Bishop for their support and minor adjustments
to this legislation to meet the needs of the National Park Service
administration. With passage of this legislation, I hope that the
National Park Service will give the National Underground Railroad
Network to Freedom its due priority with adequate staffing to maintain
the growing network.
Mr. Speaker, when I joined my esteemed former colleague
Representative Louis Stokes in 1998 to establish the National
Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, I do not think we could have
foreseen the emergence of the National Park Service as one of the
largest stewards of black history in the United Sates. Nor could we
have predicted the rapidly expanding support and interest for one of
the most intriguing multicultural collaborations in the history of our
Nation.
In this polarized historical moment of American politics, remembering
the Underground Railroad as a unifying narrative in our history could
not be timelier. The sacrifice at the risk of death made by conductors
and travelers of the Underground Railroad was an unprecedented
contribution to the abolition of slavery. The contributors to this
network included the members of the Society of Religious Friends,
commonly referred to as the Quakers, as well as other concerned
individuals. Thus, the Underground Railroad was one of the first
synergistic partnerships that fostered the development of the thriving
multicultural society that is the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, the Network to Freedom is a key feature that diversifies
engagement in interpretive opportunities of our national park system.
It has grown to 300 programs, sites, and partners in 28 states and the
District of Columbia. This network is a national treasure of historic
buildings, routes, programs, projects, and museums with thematic
connections to the Underground Railroad.
The legislation before us today appropriately adjusts authorization
levels for the Network to Freedom to reflect the growth of interest
nationally and the resulting expansion of opportunities. As a part of a
concerted movement to overcome the funding challenges that threaten all
national parks, this legislation moderately expands the operating funds
of Network to Freedom to an authorization for appropriations up to $2
million and establishes appropriate oversight for grant funds. These
adjustments will help to resolve the financial challenges facing the
Network to Freedom that include the lack of consistent development
grants and administrative support for affiliates.
Mr. Speaker, 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. It is time
to take a stand for the future of our National Parks and American
history.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill and join me in preserving a
vital asset to the history of our Nation: the Underground Railroad.
Mr. GRIJALVA. 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 Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1239, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to amend the National
Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 to authorize
additional funding to carry out the Act, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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