[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 127 (Monday, September 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7272-H7273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO PUBLIC LAW 110-229

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4751) to make technical corrections to Public Law 
110-229 to reflect the renaming of the Bainbridge Island Japanese 
American Exclusion Memorial, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4751

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

     SECTION 1. BAINBRIDGE ISLAND JAPANESE AMERICAN EXCLUSION 
                   MEMORIAL.

       Section 313 of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 
     2008 (Public Law 110-229) is amended as follows:
       (1) In the heading of subsection (b), by striking 
     ``Japanese American Memorial'' and inserting ``Japanese 
     American Exclusion Memorial''.
       (2) In the heading of subsection (c)(5)(C), by striking 
     ``Japanese american memorial'' and inserting ``Japanese 
     american exclusion memorial''.
       (3) In subsection (c)(5)(C), by striking ``Japanese 
     American Memorial'' and inserting ``Japanese American 
     Exclusion Memorial''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 4751 makes technical corrections to reflect a change in the name 
of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Memorial. The site will now 
be known as Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial to 
reflect a new name adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the 
Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District in Kitsap 
County, Washington.
  This legislation has no cost and is only a change in the name, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. LOWENTHAL asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4751 changes the name of Bainbridge 
Island Japanese American Memorial in Washington State to the Bainbridge 
Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.
  The addition of the word ``exclusion'' is significant, as it 
acknowledges the true purpose of the memorial: to recognize and honor 
the 276 Japanese Americans living on the island who were relocated and 
interned after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
  When Congress adjusted the boundary of the Minidoka National Historic 
Site to include the site, the name Congress used was the Bainbridge 
Island Japanese American Memorial. At the request of the Bainbridge 
Island community and owners of the memorial, H.R. 4751 amends the name 
to reflect the memorial's official name.
  I would like to thank Representative Kilmer for sponsoring this bill 
and working to get it through the committee process. This name change 
is important for the Bainbridge Island community and the integrity of 
the memorial.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Kilmer), the sponsor of the 
legislation.
  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  My legislation would make technical corrections to a 2008 law to 
reflect the renaming of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American 
Exclusion Memorial.
  I would also like to thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member 
Grijalva, as well as Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member DeFazio, for 
their efforts to move this legislation through their committee and 
ensure that Congress is properly recognizing this memorial.
  The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 included the site now 
known as the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial as 
a unit of a national historic site. The memorial was established to 
recognize the historical injustice that was committed against the 
Japanese American community on Bainbridge Island.
  In the wake of this surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, facing fears 
about potential threats among people of Japanese heritage, President 
Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, forcing more than 120,000 people 
with Japanese ancestry to leave their homes, leave their jobs, their 
neighbors, their friends, and their communities. They were forced to 
travel great distances in order to be held indefinitely in one of ten 
relocation centers.
  This order, now rightly denounced, first went into effect on March 
30, 1942, when more than 200 residents of Bainbridge Island, 
Washington, were forced to leave their homes, gather at Eagledale Ferry 
Dock, and then were transported to a so-called relocation center. These 
individuals, many of them American citizens, committed no crimes, yet 
were deprived of their rights simply because of who they were.
  Just recently, I had the honor of visiting this memorial and meeting 
with local Japanese American survivors who were forced to stay at these 
relocation camps for years before finally moving back to their homes. 
They told me their stories. Some were just little kids when it all 
happened, no older than my daughters are today. Some were older, 
teenagers and young adults.
  The memorial tells their stories. The day I met with them I heard 
their stories, many of them were heartbreaking: the pain that they and 
their families experienced coming home to the family farm to find that 
you had to start over from scratch; in some instances, the painful 
reality, the constant reminder of having received a high school diploma 
from an internment camp; the challenges of coming back to a community.

[[Page H7273]]

  Some of the Japanese American survivors told stories of hope, of 
coming home and having had a neighbor take care of the farm or of 
having many in the Bainbridge Island community welcome them back with 
open arms.
  While the particular stories are different, there are some basic 
realities. This is a dark chapter in our Nation's history. We have an 
obligation to ensure that future generations remember what took place 
so that these mistakes are not repeated.
  Today the National Park Service manages three national historic sites 
related to the Japanese American incarceration. The Bainbridge Island 
Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, which was included in 2008, is 
the only site administered by the Park Service that commemorates the 
forcible removal of Japanese Americans.
  In April of this year, the Bainbridge Island City Council and the 
Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreational District, which 
jointly own the memorial, officially renamed it the Bainbridge Island 
Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.

  In order to eliminate any confusion and ensure that the official name 
of the site is formally recognized, H.R. 4751 would update the law to 
reflect the renaming of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American 
Exclusion Memorial. Not only will this name properly respect the 
unjustified and discriminatory treatment faced by this community, it 
will also bring greater attention to the beautiful site commemorating 
this difficult history.
  I want to thank the many local leaders and community organizations 
who have worked in this for so many years. I am hopeful that we can 
move this effort forward for them, for our ancestors, and for future 
generations.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment Mr. Kilmer in 
his legislation. I am one of the few people on this floor who lived 
through that period of time. The reason I remembered it, I was 10 years 
old. My father happened to be from California--and I myself was born 
and raised in California--went to the local farm bureau and caused a 
great disturbance because they started putting Japanese into internment 
camps, and he actually stood up in that meeting and said, I don't see 
any Germans serving in internment camps.
  It was an unjust thing. Not only were they interned, their property 
was seized. We have never had a black eye in our history of the United 
States such as we had during that period of time.
  I just hope people in America realize it can happen again. We have to 
be very aware of what we actually have from people when they are under 
stress or when they are under, they think, attack by fellow Americans.
  So, I compliment you on this legislation. I did have an individual--
actually, three individuals--from Alaska that I know of that served on 
that island during that period of time. So again, I compliment you, Mr. 
Kilmer, for your work on this legislation, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. I just also want to thank Representative Kilmer for 
bringing forth this very important bill. Hopefully, this will be 
another step towards closure in this very--as Representative Young 
mentioned, this tremendous injustice that occurred in this Nation.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4751.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________