[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 92 (Tuesday, June 5, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4753-H4754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CAMP NELSON HERITAGE NATIONAL MONUMENT ACT

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 5655) to establish the Camp Nelson Heritage National 
Monument in the State of Kentucky as a unit of the National Park 
System, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5655

       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 ``Camp Nelson Heritage 
     National Monument Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled ``Camp 
     Nelson Heritage National Monument Nicholasville, Kentucky'', 
     numbered 532/144,148, and dated April 2018.
       (2) Monument.--The term ``Monument'' means the Camp Nelson 
     Heritage National Monument established by section 3(a).
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
     Park Service.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF CAMP NELSON HERITAGE NATIONAL 
                   MONUMENT.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), there is 
     established, as a unit of the National Park System, the Camp 
     Nelson Heritage National Monument in the State of Kentucky, 
     to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of 
     present and future generations, the nationally significant 
     historic resources of Camp Nelson and its role in the 
     American Civil War, Reconstruction, and African American 
     history and civil rights.
       (2) Conditions.--The Monument shall not be established 
     until after the Secretary--
       (A) has entered into a written agreement with the owner of 
     any private or non-Federal land within the Camp Nelson 
     Heritage National Monument boundary as depicted on the Map 
     providing that such property shall be donated to the United 
     States for inclusion in the Monument to be managed 
     consistently with the purposes of the Monument; and
       (B) has determined that sufficient land or interests in 
     land have been acquired within the boundary of the Monument 
     to constitute a manageable unit.
       (b) Boundaries.--The boundaries of the Monument shall be 
     the boundaries generally depicted on the Map.
       (c) Availability of Map.--The Map shall be on file and 
     available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of 
     the National Park Service.
       (d) Acquisition Authority.--The Secretary may only acquire 
     any land or interest in land located within the boundary of 
     the Monument by--
       (1) donation;
       (2) purchase with donated funds; or
       (3) exchange.
       (e) Administration.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer the 
     Monument in accordance with--
       (A) this Act; and
       (B) the laws generally applicable to units of the National 
     Park System, including--
       (i) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and sections 
     100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 102101 of title 54, United 
     States Code; and
       (ii) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States Code.
       (2) Management plan.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date on 
     which funds are first made available to the Secretary for 
     this purpose, the Secretary shall prepare a general 
     management plan for the Monument in accordance with section 
     100502 of title 54, United States Code.
       (B) Submit to congress.--On completion of the general 
     management plan, the Secretary shall submit it to the 
     Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources of the Senate.
       (f) Private Property Protection.--No private property or 
     non-Federal public property shall be managed as part of the 
     Monument without the written consent of the owner of such 
     property.
       (g) No Buffer Zones.--Nothing in this Act, the 
     establishment of the Monument, or the management of the 
     Monument shall be construed to create buffer zones outside of 
     the Monument. The fact that an activity or use can be seen, 
     heard, or detected from within the Monument shall not 
     preclude the conduct of that activity or use outside of the 
     Monument.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands 
(Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. 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 Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), whose bill this is. It is an 
excellent piece of legislation.
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5655, the Camp 
Nelson Heritage National Monument Act, which would establish the Camp 
Nelson Heritage National Monument in Jessamine County, Kentucky, as a 
unit of the National Park Service system.
  I would like to especially thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Bishop), chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, for his support 
of this legislation and for guiding us through this process and 
bringing it to the House floor.
  Throughout my time in Congress, Mr. Speaker, I fought to bring 
national attention and recognition to Camp Nelson, a site that has the 
ability to unite our Nation and inspire a greater understanding and 
appreciation for Civil War history, African American history, and a 
compelling story of the struggle for freedom.

[[Page H4754]]

  Camp Nelson was founded in 1863 as a Union Army supply depot, 
training center, and hospital for the Federal Armies in Kentucky and 
Tennessee. The camp, located in southern Jessamine County, Kentucky, 
covered 4,000 acres, with over 300 buildings and fortifications. It 
housed 2,000 to 8,000 troops, over 1,000 civilian employees, and, after 
1864, over 3,000 African American refugees. The existing site contains 
several important Civil War resources that demonstrate the cultural and 
historical themes prominent at the time.
  The most significant aspect of Camp Nelson's history was its role as 
the third largest recruitment and training center for U.S. Colored 
Troops and home to many of their families. Because of its proximity to 
the Confederate States, African American men fled to Camp Nelson to 
enlist and escape slavery. Because the Emancipation Proclamation did 
not apply to Kentucky, a slaveholding border State not part of the 
Confederacy, Camp Nelson represented for a time the only avenue for 
Kentucky slaves to achieve emancipation.

                              {time}  1715

  By the time the 13th Amendment was ratified and ended slavery in 
1865, 70 percent of Kentucky slaves had already been emancipated, 
largely in part because of the efforts made at Camp Nelson. Today, the 
site at Camp Nelson retains rich archeological evidence, including 
several earthen fortifications and other original landscape features 
dating back to the Civil War encampment.
  Camp Nelson is recognized as a National Historic Landmark, a key 
requirement in the process of being included as a unit of the National 
Park System. It is also part of the Civil War Discovery Trail and the 
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
  Additionally, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended 
that this site become a national monument. I want to thank Secretary 
Zinke for his personal attention to this effort and for his support and 
recommending to the President designating Camp Nelson as part of the 
National Park Service.
  Camp Nelson has proven its ability to unite the people not just of 
Jessamine County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but of the Nation as 
a whole. Even further, it has the potential to convey nationally 
significant information about the survival and persistence of African 
American soldiers and their families as they fought for their freedom.
  Over the past few years, I have met with stakeholders and descendants 
of those who lived and worked at Camp Nelson. It is apparent that this 
site, based on their testimonies, is important not only to the history 
of the Commonwealth, but to the history of our Nation.
  I would like to thank these local stakeholders who shared their 
stories and educated me and my staff about the significant 
contributions of this historical site. Their advocacy and support 
effectively demonstrated the positive local sentiment about Camp 
Nelson.
  Specifically, I would like to thank Reverend Robert Gates, Sr., the 
pastor of the historic First Baptist Church of Camp Nelson. His great-
great-grandfather on his mother's side was the Sergeant Reverend Jesse 
Tull, Sr., who was a member of Company C, 119th U.S. Colored Infantry 
and made great contributions at Camp Nelson. Also, Reverend Moses Lee 
Radford, pastor of the Nicholasville First Baptist Church; the County 
Judge Executive David West; former County Judge Executive Cassidy, who 
was a major contributor to acquiring the land for the county and 
preserving the history there; Dr. Stephen McBride, director of 
interpretation and archeology at Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park; 
and Mrs. Mary Kozak, special projects director for Jessamine County, 
Kentucky, who has worked tirelessly for about 20 years preserving the 
history of Camp Nelson.
  I also want to thank several others who contributed greatly to our 
efforts and assisted in gaining support for this effort, including 
Governor Matt Bevin; the Jessamine County Fiscal Court; the Lexington-
Fayette NAACP chapter; the Jessamine Chamber of Commerce; the Kentucky 
Historical Society; and my colleague Congresswoman Marcia Fudge from 
Ohio, among others.
  It is one of my goals in Congress to make Camp Nelson a place where 
the entire Nation can experience the rich history it has to offer and 
appreciate the amazing story it tells about the long march toward 
freedom for African Americans in Kentucky and beyond.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5655 designates the Camp Nelson Heritage National 
Monument in Kentucky to preserve the historic resources of Camp Nelson 
and its role in the American Civil War.
  Camp Nelson was founded and constructed by Major General Ambrose 
Burnside. The camp served as a supply depot for the Union Army during 
the Civil War and supported frontline efforts against the Confederacy. 
Camp Nelson was different from other military outposts because it was 
one of the largest recruitment and training centers for African 
American soldiers during the Civil War. In fact, thousands of slaves 
who fled to the camp with their families later enlisted to protect the 
freedoms we enjoy today.
  Mr. Speaker, I support passage of this legislation. Having no further 
speakers, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, this, to me, is an important piece of legislation, not 
just for the history of it, as an old history teacher, but this Camp 
Nelson is currently a county park known as the Camp Nelson Civil War 
Heritage Park. In 2008, it was added to the National Park Service's 
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. In 2013, it was 
designated as a National Historic Landmark.
  More important than that, this is one of those areas which deserves 
to be a national monument, and what we are doing is the way national 
monuments should be created in this country. It has been an open 
process. We have had hearings. We have had open debate. There has been 
input from the local community. This is how Congress should be creating 
national monuments, not only now but in the future as well. So I am 
very grateful for that.
  It is a bill that has been properly drafted and properly vetted, and 
we are going through the process in the way the Constitution required 
for Congress to make these kinds of designations. For that reason, I am 
extremely proud of this particular piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for all the effort 
and the work he has put into doing this the right way. I urge my 
colleagues to support this particular measure.
  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 Utah (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5655.
  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. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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