[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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