[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8140-H8142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ACT
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5532) to redesignate the Reconstruction Era National
Monument as the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5532
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 ``Reconstruction Era National
Historical Park Act''.
SEC. 2. RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Historical park.--The term ``historical park'' means
the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
(2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the maps entitled
``Reconstruction Era National Monument Old Beaufort
Firehouse,'' numbered 550/135,755 and dated January 2017;
``Reconstruction Era National Monument Darrah Hall and Brick
Baptist Church,'' numbered 550/135,756 and dated January
2017; and ``Reconstruction Era National Monument Camp
Saxton,'' numbered 550/135,757 and dated January 2017,
collectively.
(3) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the Reconstruction
Era National Historic Network established pursuant to this
Act.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(b) Establishment.--
(1) Redesignation of reconstruction era national
monument.--
(A) In general.--The Reconstruction Era National Monument
is redesignated as the Reconstruction Era National Historical
Park, as generally depicted on the map.
(B) Availability of funds.--Any funds available for the
purposes of the Reconstruction Era National Monument shall be
available for the purposes of the historical park.
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(C) References.--Any references in a law, regulation,
document, record, map, or other paper of the United States to
the Reconstruction Era National Monument shall be considered
to be a reference to the historical park.
(2) Boundary expansion.--
(A) Beaufort national historic landmark district.--Subject
to subparagraph (D), the Secretary is authorized to acquire
land or interests in land within the Beaufort National
Historic Landmark District that has historic connection to
the Reconstruction Era. Upon finalizing an agreement to
acquire land, the Secretary shall expand the boundary of the
historical park to encompass the property.
(B) St. helena island.--Subject to subparagraph (D), the
Secretary is authorized to acquire the following and shall
expand the boundary of the historical park to include
acquisitions under this authority:
(i) Land and interests in land adjacent to the existing
boundary on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, as reflected
on the map.
(ii) Land or interests in land on St. Helena Island, South
Carolina, that has a historic connection to the
Reconstruction Era.
(C) Camp saxton.--Subject to subparagraph (D), the
Secretary is authorized to accept administrative jurisdiction
of Federal land or interests in Federal land adjacent to the
existing boundary at Camp Saxton, as reflected on the map.
Upon finalizing an agreement to accept administrative
jurisdiction of Federal land or interests in Federal land,
the Secretary shall expand the boundary of the historical
park to encompass that Federal land or interests in Federal
land.
(D) Land acquisition authority.--The Secretary may only
acquire land under this Act by donation, exchange or purchase
with donated funds.
(c) Administration.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer the
historical park in accordance with this Act and with the laws
generally applicable to units of the National Park System.
(2) Management plan.--If the management plan for the
Reconstruction Era National Monument--
(A) has not been completed on or before the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall incorporate all
provisions of this Act into the planning process and complete
a management plan for the historical park within 3 years; and
(B) has been completed on or before the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall update the plan
incorporating the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 3. RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORIC NETWORK.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
(1) establish, within the National Park Service, a program
to be known as the ``Reconstruction Era National Historic
Network'';
(2) not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, solicit proposals from sites interested in being
a part of the Network; and
(3) administer the Network through the Reconstruction Era
National Historical Park.
(b) Duties of Secretary.--In carrying out the Network, the
Secretary shall--
(1) review studies and reports to complement and not
duplicate studies of the historical importance of
Reconstruction Era that may be underway or completed, such as
the National Park Service Reconstruction Handbook and the
National Park Service Theme Study on Reconstruction;
(2) produce and disseminate appropriate educational and
promotional materials relating to the Reconstruction Era and
the sites in the network, such as handbooks, maps,
interpretive guides, or electronic information;
(3) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and
memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance;
(4)(A) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or
device for the Network; and
(B) issue regulations for the use of the symbol or device
adopted under subparagraph (A); and
(5) conduct research relating to Reconstruction and the
Reconstruction Era.
(c) Elements.--The Network shall encompass the following
elements--
(1) all units and programs of the National Park Service
that are determined by the Secretary to relate to the
Reconstruction Era;
(2) other Federal, State, local, and privately owned
properties that the Secretary determines--
(A) relate to the Reconstruction Era; and
(B) are included in, or determined by the Secretary to be
eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic
Places; and
(3) other governmental and nongovernmental sites,
facilities, and programs of an educational, research, or
interpretive nature that are directly related to the
Reconstruction Era.
(d) Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of
Understanding.--To achieve the purposes of this Act and to
ensure effective coordination of the Federal and non-Federal
elements of the Network and units and programs of the
National Park Service, the Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding with,
and provide technical assistance to, the heads of other
Federal agencies, States, units of local government, regional
governmental bodies, and private entities.
(e) Network Defined.--The term ``Network'' means the
Reconstruction Era National Historic Network established
pursuant to this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Montana (Mr. Gianforte) and the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms.
Tsongas) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.
General Leave
Mr. GIANFORTE. 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 Montana?
There was no objection.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War was a time of
significant transformation for the United States. Reconstruction
addressed how the 11 States that had left the Union would be
reestablished in Congress, as well as how the civil rights and
integration into a free society of 4 million formerly enslaved
individuals could be secured.
The Reconstruction Era National Monument was established by
Presidential declaration in January 2017 as a unit of the National Park
Service. It is located in Beaufort County, South Carolina, an area that
has been called the birthplace of Reconstruction.
In and around this area, some of the first African Americans enlisted
as soldiers and founded the first African American schools and
hospitals during Reconstruction.
This was also the home of Robert Smalls, a former slave who became a
political leader, serving on two State constitutional conventions: in
the State legislature and, ultimately, the U.S. Congress.
H.R. 5532 redesignates Reconstruction Era National Monument as the
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to expand the park boundary. The bill also
establishes the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, which
will connect similar sites across the country to promote education and
preservation efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), my esteemed colleague.
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tsongas for managing
this bill, and I thank Mr. Gianforte for appearing here on the floor
today.
I also thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for their
support of this legislation in the Natural Resources Committee.
I also thank Congressman Mark Sanford, who is a cosponsor of this
bill, but remains in Charleston this evening for obvious reasons. I
pray God's blessing upon him, his constituents, mine, and all others
who find themselves in the path of this horrific hurricane.
Mr. Speaker, throughout my tenure in this august body, I have worked
to preserve and protect our Nation's most treasured historical sites
and institutions.
Reconstruction, a period which lasted a little more than 13 years, is
a crucial period in American history. Although it ended March 17, 1877,
we tend to apply the label ``Reconstruction era'' to the latter four
decades of the 19th century. It was during those years that African
Americans across the South began their freedom from slavery, gained
citizenship, and enjoyed equal protection of the laws and the right to
vote under the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.
Some of the oldest and best preserved sites from the Reconstruction
era are located in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Brick Baptist
Church and Penn Center on St. Helena Island were the site of the
original Penn School, founded in 1862 by Quaker missionaries to educate
newly freed slaves, the first such school established in the South.
Camp Saxton in Port Royal was a Union Army camp where, on January 1,
1863, Union General Rufus Saxton read President Lincoln's Emancipation
Proclamation to thousands of slaves who had gathered to celebrate their
new freedom. The camp was also the site where the First South Carolina
Volunteers were assembled, the first official Black regiment of the
United States Army.
With overwhelming support from their communities and local elected
leadership, these sites and a visitors center in downtown Beaufort were
designated Reconstruction Era National Monument by President Obama in
January of 2017.
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The bill under consideration today will do three things:
First, redesignate the national monument as the Reconstruction Era
National Historical Park;
Second, provide for possible boundary expansions within the Beaufort
National Historic Landmark District and on St. Helena Island; and
Third, establish the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.
As a national park is the highest level of protection and prestige
our government can bestow, I believe passing this legislation will send
a powerful message regarding the significance of these Reconstruction
sites.
Having served previously as the sponsor of the legislation
redesignating the Congaree Swamp National Monument as the Congaree
National Park, I can attest that the rebranding of the park resulted in
an increase in annual visitors of almost 20 percent, a significant
economic impact to rural South Carolina.
Congress has, in recent years, redesignated both the Martin Luther
King, Jr. National Historic Site and the Harriet Tubman Underground
Railroad National Monument as national historical parks, two sites with
similar historical significance but focus on much different aspects of
American history.
Of course, the sites currently included in the national monument are
not the only significant Reconstruction sites worthy of preservation.
This legislation would allow for expansion of the boundary near the
existing monument. Several very significant Reconstruction sites in the
area were considered for inclusion. This bill would allow for expansion
with appropriate agreement between all owners and stakeholders.
However, it is not feasible to incorporate all historic sites from
Reconstruction into one national park. The Reconstruction Era National
Historic Network would be a program operated by the National Park
Service, but sites in the network will be managed by their current
owners, whether Federal, State, local, or private.
{time} 1700
This concept has been utilized in the National Underground Railroad
Network to Freedom and the recently enacted African American Civil
Rights Network.
When the national monument was under construction, I heard from many
communities with sites they thought were worthy of inclusion. With the
network in place, communities can make their case for Federal
recognition and assistance for their significant Reconstruction era
sites without the National Park Service having to take on the
obligation of owning or managing the sites.
Sites like Mitchelville on Hilton Head Island, which was a self-
governing African-American community established during the Civil War,
are deserving of Federal recognition. Mitchelville is perfect for the
network concept, where the local municipal leadership is moving forward
to manage the site on their own, but would welcome the increased
recognition and visibility that inclusion in the network would provide.
I often invoke the adage that if we fail to learn the lessons of our
history, we are bound to repeat it. Sadly, many of the gains made by
African Americans during the Reconstruction era were lost in the Jim
Crow era that followed. Reconstruction is a story of the triumph of
freedom, but it is also a lesson that freedoms are not permanent and
can be fleeting, if not protected.
Passage of this legislation, helping our Nation preserve, protect,
document, and promote the history of Reconstruction, is critical to
avoiding past mistakes and guiding our pursuit of a more perfect Union.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, as we know, H.R. 5532 establishes the
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in and around Beaufort,
South Carolina, to honor, protect, and preserve the historic structures
and other resources from that chapter in American history. We know how
effective that kind of protection can be.
Recognizing the importance of highlighting the resources in Beaufort,
President Obama used the Antiquities Act to designate the site as a
national monument.
This bill is an important follow-up to that original designation. It
will ensure permanent protection and provide steady guidelines for
future management.
I want to thank Mr. Clyburn for his hard work throughout the initial
designation process and the development of this bill. Without his
leadership, this project would not have come this far, and he deserves
our recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GIANFORTE. 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 Montana (Mr. Gianforte) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 5532, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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