[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6220-S6222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Whitehouse, and 
        Mr. Booker):
  S. 5122. A bill to establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald 
Schools National Historical Park, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 5122

       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 ``Julius Rosenwald and 
     Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act''.

     SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to establish a unit of the National Park System--
       (A) to commemorate the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald, 
     who--
       (i) was the son of German-Jewish immigrants;
       (ii) helped make Sears, Roebuck and Co. the leading 
     retailer in the United States for many years;
       (iii) used his enormous fortune to become a visionary 
     philanthropist; and
       (iv) partnered with Booker T. Washington and approximately 
     5,000 African-American communities in the segregated South to 
     build schools for children who had few or no educational 
     opportunities;
       (B) to recognize the impact of the Rosenwald Schools, 
     which--
       (i) were constructed between 1912 and 1932 in 15 States; 
     and
       (ii) educated more than 600,000 African-American children, 
     including a number of

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     graduates who became leaders in the civil rights movement, 
     such as--

       (I) Representative John Lewis;
       (II) Maya Angelou;
       (III) Medgar Evers;
       (IV) Nina Simone; and
       (V) Carlotta Walls LaNier;

       (C) to honor other important parts of the legacy of Julius 
     Rosenwald, including--
       (i) the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which--

       (I) between 1928 and 1948, awarded fellowships to nearly 
     900 talented men and women--

       (aa) \2/3\ of whom were African Americans; and
       (bb) including--
       (AA) Marian Anderson;
       (BB) Langston Hughes;
       (CC) Ralph Bunche;
       (DD) James Baldwin;
       (EE) Dr. Charles Drew;
       (FF) Ralph Ellison; and
       (GG) Woody Guthrie; and

       (II) supported early legal cases of the National 
     Association for the Advancement of Colored People that led to 
     the Supreme Court opinion in Brown v. Board of Education of 
     Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954);

       (ii) founding the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 
     Chicago;
       (iii) service as a member of the board of Jane Addams' Hull 
     House for 20 years;
       (iv) being a founding donor of the Chicago Museum of 
     Science and Industry; and
       (v) otherwise embodying social justice;
       (2) to preserve a small number of representative sites of 
     the Rosenwald Schools, including the San Domingo School in 
     Sharptown, Maryland, and to establish a headquarters and 
     visitor center for the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools 
     National Historical Park within or near the former Sears 
     Merchandising Complex in North Lawndale in the city of 
     Chicago, Illinois, to enlighten visitors on--
       (A) the overall life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald; and
       (B) the ways in which the Rosenwald Schools--
       (i) affected African-American education in the South; and
       (ii) helped to make the United States a more democratic 
     society; and
       (3) to establish a network in the National Park Service to 
     connect the remaining Rosenwald Schools to disseminate more 
     fully the story of the Rosenwald Schools throughout the 
     United States.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map prepared under 
     section 4(b)(2)(A).
       (2) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the Rosenwald 
     Schools National Network established under section 5(a)(1).
       (3) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Julius Rosenwald and 
     Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park established by 
     section 4(a)(1).
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 4. JULIUS ROSENWALD AND ROSENWALD SCHOOLS NATIONAL 
                   HISTORICAL PARK.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), there is 
     established as a unit of the National Park System the Julius 
     Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park.
       (2) Determination by the secretary.--
       (A) Date of establishment.--The Park shall not be 
     established until the date on which the Secretary determines 
     that a sufficient quantity of land or interests in land 
     within the boundary of the Park has been acquired to 
     constitute a manageable unit.
       (B) Federal register notice.--The Secretary shall publish 
     in the Federal Register notice of a determination under 
     subparagraph (A).
       (b) Boundary.--
       (1) In general.--The Park shall consist of the following:
       (A) The 40-acre site selected for the Sears merchandising 
     complex constructed in 1905-1906, which includes the original 
     Sears Administration Building, the catalog building, the 
     power plant, and the Nichols Tower, which now comprise the 
     Sears Roebuck and Company Complex National Historic Landmark, 
     and the Sears Sunken Garden directly across the street from 
     the Sears Administration Building.
       (B) The San Domingo Rosenwald School in Sharptown, 
     Maryland, as generally depicted on the Map.
       (C) Any Rosenwald School or other area designated by 
     Congress to be included in the Park after the date of 
     enactment of this Act.
       (2) Map.--
       (A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map of 
     the boundary of the Park.
       (B) Availability.--The Map shall be on file and available 
     for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the 
     National Park Service.
       (c) Administration.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer land within 
     the boundary of the Park in accordance with--
       (A) this section; and
       (B) the laws generally applicable to units of the National 
     Park System, including--
       (i) sections 100101(a), 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 
     102101 of title 54, United States Code; and
       (ii) chapters 1003 and 3201 of title 54, United States 
     Code.
       (2) Cooperative agreements.--
       (A) In general.--To further the purposes of this section 
     and notwithstanding chapter 63 of title 31, United States 
     Code, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements 
     with the State of Illinois, the city of Chicago, the State of 
     Maryland, other appropriate State and local government 
     officials, and public and nonpublic entities, subject to 
     subparagraph (B)--
       (i) to support collaborative interpretive and educational 
     programs at non-Federal historic properties within the 
     boundary of the Park; and
       (ii) to identify, interpret, and provide assistance for the 
     preservation of non-Federal land within the boundary of the 
     Park and at sites related to the Park but located outside the 
     boundaries of the Park, including providing for--

       (I) the placement of directional and interpretive signage;
       (II) exhibits; and
       (III) technology-based and other interpretive devices.

       (B) Public access.--A cooperative agreement entered into 
     under this paragraph shall provide for reasonable public 
     access to any property subject to the cooperative agreement.
       (3) Use of funds.--
       (A) In general.--The Secretary may use appropriated funds 
     to carry out a project to mark, interpret, improve, restore, 
     or provide technical assistance with respect to the 
     preservation and interpretation of any property that is 
     subject to a cooperative agreement under paragraph (2).
       (B) Inconsistent purposes.--Any payment made by the 
     Secretary under this section shall be subject to an agreement 
     that the conversion, use, or disposal of a project carried 
     out under subparagraph (A) for purposes that are inconsistent 
     with the purposes of this section, as determined by the 
     Secretary, shall result in a right of the United States to 
     reimbursement in an amount that is the greater of--
       (i) the amount provided by the Secretary to the project; 
     and
       (ii) an amount equal to the increase in the value of the 
     project that is attributable to the funds, as determined by 
     the Secretary as of the date of the conversion, use, or 
     disposal.
       (4) Acquisition of land.--
       (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary 
     may, within the National Historic Landmark District in 
     Chicago, Illinois--
       (i) acquire a facade or other easement interest on the 
     Nichols Tower; and
       (ii) enter into a lease or other agreement for purposes of 
     providing for administration of the Park and appropriate 
     visitor services.
       (B) Outside of park boundary.--If the Secretary is unable 
     to identify appropriate space for administration and visitor 
     services in accordance with subparagraph (A)(ii), the 
     Secretary may acquire the appropriate land or interests in 
     land, or enter into other appropriate agreements, in the 
     vicinity of, but outside the boundary of the Park, for 
     administration and visitor services.
       (C) Limitation.--The San Domingo School in Sharptown, 
     Maryland, may only be acquired by the Secretary under this 
     section by--
       (i) donation;
       (ii) purchase with donated funds; or
       (iii) exchange.
       (5) Interpretation.--To further the dissemination of 
     information about the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald, 
     with an emphasis on the partnership of Julius Rosenwald with 
     Booker T. Washington and the approximately 5,000 communities 
     in the South that led to the establishment and success of the 
     Rosenwald Schools, the Secretary shall include interpretation 
     of the story of Julius Rosenwald at--
       (A) the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in the State of 
     Illinois, within the boundary of which is located the home of 
     Julius Rosenwald; and
       (B) the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site in the 
     State of Alabama, which was founded by Booker T. Washington 
     for the education of African Americans and at which 
     architects designed the early Rosenwald Schools.
       (6) Management plan.--Not later than 3 fiscal years after 
     the date on which funds are first made available to carry out 
     this section, the Secretary shall complete a general 
     management plan for the Park in accordance with--
       (A) section 100502 of title 54, United States Code; and
       (B) any other applicable laws.

     SEC. 5. ROSENWALD SCHOOLS NATIONAL NETWORK.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
       (1) establish, within the National Park Service, a program 
     to be known as the ``Rosenwald Schools National Network'';
       (2) as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, solicit proposals from sites, facilities, and 
     programs interested in being a part of the Network; and
       (3) administer the Network.
       (b) Duties of the 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 the 
     Rosenwald Schools;
       (2) produce and disseminate appropriate educational and 
     promotional materials relating to the life and work of Julius 
     Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools that are part of the 
     Network, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or 
     electronic information;

[[Page S6222]]

       (3) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and 
     memoranda of understanding to provide assistance, as 
     appropriate;
       (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 this paragraph;
       (5) conduct research relating to the Rosenwald Schools;
       (6) make recommendations for any additional Rosenwald 
     School sites that should be considered for inclusion within 
     the Park due to the significance, integrity, and need for 
     management by the National Park Service of the sites; and
       (7) have the authority to provide grants to Network 
     elements described in subsection (c).
       (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 story 
     of Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools.
       (2) Other Federal, State, local, and privately owned 
     properties that the Secretary determines--
       (A) relate to Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools; 
     and
       (B) are included in, or determined by the Secretary to be 
     eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic 
     Places.
       (3) Other governmental and nongovernmental sites, 
     facilities, and programs of an educational, research, or 
     interpretive nature that are directly related to Julius 
     Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools.
       (d) Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of 
     Understanding.--To achieve the purposes of this section 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.

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