National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Act (House of Representatives – July 25, 2000)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. PURSUANT to the rules, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. HANSEN) and the gentleman from California (Mr. GEORGE MILLER) each will control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognized the gentleman from Utah (Mr. HANSEN) 

Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2919 sponsored by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. PORTMAN) would bring financial assistance to  the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio in order to promote preservation and public awareness of the history of the Underground Railroad. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. PORTMAN) is to be commended for working very hard to bring all the parties together in order to move this measure forward. 

The Freedom Center would interpret the history of the Underground Railroad and link the many Underground Railroad sites to a national center in keeping with the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act. From the end of the 18^th century to the end of the civil war, the Underground Railroad flourished, symbolizing the ideal of freedom.  In 1995, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center was founded in Cincinnati to interpret the history of the Underground Railroad by bringing together exhibits that linked the scattered Underground Railroad sites through state-of-the-art technology. 

The Freedom Center is the first public-private partnership with the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act to coordinate the sites and activities within the National Park Service. This bill helps to complete the network of the various network sites of the Underground Railroad.   

I would like to commend again the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. PORTMAN) for his efforts to ensure that the Underground Railroad’s legacy is preserved and enhanced for all Americans to study and draw inspiration from. 

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2919 as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

(Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. GEORGE  MILLER of California.  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. PORTMAN). This is follow-on legislation to the legislation that we passed to establish a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program and will provide for the construction of a facility known as the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. HANSEN.   Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. PORTMAN), and I would just like to add that the gentleman worked extremely hard on this bill, and through his good works, we now have this legislation ready to be passed. 

Mr. PORTMAN.  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. HANSEN) for yielding this time to me to speak about H.R. 2919. I want to thank him personally for the effort he has put into this. Simply put, we would not have been on the floor today without his help in the subcommittee and the full committee, and over the last 2 years giving me guidance and support. 

I also want to commend the gentlewoman from Cleveland, Ohio (Mrs. JONES), my colleague on the other side of the aisle, who is an original cosponsor of this bill and who has put in a lot of hard work and has a real personal commitment to commemorating the Underground Railroad history. 

I also want to thank, of course, the chairman of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. YOUNG); and the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. GEORGE MILLER); as well as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO); and the subcommittee staff and committee staff who worked with us diligently over the last couple of years on this project. 

What has become known, Mr. Speaker, as the Underground Railroad was a system of cooperation among African-American slaves, freed slaves, abolitionists, and other sympathetic whites to help slaves escape bondage and obtain Freedom. Two years ago, this Congress overwhelmingly approved the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, legislation that joined together for the first time the historic sites all around the country in a network administered by the National Park service. That legislation was a start in promoting the preservation of historic sites and increased public awareness of this remarkable chapter in our Nation’s history. 

Now, before us today, Congress has the opportunity to build on that start and to do more, to take the next step toward preserving endangered Underground Railroad sites and toward educating future generations of American about this remarkable story of cooperation and reconciliation. 

The legislation takes two important steps: first it authorizes limited federal matching funds for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the National Interpretive Museum, which is being developed on the river front in Cincinnati, Ohio.  This is a very exciting undertaking that takes the best thinking nationally, including working with the National Park Service and working with the Smithsonian, and also uses state-of-the-art technology and private sector creative resources to communicate real uplifting Underground Railroad stories to underscore the value of freedom and the importance of cooperation. 

Second, this legislation authorizes the Department of the Interior to provide funds directly to endangered or threatened  Underground Railroad sites nationwide, to ensure that these vital historic sites will be preserved for future generations. 

Mr. Speaker, I believe that preserving these and telling the story of the Underground Railroad is a noble and very important mission. At a time when the news is all too often filled with stories of racial tension and misunderstanding, we need positive examples and hopeful role models that encourage understanding, cooperation, respect, and reconciliation.  I urge my colleagues to reaffirm their support today and to commemorate this important part of our nation’s heritage by passing the bill before us. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2919, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Act. And I would like to commend my colleagues from Ohio and the original cosponsor of this bill -- STEPHANIE TUBBS-JONES for her hard work on this bill and her personal commitment to commemorating the history of the Underground Railroad movement.  I’d also like to thank House Resources Chairman DON YOUNG and ranking member CARLOS ROMERO-BARCELO, and the subcommittee and committee staff – for their support. 

Mr. Speaker, the Underground Railroad was a system of cooperation among African-American slaves, free African-Americans, abolitionists, and sympathetic whites to help slaves escape their bonds and obtain freedom.  Two years ago, Congress overwhelmingly approved the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, legislation that joined together, for the first time, the historic sites of the Underground Railroad in a network administered by the National Park Service.  That legislation was a start in promoting the preservation of historic sites and increased public awareness of this remarkable chapter in our nation’s history.