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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9691 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9691

   To establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National 
                Historical Park, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 19, 2024

    Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself, Mr. Clyburn, and Mr. Cohen) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National 
                Historical Park, and for other purposes.

    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 
                        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, the St. George Rosenwald School in St. 
        George, South Carolina, and other sites across the south to 
        reflect the scope and impact of the Rosenwald Schools, 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 by the 
        National Park Service entitled ``Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald 
        Schools National Historical Park'', numbered ______, and dated 
        _________.
            (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.--The Park shall consist of the following:
            (1) 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.
            (2) The San Domingo Rosenwald School in Sharptown, 
        Maryland, as generally depicted on the Map.
            (3) Any Rosenwald School or other area designated by 
        Congress to be included in the Park after the date of enactment 
        of this Act.
    (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;
            (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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