IIB 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3222 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

AN ACT 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

special resource study of sites associated with the 1657 

signing of the Flushing Remonstrance in Queens, New 

York, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Flushing Remon3 strance Study Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Dutch involvement in North America start7 ed with Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage on the ship, 

8 Half Moon, employed by the Dutch East India Com9 pany. 

10 (2) After 1640, New Netherland gradually 

11 began to transform from a chain of trading posts 

12 into a settlement colony. 

13 (3) As Dutch and English settlers moved closer 

14 to one another, they began to assimilate in what 

15 would later become Queens County. 

16 (4) The Dutch and English settlements had not 

17 been without conflict. Although the Dutch Republic 

18 was well known for its toleration of other faiths, Di19 rector General Peter Stuyvesant and his council 

20 thought that liberty of worship should not be grant21 ed to Quakers. 

22 (5) When Quakers began to arrive in Flushing, 

23 the colonial government issued an ordinance that 

24 formally banned the practice of all religions outside 

25 of the Dutch Reformed Church. 


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1 (6) On December 27, 1657, 30 Flushing resi2 dents signed what was later called the Flushing Re3 monstrance, objecting to this order. None of the 

4 remonstrance’s authors were Quakers. 

5 (7) Dutch colonial authorities proceeded to ar6 rest the signers of the Flushing Remonstrance. In 

7 1662, John Bowne defied the ban and allowed 

8 Quakers to hold services in his house. Bowne was 

9 fined and banished to the Dutch Republic for show10 ing contempt for secular authority. 

11 (8) Bowne was later exonerated after appealing 

12 to the guarantees of religious liberty before the 

13 Dutch West India Company and returned to Flush14 ing in 1664. The colony later fell to British control 

15 on September 24, 1664. 

16 (9) The Flushing Remonstrance is now consid17 ered by many to be instrumental in the development 

18 of religious liberty in the United States and a pre19 cursor to the First Amendment to the United States 

20 Constitution. 

21 (10) In 1957, the United States Postal Service 

22 released a 3-cent postage stamp commemorating the 

23 300th Anniversary of the signing of the Flushing 

24 Remonstrance which read, ‘‘Religious Freedom in 

25 America’’. 


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1 (11) Queens remained rural and agricultural 

2 through the 18th and 19th Centuries. Although its 

3 Dutch identity diminished, the tolerance of diversity 

4 that has harbored Quakers and other religious sects 

5 in the Dutch Colonial period continues to this day. 

6 Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in 

7 the world, with a population of over 2,200,000 rep8 resenting over 100 different nations and speaking 

9 over 138 different languages. 

10 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

11 As used in this Act: 

12 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of the Interior. 

14 (2) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 

15 means the John Bowne House located at 3701 

16 Bowne Street, Queens, New York, the Friends Meet17 ing House located at 137–17 Northern Boulevard, 

18 Queens, New York, and other resources in the vicin19 ity of Flushing related to the history of religious 

20 freedom during the era of the signing of the Flush21 ing Remonstrance. 

22 SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

23 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a special 

24 resource study of the study area. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub2 section (a), the Secretary shall— 

3 (1) evaluate the national significance of the 

4 study area’s resources based on their relationship to 

5 the history of religious freedom associated with the 

6 signing of the Flushing Remonstrance; 

7 (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 

8 designating resources within the study area as a unit 

9 of the National Park System; 

10 (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 

11 protection, and interpretation of the study area by 

12 Federal, State, or local governmental entities, or pri13 vate and nonprofit organizations; 

14 (4) identify properties related to the John 

15 Bowne House that could potentially meet criteria for 

16 designation as a National Historic Landmark; 

17 (5) consult with interested Federal, State, or 

18 local governmental entities, private and nonprofit or19 ganizations, or any other interested individuals; 

20 (6) evaluate the impact of the proposed action 

21 on the flow of commerce and commercial activity, 

22 job opportunities, and any adverse economic effects 

23 that could not be avoided if the proposal is imple24 mented; 


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1 (7) identify cost estimates for any Federal ac2 quisition, development, interpretation, operation, and 

3 maintenance associated with the alternatives; 

4 (8) analyze the effect of the designation of the 

5 study area as a unit of the National Park System 

6 on— 

7 (A) existing recreational activities, and on 

8 the authorization, construction, operation, 

9 maintenance, or improvement of energy produc10 tion and transmission infrastructure; and 

11 (B) the authority of State and local gov12 ernments to manage those activities; and 

13 (9) identify any authorities, including con14 demnation, that will compel or permit the Secretary 

15 to influence or participate in local land use decisions 

16 (such as zoning) or place restrictions on non-Federal 

17 lands if the study area is designated a unit of the 

18 National Park System. 

19 (c) NOTIFICATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY OWN20 ERS.—Upon the commencement of the study, owners of 

21 private property in or adjacent to the study area shall be 

22 notified of the study’s commencement and scope. 

23 (d) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 

24 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with secVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:54 Sep 17, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3222.RFS H3222

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1 tion 8(c)) of the National Park System General Authori2 ties Act (16 U.S.C. 1a–5(c)). 

3 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

4 on which funds are first made available for the study 

5 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 

6 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep7 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

8 Resources of the Senate a report containing the results 

9 of the study and any conclusions and recommendations of 

10 the Secretary. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 15, 

2014. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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