I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3222 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 

Ms. MENG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Flushing Remon5 strance Study Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Dutch involvement in North America start2 ed with Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage on the ship, 

3 Half Moon, employed by the Dutch East India Com4 pany. 

5 (2) After 1640, New Netherland gradually 

6 began to transform from a chain of trading posts 

7 into a settlement colony. 

8 (3) As Dutch and English settlers moved closer 

9 to one another, they began to assimilate in what 

10 would later become Queens County. 

11 (4) The Dutch and English settlements had not 

12 been without conflict. Although the Dutch Republic 

13 was well known for its toleration of other faiths, Di14 rector General Peter Stuyvesant and his council 

15 thought that liberty of worship should not be grant16 ed to Quakers. 

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

18 the colonial government issued an ordinance that 

19 formally banned the practice of all religions outside 

20 of the Dutch Reformed Church. 

21 (6) On December 27, 1657, 30 Flushing resi22 dents signed what was later called the Flushing Re23 monstrance, objecting to this order. None of the 

24 remonstrance’s authors were Quakers. 


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1 (7) Dutch colonial authorities proceeded to ar2 rest the signers of the Flushing Remonstrance. In 

3 1662, John Bowne defied the ban and allowed 

4 Quakers to hold services in his house. Bowne was 

5 fined and banished to the Dutch Republic for show6 ing contempt for secular authority. 

7 (8) Bowne was later exonerated after appealing 

8 to the guarantees of religious liberty before the 

9 Dutch West India Company and returned to Flush10 ing in 1664. The colony later fell to British control 

11 on September 24, 1664. 

12 (9) The Flushing Remonstrance is now consid13 ered by many to be instrumental in the development 

14 of religious liberty in the United States and a pre15 cursor to the First Amendment to the United States 

16 Constitution. 

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

18 released a 3-cent postage stamp commemorating the 

19 300th Anniversary of the signing of the Flushing 

20 Remonstrance which read, ‘‘Religious Freedom in 

21 America’’. 

22 (11) Queens remained rural and agricultural 

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

24 Dutch identity diminished, the tolerance of diversity 

25 that has harbored Quakers and other religious sects 


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1 in the Dutch Colonial period continues to this day. 

2 Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in 

3 the world, with a population of over 2,200,000 rep4 resenting over 100 different nations and speaking 

5 over 138 different languages. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 As used in this Act: 

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

9 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

11 means the John Bowne House located at 3701 

12 Bowne Street, Queens, New York, the Friends Meet13 ing House located at 137–17 Northern Boulevard, 

14 Queens, New York, and other resources in the vicin15 ity of Flushing related to the history of religious 

16 freedom during the era of the signing of the Flush17 ing Remonstrance. 

18 SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

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

20 resource study of the study area. 

21 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub22 section (a), the Secretary shall— 

23 (1) evaluate the national significance of the 

24 study area’s resources based on their relationship to 


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1 the history of religious freedom associated with the 

2 signing of the Flushing Remonstrance; 

3 (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 

4 designating resources within the study area as a unit 

5 of the National Park System; 

6 (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 

7 protection, and interpretation of the study area by 

8 Federal, State, or local governmental entities, or pri9 vate and nonprofit organizations; 

10 (4) identify properties related to the John 

11 Bowne House that could potentially meet criteria for 

12 designation as a National Historic Landmark; 

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

14 local governmental entities, private and nonprofit or15 ganizations, or any other interested individuals; 

16 (6) evaluate the impact of the proposed action 

17 on the flow of commerce and commercial activity, 

18 job opportunities, and any adverse economic effects 

19 that could not be avoided if the proposal is imple20 mented; and 

21 (7) identify cost estimates for any Federal ac22 quisition, development, interpretation, operation, and 

23 maintenance associated with the alternatives. 

24 (c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 

25 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with secVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:45 Oct 01, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3222.IH H3222

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1 tion 8 of National Park Service General Authorities Act 

2 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5). 

3 (d) 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. 

Æ 


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