S342 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 13, 2009 

program to address retrofitting residential buildings with energy efficiency measures through Me2—Milwaukee Energy Efficiency. COWS’ initial estimates suggest if you could retrofit nearly all of the existing housing 

stock in Milwaukee, an initial investment of just under $250 million could 

result in annual energy savings of over 

$80 million. Examples of other cities 

that are tackling the issue of energy 

efficiency in residential buildings include Berkeley, CA; Babylon, NY; and 

Brookhaven, NY. 

All of these efforts to conserve energy require investments in time and 

money. By combining efforts on two of 

the challenges that we currently face— 

energy and employment—we can create 

great opportunities. Energy efficiency 

and conservation are in our national 

interest for our long term economic 

well-being, for the health and safety of 

our citizens and the world as we mitigate the effects of climate change, and 

for our independence and security. 

I have urged the Treasury Department to quickly issue regulations for 

the Qualified Energy Conservation 

Bonds so the initial program can get up 

and running. Once regulations are finalized, States and local governments 

can begin applying to receive an allotment of the bonds to pursue projects 

that may have been shelved in our 

struggling economy. 

The second energy bill I am introducing as part of my E4 Initiative is 

the Energy and Technology Advancement Act. This bill will increase partnerships between the Federal Government and businesses to help spur the 

commercialization of energy, forestry, 

and other technologies—in other 

words, to increase the ETA, or estimated time of arrival, for bringing new 

technologies to market. 

Particularly in the area of energy, we 

must do more to make new energy solutions, like next generation biofuels, a 

reality. My bill will help make the 

Federal Government a better business 

partner for the many businesses that 

are researching and developing innovative technology solutions our country 

needs. We are squandering the Federal 

investment of billions into research 

and development by not doing enough 

to prevent new technologies from sitting on the shelf or being shipped to 

another country. Helping these new energy technologies get off the ground is 

not only a promising way to develop 

the next generation of energy technology that will help break our addition to oil, it will also help to spur job 

creation and enhance rural development. 

One obstacle identified by the Forest 

Service’s Wisconsin-based Forest Products Lab which conducts forestry and 

energy technology research with businesses and others, is lack of Federal 

support for moving technologies from 

the research and development phase to 

commercialization. My bill will bridge 

this gap by authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, which 

includes the Forest Service, to work 

with businesses and provide access to 

resources to assist with getting technologies to market. 

By encouraging the USDA to act as a 

‘‘business incubator,’’ we can increase 

the rate of success and reduce the 

length of time for bringing technologies to the market. By providing a 

bridge to move new technologies beyond the research and development 

phase to commercialization, the Federal Government will accelerate the 

development of new technologies and 

create increased opportunities for 

small businesses, local and State government, and others. 

All energy, forestry, and other technologies will benefit from my ETA Act 

because it will help new technologies 

come to the market. It does so by promoting the Federal Government as a 

better business incubator, encouraging 

the USDA to provide business support 

services, and authorizing USDA employees and private-sector employees 

to work together in Federal or private 

experimental or product facilities. My 

bill will also increase cooperation between the Federal Government and innovative businesses by encouraging the 

USDA to allow rental of Federal equipment and property for the development 

of new technology. 

Lastly, a specific partnership encouraged by my Energy and Technology 

Advancement Act will spur the commercialization of biofuels. My bill requires the USDA to pursue a biorefinery pilot plant that will allow 

businesses to partner with the Federal 

Government to test various biofuels 

technologies derived from a variety of 

feedstocks, including woody and agriculture waste. 

Certainly one of today’s greatest 

challenges—energy—is also one of tomorrow’s greatest opportunities. 

Today, the transportation sector accounts for 70% of our oil consumption. 

However, there are promising efforts to 

significantly lessen our dependence on 

oil by reducing fuel consumption 

through increased efficiency and by aggressively pursuing renewable fuels, or 

biofuels. The commercialization of 

biofuels will also create job opportunities, support rural development and industries such as forestry, and develop 

the next generation of fuels that are 

sustainable and from diverse sources. 

Given our current dire fiscal situation, it is more important then ever 

that we are careful stewards of taxpayer dollars. Not only are both of 

these new bills fully offset, so as not to 

worsen our current Federal deficit; 

they actually provide over a billion 

dollars in deficit reduction. That’s yet 

another reason to pass them, and I 

look forward to working with my colleagues to do just that. 

By Mr TESTER (for himself and 

Mr. BAUCUS): 

S. 226. A bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient 

clinic in Havre, Montana, as the Merrill Lundman Department of Veterans 

Affairs Outpatient Clinic; to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise 

today with my colleague Senator BAUCUS to introduce legislation honoring a 

Montana veteran named Merrill 

Lundman. 

Merrill was not a general officer. He 

did not become famous in battle, or 

wealthy in his civilian life. After serving in the Army, he came home to 

north-central Montana to work on the 

family farm and, later, for 20 years for 

the BNSF railroad. Some people might 

say he was just an ordinary man who 

served his country in the Army for 

three years, and then came home to 

work to live most of his days on the HiLine, a strip of U.S. Highway 2 in Montana that cuts across the prairie near 

the northern border. 

But because of Merrill Lundman, 

thousands of veterans in and around 

Havre, Montana, can expect to get 

their VA medical care a little bit closer to home. You see, for the last several years of his life, Merrill devoted 

his time and his energy to pushing the 

VA to open a new community based 

outpatient clinic in Havre. And today, 

his dream has become a reality. 

I am sorry that Merrill Lundman is 

not with us today to celebrate this day. 

He died just over one year ago, on December 22, 2007. Less than a month 

later, the VA announced its intention 

to establish a clinic in Havre. 

The data says that veterans who live 

in rural areas don’t live as long—or as 

well—as their urban peers. That’s because it’s harder to get to the VA facility that may be hundreds of miles 

away—especially this time of year 

when snow and ice can make travel in 

Montana treacherous. I don’t know if 

Merrill knew this, but he sensed that 

his fellow veterans were getting a raw 

deal, and he didn’t hesitate to tell the 

VA and his congressional delegation. 

The story of this clinic is a grassroots effort led by one man who stood 

up for his fellow band of brothers to 

make sure that they can get the care 

that they have earned. And to honor 

that effort, Senator BAUCUS and I are 

proud to introduce this legislation, and 

I look forward to working with Chairman AKAKA to move this bill quickly 

through the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. 

By Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mrs. 

CLINTON, Ms. MIKULSKI, and Mr. 

SCHUMER): 

S. 227. A bill to establish the Harriet 

Tubman National Historical Park in 

Auburn, New York, and the Harriet 

Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, and for other purposes; to the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I 

am proud to introduce The Harriet 

Tubman National Historical Park and 

The Harriet Tubman Underground 


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January 13, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S343 

Railroad National Historical Park Act. 

I am joined by Mrs. CLINTON, Ms. MIKULSKI, and Mr. SCHUMER as original 

co-sponsors. We originally introduced 

nearly identical legislation last summer, but the press of legislative business did not allow for consideration of 

this important legislation. This year 

we will work for its prompt consideration and enactment. 

The woman, who is known to us as 

Harriet Tubman, was born Araminta 

‘‘Minty’’ Ross approximately 1822 in 

Dorchester County, Maryland. She 

spent nearly 30 years of her life as a 

slave on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. As 

an adult she took the first name Harriet, and when she was 25 she married 

John Tubman. 

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery 

in 1849. She did so in the dead of night, 

navigating the maze of tidal streams 

and wetlands that are a hallmark of 

Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She did so 

alone, demonstrating courage, strength 

and fortitude that became her hallmarks. Not satisfied with attaining her 

own freedom, she returned repeatedly 

for more than 10 years to the places of 

her enslavement in Dorchester and 

Caroline counties where, under the 

most adverse conditions, she led away 

many family members and other slaves 

to their freedom. Tubman became 

known as ‘‘Moses’’ by African-Americans and white abolitionists. She was 

perhaps the most famous and most important conductor in the network of resistance known as the Underground 

Railroad. 

During the Civil War, Tubman served 

the Union forces as a spy, a scout and 

a nurse. She served in Virginia, Florida, and South Carolina. She is credited with leading hundreds of slaves 

from those slave States to freedom during those years. 

Following the Civil War, Tubman settled in Auburn, NY. There she was active in the women’s suffrage movement, and she also established the one 

of the first incorporated homes for 

aged African-Americans. In 1903 she bequeathed the home to the African 

Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 

Auburn. Harriet Tubman died in Auburn in 1913 and she is buried there in 

the Fort Hill Cemetery. 

Slaves were forced to live in primitive buildings even though many were 

skilled tradesmen who constructed the 

substantial homes of their owners. Not 

surprisingly, few of the structures associated with the early years of Tubman’s life still stand. The landscapes of 

the Eastern Shore of Maryland, however, remain evocative of the time that 

Tubman lived there. Farm fields and 

forests dot the landscape, which is also 

notable for its extensive network of 

tidal rivers and wetlands. In particular, 

a number of properties including the 

homestead of Ben Ross, her father, 

Stewart’s Canal, where he worked, the 

Brodess Farm, where she worked as a 

slave, and others are within the boundaries of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. 

Similarly, Poplar Neck, the plantation from which she escaped to freedom, is still largely intact in Caroline 

County. The properties in Talbot County, immediately across the Choptank 

River from the plantation, are today 

protected by various conservation easements. Were she alive today, Tubman 

would recognize much of the landscape 

that she knew intimately as she secretly led black men, women and children to their freedom. 

In New York, on the other hand, 

many of the buildings associated with 

Tubman’s life remain intact. Her personal home, as well as the Tubman 

Home for the Aged, the church and rectory of the Thompson Memorial AME 

Zion Episcopal Church, and the Fort 

Hill Cemetery are all extant. 

In 1999, the Congress approved legislation authorizing a Special Resource 

Study to determine the appropriateness of establishing a unit of the National Park Service to honor Harriet 

Tubman. The Study has taken an exceptionally long time to complete, in 

part because of the lack of remaining 

structures on Maryland’s Eastern 

Shore. There has never been any doubt 

that Tubman led an extraordinary life. 

Her contributions to American history 

are surpassed by few. Determining the 

most appropriate way to recognize that 

life and her contributions, however, as 

been more difficult. Eventually, the 

Park Service came to realize that determined that a Park that would include two geographically separate 

units would be appropriate. The New 

York unit would include the tightly 

clustered Tubman buildings in Auburn. 

The Maryland portion would include 

large sections of landscapes that are 

evocative of Tubman’s time and are 

historically relevant. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and The 

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad 

National Historical Park Act, S. 3383, 

was first introduced on July 31, 2008. 

The Special Resource Study will be finalized and released in the near future. 

The legislation I am introducing 

today establishes two parks. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park 

includes important historical structures in Auburn, New York. They include Tubman’s home, the Home for 

the Aged that she established, the African Methodist Episcopal AME Zion 

Church, and the Fort Hill Cemetery 

where she is buried. 

The Harriet Tubman Underground 

Railroad National Historical Park includes historically important landscapes in Dorchester, Caroline, and 

Talbot counties, Maryland, that are 

evocative of the life of Harriet Tubman. The Maryland properties include 

about 2,200 acres in Caroline County 

that comprise the Poplar Neck plantation that Tubman escaped from in 1849. 

The 725 acres of viewshed across the 

Choptank River in Talbot County 

would also be included in the Park. In 

Dorchester County, the parcels would 

not be contiguous, but would include 

about 2,775 acres. All of them are included within the Blackwater National 

Wildlife Refuge boundaries or abut that 

resource land. The National Park Service would not own any of these lands. 

The bill authorizes $11 million in 

grants for the New York properties for 

their preservation, rehabilitation, and 

restoration of those resources. 

The bill authorizes an additional $11 

million in grants for the Maryland section. Funds can be used for the construction of the State Harriet Tubman 

Park Visitors Center and/or for easements or acquisition of properties inside or adjacent to the Historical Park 

boundaries. 

Finally, the bill also authorizes a 

new grants program. Under the program, the National Park Service would 

award competitive grants to historically Black colleges and universities, 

predominately Black institutions, and 

minority serving institutions for research into the life of Harriet Tubman 

and the African-American experience 

during the years that coincide with the 

life of Harriet Tubman. The legislation 

authorizes $200,000 annually for this 

scholarship program. 

Harriet Tubman was a true American 

patriot. She was someone for whom liberty and freedom were not just concepts. She lived those principles and 

shared that freedom with hundreds of 

others. In doing so, she has earned a 

nation’s respect and honor. That is why 

I am so proud to introduce this legislation, establishing the Harriet Tubman 

National Historical Park and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. 

Mr. 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. 227 

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 ‘‘Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet 

Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

(1) Harriet Tubman (born Araminta 

‘‘Minty’’ Ross)— 

(A) was born into slavery in Maryland 

around 1822; 

(B) married John Tubman at age 25; 

(C) endured through her youth and young 

adulthood the hardships of enslaved AfricanAmericans; and 

(D) boldly emancipated herself from bondage in 1849; 

(2) not satisfied with attaining her own 

freedom, Harriet Tubman— 

(A) returned repeatedly for more than 10 

years to the places of her enslavement in 

Dorchester and Caroline Counties, Maryland; 

and 

(B) under the most adverse circumstances 

led away many family members and acquaintances to freedom in the northern region of the United States and Canada; 

(3) Harriet Tubman was— 

(A) called ‘‘Moses’’ by African-Americans 

and white abolitionists; and 


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S344 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 13, 2009 

(B) acknowledged as 1 of the most prominent ‘‘conductors’’ of the resistance that 

came to be known as the ‘‘Underground Railroad’’; 

(4) in 1868, Frederick Douglass wrote that, 

with the exception of John Brown, Douglass 

knew of ‘‘no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our 

enslaved people’’ than Harriet Tubman; 

(5) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman— 

(A) was recruited to assist Union troops as 

a nurse, a scout, and a spy; and 

(B) served in Virginia, Florida, and South 

Carolina, where she is credited with facilitating the rescue of hundreds of enslaved 

people; 

(6) Harriet Tubman established in Auburn, 

New York, 1 of the first incorporated homes 

for aged African-Americans in the United 

States, which, 10 years before her death, she 

bequeathed to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; 

(7) there are nationally significant resources comprised of relatively unchanged 

landscapes associated with the early life of 

Harriet Tubman in Caroline, Dorchester, and 

Talbot Counties, Maryland; 

(8) there are nationally significant resources relating to Harriet Tubman in Auburn, New York, including— 

(A) the residence of Harriet Tubman; 

(B) the Tubman Home for the Aged; 

(C) the Thompson Memorial AME Zion 

Church; and 

(D) the final resting place of Harriet Tubman in Fort Hill Cemetery; 

(9) in developing interpretive programs, 

the National Park Service would benefit 

from increased scholarship of the AfricanAmerican experience during the decades preceding the Civil War and throughout the remainder of the 19th century; 

(10) it is fitting and proper that the nationally significant resources relating to Harriet 

Tubman be preserved for future generations 

as units of the National Park System so that 

people may understand and appreciate the 

contributions of Harriet Tubman to the history and culture of the United States; and 

(11) in addition to the properties and resources within the boundary of the Harriet 

Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, other associated land within 

the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and 

proposed additions to the Refuge are— 

(A) components of the nationally significant Harriet Tubman landscape; and 

(B) essential to the visual, historical, and 

cultural experiences of the Historical Park. 

(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act 

are— 

(1) to preserve and promote stewardship of 

the resources in Auburn, New York, and 

Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, 

Maryland, relating to the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman; 

(2) to provide for partnerships with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the 

States of New York and Maryland, political 

subdivisions of the States, the Federal Government, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private property owners for 

resource protection, research, interpretation, education, and public understanding 

and appreciation of the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman; 

(3) to sustain agricultural and forestry 

land uses in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot 

Counties, Maryland, that remain evocative 

of the landscape during the life of Harriet 

Tubman; and 

(4) to establish a competitive grants program for scholars of African-American history relating to Harriet Tubman, the Harriet 

Tubman historic landscape, and the Underground Railroad. 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) CHURCH.—The term ‘‘Church’’ means 

the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., of the AME 

Zion Church located in Auburn, New York, 

which owns and manages— 

(A) the Thompson Memorial AME Zion 

Church; 

(B) the Harriet Tubman home; 

(C) the Tubman Home for the Aged; and 

(D) the land on which those facilities are 

located. 

(2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or university’’ has the meaning given 

the term ‘‘part B institution’’ in section 322 

of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

1061)). 

(3) PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSTITUTION.— 

The term ‘‘Predominantly Black Institution’’ has the meaning given the term in section 499A(c) of the Higher Education Act of 

1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099e(c)). 

(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

means the Secretary of the Interior. 

(5) VISITOR CENTER.—The term ‘‘Visitor 

Center’’ means the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park Visitor Center 

to be constructed under section 5(d). 

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF HARRIET TUBMAN 

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—On the execution of 

easements with the Church, the Secretary 

shall— 

(1) establish the Harriet Tubman National 

Historical Park (referred to in this section as 

the ‘‘Historical Park’’) in the City of Auburn, New York, as a unit of the National 

Park System; and 

(2) publish notice of the establishment of 

the Historical Park in the Federal Register. 

(b) BOUNDARY.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Historical Park shall 

be comprised of structures and properties associated with the Harriet Tubman home, the 

Tubman Home for the Aged, the Church, and 

the Rectory, as generally depicted on the 

map entitled ‘‘Harriet Tubman National Historical Park—Proposed Boundary’’, numbered øllll¿, and dated ølll¿. 

(2) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map described in paragraph (1) shall be available for 

public inspection in the appropriate offices 

of the National Park Service. 

(c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary 

may acquire from willing sellers, by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated 

funds, or exchange, land or interests in land 

within the boundary of the Historical Park. 

(d) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may provide grants to, and enter into cooperative 

agreements with— 

(1) the Church for— 

(A) historic preservation of, rehabilitation 

of, research on, and maintenance of properties within the boundary of the Historical 

Park; and 

(B) interpretation of the Historical Park; 

(2) the Fort Hill Cemetery Association for 

maintenance and interpretation of the 

gravesite of Harriet Tubman; and 

(3) the State of New York, any political 

subdivisions of the State, the City of Auburn, the Church, colleges and universities, 

and nonprofit organizations for— 

(A) preservation and interpretation of resources relating to Harriet Tubman in the 

City of Auburn, New York; 

(B) conducting research, including archaeological research; and 

(C) providing for stewardship programs, 

education, public access, signage, and other 

interpretive devices at the Historical Park 

for interpretive purposes. 

(e) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may 

provide interpretive tours to sites located 

outside the boundaries of the Historical Park 

in Auburn, New York, that include resources 

relating to Harriet Tubman. 

(f) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 

after the date on which funds are made available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Church, shall 

complete a general management plan for the 

Historical Park in accordance with section 

12(b) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–7(b)). 

(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordinate the preparation and implementation of the general management plan for the 

Harriet Tubman National Historical Park 

with— 

(A) the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland; 

and 

(B) the National Underground Railroad: 

Network to Freedom. 

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

as a unit of the National Park System the 

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park (referred to in this 

section as the ‘‘Historical Park’’) in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland. 

(b) BOUNDARY.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The boundary of the Historical Park shall consist of certain landscapes and associated resources relating to 

the early life and enslavement of Harriet 

Tubman and the Underground Railroad, as 

generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National 

Historical Park—Proposed Boundary’’, numbered øllll¿, and dated ølllll¿. 

(2) ADDITIONAL SITES.—The Secretary, after 

consultation with landowners, the State of 

Maryland, and units of local government, 

may modify the boundary of the Historical 

Park to include additional resources relating 

to Harriet Tubman that— 

(A) are located within the vicinity of the 

Historical Park; and 

(B) are identified in the general management plan prepared under subsection (g) as 

appropriate for interpreting the life of Harriet Tubman. 

(3) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—On modification 

of the boundary of the Historical Park under 

paragraph (2), the Secretary shall make 

available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service a 

revised map of the Historical Park. 

(c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary 

may acquire from willing sellers, by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated 

funds, or exchange, land or an interest in 

land within the boundaries of the Historical 

Park. 

(d) GRANTS.—In accordance with section 

7(b)(2), the Secretary may provide grants— 

(1) to the State of Maryland, political subdivisions of the State, and nonprofit organizations for the acquisition of less than fee 

title (including easements) or fee title to 

land in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot 

Counties, Maryland, within the boundary of 

the Historical Park; and 

(2) on execution of a memorandum of understanding between the State of Maryland 

and the Director of the National Park Service, to the State of Maryland for the construction of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park Visitor Center 

on land owned by the State of Maryland in 

Dorchester County, Maryland, subject to the 

condition that the State of Maryland provide 

the Director of the National Park Service, at 

no additional cost, sufficient office space and 

exhibition areas in the Visitor Center to 

carry out the purposes of the Historical 

Park. 

(e) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATIVE

AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may provide 

grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, the State of Maryland, political 


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January 13, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S345 

subdivisions of the State, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and private 

property owners for— 

(1) the restoration or rehabilitation, public 

use, and interpretation of sites and resources 

relating to Harriet Tubman; 

(2) the conduct of research, including archaeological research; 

(3) providing stewardship programs, education, signage, and other interpretive devices at the sites and resources for interpretive purposes; and 

(4)(A) the design and construction of the 

Visitor Center; and 

(B) the operation and maintenance of the 

Visitor Center. 

(f) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may 

provide interpretive tours to sites and resources located outside the boundary of the 

Historical Park in Caroline, Dorchester, and 

Talbot Counties, Maryland, relating to the 

life of Harriet Tubman and the Underground 

Railroad. 

(g) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 

after the date on which funds are made available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary, in coordination with the State of 

Maryland, political subdivisions of the 

State, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall complete a general management plan for the Historical Park in accordance with section 12(b) of Public Law 91– 

383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–7(b)). 

(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordinate the preparation and implementation of the general management plan for the 

Historical Park with— 

(A) the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York; 

(B) the National Underground Railroad: 

Network to Freedom; 

(C) the Maryland Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park; and 

(D) the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway in Dorchester and Caroline 

Counties, Maryland. 

(3) PRIORITY TREATMENT.—The general 

management plan for the Historical Park 

shall give priority to, with the concurrence 

of the owner of the property, the adequate 

protection of, interpretation of, public appreciation for, archaeological investigation 

of, and research on Stewart’s Canal, the 

Jacob Jackson home site, the Brodess Farm, 

the Ben Ross and Anthony Thompson properties on Harrisville Road, and the James 

Cook site, all of which are privately owned 

and located in the area identified as the 

‘‘Harriet Tubman Historic Area’’ on the map 

described in subsection (b)(1). 

(h) BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.— 

(1) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.—The Secretary shall ensure that, not later than 1 

year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

the National Park Service and the United 

States Fish and Wildlife Service enter into 

an interagency agreement that— 

(A) promotes and mutually supports the 

compatible stewardship and interpretation of 

Harriet Tubman resources at the Blackwater 

National Wildlife Refuge; and 

(B) provides for the maximum level of cooperation between those Federal agencies to 

further the purposes of this Act. 

(2) EFFECT OF ACT.—Nothing in this Act 

modifies, alters, or amends the authorities of 

the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

in the administration and management of 

the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. 

(i) DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL ENTITIES.— 

Any Federal entity conducting, supporting, 

permitting, or licensing activities directly 

affecting nationally significant land within 

the area identified as the ‘‘Harriet Tubman 

Historic Area’’ on the map described in subsection (b)(1) shall— 

(1) consult and cooperate with the Secretary with respect to the activities; 

(2) identify any alternatives with regard to 

the proposed activity affecting the Harriet 

Tubman Historic Area; and 

(3) to the maximum extent practicable, 

conduct, support, permit, or license the activities in a manner that the Secretary determines would not have an adverse effect on 

the Harriet Tubman Historic Area. 

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in 

accordance with this Act and the laws generally applicable to units of the National 

Park System including— 

(1) the National Park Service Organic Act 

(16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 

(2) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 

et seq.). 

(b) PARK REGULATIONS.—Notwithstanding 

subsection (a), regulations and policies applicable to units of the National Park System 

shall apply only to Federal land administered by the National Park Service that is 

located within the boundary of the Harriet 

Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. 

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to 

be appropriated such sums as are necessary 

to carry out this Act (other than subsection 

(b)), including the provision of National Park 

Service personnel and National Park Service 

management funds for the Harriet Tubman 

National Historical Park and the Harriet 

Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. 

(b) GRANTS.—There are authorized to be 

appropriated not more than— 

(1) $11,000,000 to provide grants to the 

Church for— 

(A) historic preservation, rehabilitation, 

and restoration of resources within the 

boundary of the Harriet Tubman National 

Historical Park; and 

(B) the costs of design, construction, installation, and maintenance of exhibits and 

other interpretive devices authorized under 

section 4(d)(1)(B); 

(2) $11,000,000 for grants to the State of 

Maryland, political subdivisions of the State 

of Maryland, and nonprofit organizations for 

activities authorized under subsections (d)(1) 

and (e)(4)(A) of section 5; and 

(3) $200,000 for fiscal year 2010 and each fiscal year thereafter for competitive grants to 

historically Black colleges and universities, 

Predominately Black Institutions, and minority serving institutions for research into 

the life of Harriet Tubman and the AfricanAmerican experience during the years that 

coincide with the life of Harriet Tubman. 

(c) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 

(1) CHURCH AND VISITOR CENTER GRANTS.— 

The Federal share of the cost of activities 

provided grants under paragraph (1) or (2) of 

subsection (b) and any maintenance, construction, or utility costs incurred pursuant 

to a cooperative agreement entered into 

under section 4(d)(1)(A) or section 5(e) shall 

not be more than 50 percent. 

(2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.—The Federal share of the cost of 

activities provided assistance under subsection (b)(3) shall be not more than 75 percent. 

(3) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The nonFederal share required under this subsection 

may be in the form of in-kind contributions 

of goods or services fairly valued. 

By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself 

and Mr. AKAKA): 

S. 228. A bill to amend title XIX of 

the Social Security Act to permit 

States, at their option, to require certain individuals to present satisfactory 

documentary evidence of proof of citizenship or nationality for purposes of 

eligibility for Medicaid, and for other 

purposes; to the Committee on Finance. 

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President I rise 

today with my colleague Senator 

AKAKA to introduce legislation today 

designed to make several very important changes to current law to ensure 

that U.S. citizens receive the Medicaid 

to which they are entitled. 

Since July 1, 2006, most U.S. citizens 

and nationals applying for or renewing 

their Medicaid coverage face a new 

Federal requirement to provide documentation of their citizenship status. 

Recent reports indicate that tens-ofthousands of U.S. citizens, and in particular children, inappropriately are 

being denied Medicaid benefits simply 

because they don’t have access to 

newly required documentation. The articles below and report by the Center 

on Budget and Policy Priorities highlight this very serious problem. Hospitals, physicians, and pharmacies may 

not be willing to treat these individuals until they have a source of payment, but they cannot qualify for Medicaid until they produce a birth certificate and ID. 

This new Federal requirement was 

added to Medicaid by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, DRA, enacted February 8, 2006. The Tax Relief and 

Health Care Act of 2006, TRHCA, signed 

into law December 20, 2006, included 

some amendments to the DRA citizenship documentation requirement, primarily to exempt certain groups. Prior 

to enactment of the DRA, states were 

permitted to use their discretion in requiring such citizenship documentation. 

Under Section 6036 of the DRA, citizens applying for or renewing their 

Medicaid coverage must provide ‘‘satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality.’’ The DRA 

specifies documents that are acceptable for this purpose and authorizes the 

HHS Secretary to designate additional 

acceptable documents. No Federal 

matching funds are available for services provided to individuals who declare they are citizens or nationals unless the state obtains satisfactory evidence of their citizenship or determines that they are subject to a statutory exemption. 

According to a CRS Report for Congress updated April 15, 2008, ‘‘Based on 

a recent survey by the Government Accountability Office, GAO, 22 of 44 states 

report declines in enrollment due to 

the new citizenship documentation requirement. Based on another survey by 

the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid 

and the Uninsured, 13 states report a 

significant negative impact on enrollment and another 24 states report a 

modest impact. Among seven states detailed in an earlier report from the 

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 

only Wisconsin has a data system that 


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