I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8637 

To provide competitive grants for the promotion of Japanese American confinement education as a means to understand the importance of democratic principles, use and abuse of power, and to raise awareness about 

the importance of cultural tolerance toward Japanese Americans, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 20, 2020 

Ms. MATSUI (for herself, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. CHENEY, 

Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. MENG, Mr. BUCK, Mr. 

CASE, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. NORTON, 

and Mr. SMITH of Washington) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To provide competitive grants for the promotion of Japanese 

American confinement education as a means to understand the importance of democratic principles, use and 

abuse of power, and to raise awareness about the importance of cultural tolerance toward Japanese Americans, 

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 ‘‘Japanese American 

3 Confinement Education Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM.—The term 

7 ‘‘Japanese American museum’’ means a museum lo8 cated in the United States established to promote 

9 the understanding and appreciation of the ethnic 

10 and cultural diversity of the United States by illus11 trating the Japanese American experience through12 out the history of the United States. 

13 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of the Interior. 

15 SEC. 3. COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR JAPANESE AMERICAN 

16 CONFINEMENT EDUCATION. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

18 program to award competitive grants to a Japanese Amer19 ican museum to educate individuals in the United States 

20 on the historical importance of Japanese American con21 finement during World War II so that present and future 

22 generations may learn from Japanese American confine23 ment and the commitment of the United States to equal 

24 justice under the law. 

25 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded under sub26 section (a)— 


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1 (1) shall be used— 

2 (A) for the research and education relating 

3 to the Japanese American confinement in 

4 World War II; and 

5 (B) for the disbursement of accurate, rel6 evant, and accessible resources to promote un7 derstanding about how and why the Japanese 

8 American confinement in World War II hap9 pened, which— 

10 (i) shall include digital resources; and 

11 (ii) may include other types of re12 sources, including print resources and exhi13 bitions; and 

14 (2) shall not be used at a Japanese American 

15 museum that does not provide— 

16 (A) free admission to individuals who were 

17 placed within a Japanese American confinement 

18 camp; and 

19 (B) dedicated free admission hours for the 

20 general public not less than once per month. 

21 (c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

22 under this section, a Japanese American museum shall 

23 submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 

24 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec25 retary may require. 


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1 (d) DEADLINE FOR AWARD.—Not later than 120 

2 days after the date on which the Secretary receives an ap3 plication from a Japanese American museum for a grant 

4 that is approved by the Secretary under this section, the 

5 Secretary shall award a grant to the Japanese American 

6 museum. 

7 (e) PRIORITY CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding a 

8 grant under this section, the Secretary shall give priority 

9 using the following considerations: 

10 (1) The needs of the Japanese American mu11 seum. 

12 (2) The proximity of the project for which the 

13 grant funds will be used to cities with populations 

14 that include not less than 100,000 Japanese Ameri15 cans, as certified by the most recent census. 

16 (3) The ability and commitment of the Japa17 nese American museum to use grant funds— 

18 (A) to educate future generations of indi19 viduals in the United States; and 

20 (B) to locate Japanese American confine21 ment survivors. 

22 (4) The existing relationship the Japanese 

23 American museum has with Japanese American cul24 tural and advocacy organizations. 


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1 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the end 

2 of each fiscal year for which a Japanese American mu3 seum obligates or expends amounts made available under 

4 a grant under this section, the Japanese American mu5 seum shall submit to the Secretary and the appropriate 

6 committees of Congress a report that— 

7 (1) specifies the amount of grant funds obli8 gated or expended for the preceding fiscal year; 

9 (2) specifies any purposes for which the funds 

10 were obligated or expended; and 

11 (3) includes any other information that the Sec12 retary may require to more effectively administer the 

13 grant program. 

14 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

16 out this Act $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

17 through 2026. 

18 SEC. 4. PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC CONFINEMENT SITES. 

19 (a) SUNSET.—Section 1 of Public Law 109–441 (120 

20 Stat. 3288) is amended by striking subsection (e). 

21 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

22 4 of Public Law 109–441 (120 Stat. 3290) is amended, 

23 in the first sentence— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘are authorized’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘is authorized’’; and 


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1 (2) by inserting ‘‘for fiscal year 2021 and each 

2 fiscal year thereafter’’ after ‘‘this Act’’. 

Æ 


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