S. 2345

One Hundred Sixth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,

the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand

An Act

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study concerning

the preservation and public use of sites associated with Harriet Tubman located

in Auburn, New York, 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 ‘‘Harriet Tubman Special Resource

Study Act’’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that—

(1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a plantation

in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1821;

(2) in 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plantation on

foot, using the North Star for direction and following a route

through Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, where she gained her freedom;

(3) Harriet Tubman is an important figure in the history

of the United States, and is most famous for her role as a

‘‘conductor’’ on the Underground Railroad, in which, as a

fugitive slave, she helped hundreds of enslaved individuals

to escape to freedom before and during the Civil War;

(4) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union

Army as a guide, spy, and nurse;

(5) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an advocate

for the education of black children;

(6) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, in 1857,

and lived there until 1913;

(7) while in Auburn, Harriet Tubman dedicated her life

to caring selflessly and tirelessly for people who could not

care for themselves, was an influential member of the community and an active member of the Thompson Memorial A.M.E.

Zion Church, and established a home for the elderly;

(8) Harriet Tubman was a friend of William Henry Seward,

who served as the Governor of and a Senator from the State

of New York and as Secretary of State under President

Abraham Lincoln;

(9) 4 sites in Auburn that directly relate to Harriet Tubman

and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places are—

(A) Harriet Tubman’s home;

(B) the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged;

(C) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; and
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(D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and William

Henry Seward’s home in Auburn are national historic landmarks.

SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES IN AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSOCIATED WITH HARRIET TUBMAN.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct

a special resource study of the national significance, feasibility

of long-term preservation, and public use of the following sites

associated with Harriet Tubman:

(1) Harriet Tubman’s birthplace, located on Greenbriar

Road, off of Route 50, in Dorchester County, Maryland.

(2) Bazel Church, located 1 mile South of Greenbriar Road

in Cambridge, Maryland.

(3) Harriet Tubman’s home, located at 182 South Street,

Auburn, New York.

(4) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at

180 South Street, Auburn, New York.

(5) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located

at 33 Parker Street, Auburn, New York.

(6) Harriet Tubman’s grave at Fort Hill Cemetery, located

at 19 Fort Street, Auburn, New York.

(7) William Henry Seward’s home, located at 33 South Street,

Auburn, New York.

(b) INCLUSION OF SITES IN THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.—

The study under subsection (a) shall include an analysis and any

recommendations of the Secretary concerning the suitability and

feasibility of—

(1) designating one or more of the sites specified in subsection

(a) as units of the National Park System; and

(2) establishing a national heritage corridor that incorporates

the sites specified in subsection (a) and any other sites associated with Harriet Tubman.

(c) STUDY GUIDELINES.—In conducting the study authorized

by this Act, the Secretary shall use the criteria for the study

of areas for potential inclusion in the National Park System contained in section 8 of Public Law 91–383, as amended by section

303 of the National Park Omnibus Management Act (P.L. 105–

391; 112 Stat. 3501).

(d) CONSULTATION.—In preparing and conducting the study

under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with—

(1) the Governors of the States of Maryland and New York;

(2) a member of the Board of County Commissioners of Dorchester County, Maryland;

(3) the Mayor of the city of Auburn, New York;

(4) the owner of the sites specified in subsection (a); and

(5) the appropriate representatives of—

(A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church;

(B) the Bazel Church;

(C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and

(D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc.
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(e) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date on which

funds are made available for the study under subsection (a), the

Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the results

of the study.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.