I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1635
To establish within the United States National Park Service the National
Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 15, 1997
Mr. STOKES (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr.
BISHOP, Mr. BOEHNER, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.
CARDIN, Ms. CARSON, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. CLAY, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr.
CLYBURN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr.
DEFAZIO, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. DICKS, Mr. DIXON, Mr.
EVANS, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. FORD, Mr. FRANK of Massachu-
setts, Mr. FROST, Mr. GINGRICH, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr.
HOBSON, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. JEF-
FERSON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. KASICH, Ms. KIL-
PATRICK, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs.
MALONEY of New York, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Ms. MILLENDER-
MCDONALD, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mrs.
MORELLA, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. NEY, Ms. NORTON, Mr.
OWENS, Mr. OXLEY, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. POSHARD, Mr. RANGEL, Mr.
RUSH, Mr. SAWYER, Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado, Mr. SCOTT, Mr.
SISISKY, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. THOMPSON, Mr. TRAFICANT, Ms. WA-
TERS, Mr. WATT of North Carolina, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr.
WYNN, Mr. GONZALEZ, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Mr. PAYNE, Mr.
FATTAH, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, and Mr. TOWNS) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To establish within the United States National Park Service
the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Underground
Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Underground Railroad, which flour-
ished from the end of the 18th century to the end
of the Civil War, was one of the most significant ex-
pressions of the American civil rights movement dur-
ing its evolution over more than 3 centuries.
(2) The Underground Railroad bridged the di-
vides of race, religion, sectional differences, and na-
tionality; spanned State lines and international bor-
ders; and joined the American ideals of liberty and
freedom expressed in the Declaration of Independ-
ence and the Constitution to the extraordinary ac-
tions of ordinary men and women working in com-
mon purpose to free a people.
(3) Pursuant to title VI of Public Law 101–628
(16 U.S.C. 1a–5 note; 104 Stat. 4495), the Under-
ground Railroad Advisory Committee conducted a
study of the appropriate means of establishing an
enduring national commemorative Underground
Railroad program of education, example, reflection,
and reconciliation.
(4) The Underground Railroad Advisory Com-
mittee found that—
(A) although a few elements of the Under-
ground Railroad story are represented in exist-
ing National Park Service units and other sites,
many sites are in imminent danger of being lost
or destroyed, and many important resource
types are not adequately represented and pro-
tected;
(B) there are many important sites which
have high potential for preservation and visitor
use in 29 States, the District of Columbia, and
the Virgin Islands;
(C) no single site or route completely re-
flects and characterizes the Underground Rail-
road, since its story and associated resources
involve networks and regions of the country
rather than individual sites and trails; and
(D) establishment of a variety of partner-
ships between the Federal Government and
other levels of government and the private sec-
tor would be most appropriate for the protec-
tion and interpretation of the Underground
Railroad.
(5) The National Park Service can play a vital
role in facilitating the national commemoration of
the Underground Railroad.
(6) The story and significance of the Under-
ground Railroad can best engage the American peo-
ple through a national program of the National Park
Service that links historic buildings, structures, and
sites; routes, geographic areas, and corridors; inter-
pretive centers, museums, and institutions; and pro-
grams, activities, community projects, exhibits, and
multimedia materials, in a manner that is both uni-
fied and flexible.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are the fol-
lowing:
(1) To recognize the importance of the Under-
ground Railroad, the sacrifices made by those who
used the Underground Railroad in search of freedom
from tyranny and oppression, and the sacrifices
made by the people who helped them.
(2) To authorize the National Park Service to
coordinate and facilitate Federal and non-Federal
activities to commemorate, honor, and interpret the
history of the Underground Railroad, its significance
as a crucial element in the evolution of the national
civil rights movement, and its relevance in fostering
the spirit of racial harmony and national reconcili-
ation.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD NETWORK TO
FREEDOM PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior (in
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall establish in
the National Park Service a program to be known as the
‘‘National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom’’
(in this Act referred to as the ‘‘national network’’). Under
the program, the Secretary shall—
(1) produce and disseminate appropriate edu-
cational materials, such as handbooks, maps, inter-
pretive guides, or electronic information;
(2) enter into appropriate cooperative agree-
ments and memoranda of understanding to provide
technical assistance under subsection (c); and
(3) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol
or device for the national network and issue regula-
tions for its use.
(b) ELEMENTS.—The national network shall encom-
pass the following elements:
(1) All units and programs of the National
Park Service determined by the Secretary to pertain
to the Underground Railroad.
(2) Other Federal, State, local, and privately
owned properties pertaining to the Underground
Railroad that have a verifiable connection to the Un-
derground Railroad and that are included on, or de-
termined by the Secretary to be eligible for inclusion
on, the National Register of Historic Places.
(3) Other governmental and nongovernmental
facilities and programs of an educational, research,
or interpretive nature that are directly related to the
Underground Railroad.
(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND MEMORANDA
OF UNDERSTANDING.—To achieve the purposes of this
Act and to ensure effective coordination of the Federal
and non-Federal elements of the national network referred
to in subsection (b) with National Park Service units and
programs, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agree-
ments and memoranda of understanding with, and provide
technical assistance to—
(1) the heads of other Federal agencies, States,
localities, regional governmental bodies, and private
entities; and
(2) in cooperation with the Secretary of State,
the governments of Canada, Mexico, and any appro-
priate country in the Caribbean.
(d) APPROPRIATIONS.—No amounts may be appro-
priated for the purposes of this Act except to the Secretary
for carrying out the responsibilities of the Secretary as
set forth in section 3(a).
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