I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2919
To promote preservation and public awareness of the history of the Under-
ground Railroad by providing financial assistance, to the Freedom Center
in Cincinnati, Ohio.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 22, 1999
Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. REGULA, Mr. CLYBURN,
Mr. HOBSON, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. LUCAS of Kentucky, Mr.
BOEHNER, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. GILCHREST, and Mr. HILL of Indiana)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources
A BILL
To promote preservation and public awareness of the history
of the Underground Railroad by providing financial as-
sistance, to the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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 Freedom Center Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the National Underground Railroad Free-
dom Center (hereinafter ‘‘Freedom Center’’) was
founded in 1995;
(2) the objectives of the Freedom Center are to
interpret the history of the Underground Railroad
through development of a national cultural institu-
tion in Cincinnati, Ohio, that will house an interpre-
tive center, including museum, educational, and re-
search facilities, all dedicated to communicating to
the public the importance of the quest for human
freedom which provided the foundation for the his-
toric and inspiring story of the Underground Rail-
road;
(3) the city of Cincinnati has granted exclusive
development rights for a prime riverfront location to
the Freedom Center;
(4) the Freedom Center will be a national cen-
ter linked through state-of-the-art technology to Un-
derground Railroad sites and facilities throughout
the United States and to a constituency that reaches
across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Car-
ibbean and beyond; and
(5) the Freedom Center has reached an agree-
ment with the National Park Service to pursue a
range of historical and educational cooperative ac-
tivities related to the Underground Railroad, includ-
ing but not limited to assisting the National Park
Service in the implementation of the National Un-
derground Railroad Network to Freedom Act.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to promote preservation and public aware-
ness of the history of the Underground Railroad;
(2) to assist the Freedom Center in the develop-
ment of its programs and facilities in Cincinnati,
Ohio; and
(3) to assist the National Park Service in the
implementation of the National Underground Rail-
road Network to Freedom Act (16 U.S.C. 469l).
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
(2) PROJECT
BUDGET.—The term ‘‘project
budget’’ means the total amount of funds expended
by the Freedom Center on construction of its facil-
ity, development of its programs and exhibits, re-
search, collection of informative and educational ac-
tivities related to the history of the Underground
Railroad, and any administrative activities necessary
to the operation of the Freedom Center, prior to the
opening of the Freedom Center facility in Cin-
cinnati, Ohio.
(3) FEDERAL
SHARE.—The term ‘‘Federal
share’’ means an amount not to exceed 20 percent
of the project budget and shall include all amounts
received from the Federal Government under this
legislation and any other Federal programs.
(4) NON-FEDERAL
SHARE.—The term ‘‘non-
Federal share’’ means all amounts obtained by the
Freedom Center for the implementation of its facili-
ties and programs from any source other than the
Federal Government, and shall not be less than 80
percent of the project budget.
(5) THE
FREEDOM
CENTER
FACILITY.—The
term ‘‘the Freedom Center facility’’ means the facil-
ity, including the building and surrounding site,
which will house the museum and research institute
to be constructed and developed in Cincinnati, Ohio,
on the site described in section 4(c).
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From sums appro-
priated pursuant to the authority of subsection (d) in any
fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized and directed to pro-
vide financial assistance to the Freedom Center, in order
to pay the Federal share of the cost of authorized activities
described in section 5.
(b) EXPENDITURE ON NON-FEDERAL PROPERTY.—
The Secretary is authorized to expend appropriated funds
under subsection (a) of this section to assist in the con-
struction of the Freedom Center facility and the develop-
ment of programs and exhibits for that facility which will
be funded primarily through private and non-Federal
funds, on property owned by the city of Cincinnati, Ham-
ilton County, and the State of Ohio.
(c) DESCRIPTION OF THE FREEDOM CENTER FACIL-
ITY SITE.—The facility referred to in subsections (a) and
(b) will be located on a site described as follows: a 2-block
area south of new South Second, west of Walnut Street,
north of relocated Theodore M. Berry Way, and east of
Vine Street in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated $16,000,000 for the 4
fiscal year period beginning October 1, 1999. Funds not
to exceed that total amount may be appropriated in 1 or
more of such fiscal years. Funds shall not be disbursed
until the Freedom Center has commitments for a min-
imum of 50 percent of the non-Federal share.
(e) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, funds appropriated to carry out the
provisions of this Act shall remain available for obligation
and expenditure until the end of the fiscal year succeeding
the fiscal year for which the funds were appropriated.
(f) NPS EMPLOYEES.—The Secretary is authorized
to use employees of the National Park Service to carry
out any agreement entered into between the Freedom Cen-
ter and the Secretary with respect to activities authorized
under section 5.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Freedom Center may engage
in any activity related to its objectives addressed in section
2(a), including, but not limited to, construction of the
Freedom Center facility, development of programs and ex-
hibits related to the history of the Underground Railroad,
research, collection of information and artifacts and edu-
cational activities related to the history of the Under-
ground Railroad, and any administrative activities nec-
essary to the operation of the Freedom Center.
(b) PRIORITIES.—The Freedom Center shall give pri-
ority to—
(1) construction of the Freedom Center facility;
(2) development of programs and exhibits to be
presented in or from the Freedom Center facility;
and
(3) providing assistance to the National Park
Service in the implementation of the National Un-
derground Railroad Network to Freedom Act (16
U.S.C. 469l).
SEC. 6. APPLICATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Freedom Center shall submit
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man-
ner, and containing or accompanied by such information
as the Secretary may reasonably require. Each application
shall—
(1) describe the activities for which assistance
is sought;
(2) provide assurances that the non-Federal
share of the cost of activities of the Freedom Center
shall be paid from non-Federal sources, together
with an accounting of costs expended by the Free-
dom Center to date, a budget of costs to be incurred
prior to the opening of the Freedom Center facility,
an accounting of funds raised to date, both Federal
and non-Federal, and a projection of funds to be
raised through the completion of the Freedom Cen-
ter facility.
(b) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall approve the ap-
plication submitted pursuant to subsection (a) unless such
application fails to comply with the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 7. REPORTS.
The Freedom Center shall submit an annual report
to the appropriate committees of the Congress not later
than January 31, 2000, and each succeeding year there-
after for any fiscal year in which Federal funds are ex-
pended pursuant to this Act. The report shall—
(1) include a financial statement addressing the
Freedom Center’s costs incurred to date and pro-
jected costs, and funds raised to date and projected
fundraising goals;
(2) include a comprehensive and detailed de-
scription of the Freedom Center’s activities for the
preceding and succeeding fiscal years; and
(3) include a description of the activities taken
to assure compliance with this Act.
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