IB
Union Calendar No. 422
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2919
[Report No. 106–741]
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
Resources
JULY 17, 2000
Additional sponsors: Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. SHERWOOD, Mr. SOUDER, Mr.
HASTINGS of Florida, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. OXLEY, Ms. Lee, Mr.
SAWYER, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. KINGSTON
JULY 17, 2000
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 22, 1999]
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 Freedom
Center (hereinafter ‘‘Freedom Center’’) is a nonprofit
organization incorporated under the laws of the State
of Ohio 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 free-
dom which provided the foundation for the historic
and inspiring story of the Underground Railroad;
(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 center
linked through state-of-the-art technology to Under-
ground Railroad sites and facilities throughout the
United States and to a constituency that reaches
across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Carib-
bean 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 activi-
ties related to the Underground Railroad, including
but not limited to assisting the National Park Service
in the implementation of the National Underground
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 budg-
et’’ means the total amount of funds expended by the
Freedom Center on construction of its facility, devel-
opment of its programs and exhibits, research, collec-
tion of informative and educational activities 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 Free-
dom Center facility in Cincinnati, 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-Fed-
eral share’’ means all amounts obtained by the Free-
dom Center for the implementation of its facilities
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 facility, in-
cluding the building and surrounding site, which will
house the museum and research institute to be con-
structed 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 construction
of the Freedom Center facility and the development of pro-
grams and exhibits for that facility which will be funded
primarily through private and non-Federal funds, on prop-
erty owned by the city of Cincinnati, Hamilton County,
and the State of Ohio.
(c) DESCRIPTION OF THE FREEDOM CENTER FACILITY
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 minimum 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) OTHER PROVISIONS.—Any grant made under this
Act shall provide that—
(1) no change or alteration may be made in the
Freedom Center facility except with the agreement of
the property owner and the Secretary;
(2) the Secretary shall have the right of access at
reasonable times to the public portions of the Freedom
Center facility for interpretive and other purposes;
and
(3) conversion, use, or disposal of the Freedom
Center facility for purposes contrary to the purposes
of this Act, as determined by the Secretary, shall re-
sult in a right of the United States to compensation
equal to the greater of—
(A) all Federal funds made available to the
grantee under this Act; or
(B) the proportion of the increased value of
the Freedom Center facility attributable to such
funds, as determined at the time of such conver-
sion, use, or disposal.
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 Free-
dom Center facility, development of programs and exhibits
related to the history of the Underground Railroad, re-
search, collection of information and artifacts and edu-
cational activities related to the history of the Underground
Railroad, and any administrative activities necessary 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 Under-
ground 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 Freedom Cen-
ter to date, a budget of costs to be incurred prior to
the opening of the Freedom Center facility, an ac-
counting of funds raised to date, both Federal and
non-Federal, and a projection of funds to be raised
through the completion of the Freedom Center 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 thereafter for
any fiscal year in which Federal funds are expended pursu-
ant to this Act. The report shall—
(1) include a financial statement addressing the
Freedom Center’s costs incurred to date and projected
costs, and funds raised to date and projected fund-
raising 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.
SEC. 8. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD NETWORK TO FREEDOM ACT OF
1998.
The National Underground Railroad Network to Free-
dom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–203) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 4. PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC SITES OR STRUC-
TURES.
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.—The Secretary
of the Interior may make grants, in accordance with this
section, to historic sites or structures associated with the
Underground Railroad for the preservation and restoration
of buildings or structures listed on, or eligible for listing
on, the National Register of Historic Places.
‘‘(b) GRANT CONDITIONS.—Any grant made under this
section shall provide that—
‘‘(1) no change or alteration may be made in
property for which the grant is used except with the
agreement of the property owner and the Secretary;
‘‘(2) the Secretary shall have the right of access
at reasonable times to the public portions of such
property for interpretive and other purposes; and
‘‘(3) conversion, use, or disposal of such property
for purposes contrary to the purposes of this Act, as
determined by the Secretary, shall result in a right of
the United States to compensation equal to all Fed-
eral funds made available to the grantee under this
Act.
‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary may
obligate funds made available for a grant under this section
only if the grantee agrees to match, from funds derived from
non-Federal sources, the amount of the grant with an
amount that is equal to or greater than the grant. The Sec-
retary may waive the requirement of the preceding sentence
with respect to a grant if the Secretary determines that an
extreme emergency exists or that such a waiver is in the
public interest to assure the preservation of historically sig-
nificant resources.
‘‘(d) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary for purposes of this section
$2,500,000 for fiscal year 2001 and each subsequent fiscal
year. Amounts authorized but not appropriated in a fiscal
year shall be available for appropriation in subsequent fis-
cal years.’’.
Union Calendar No. 422
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2919
[Report No. 106–741]
A BILL
To promote preservation and public awareness of
the history of the Underground Railroad by pro-
viding financial assistance, to the Freedom Cen-
ter in Cincinnati, Ohio.
JULY 17, 2000
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
and ordered to be printed