Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act
Bill: S.4576 | Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian (D-HI)
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act
This bill increases the authorization of appropriations for the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) grant program, which supports the preservation of U.S. confinement sites that were used to detain Japanese Americans during World War II (i.e., internment camps). It also establishes a program within JACS to provide grants to Japanese American nonprofits to educate individuals about the historical significance of these events.


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.

    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 ``Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American 
Confinement Education Act''.

SEC. 2. JAPANESE AMERICAN CONFINEMENT EDUCATION GRANTS.

    Public Law 109-441 (120 Stat. 3290) is amended--
            (1) in section 2, by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Japanese american confinement education grants.--The 
        term `Japanese American Confinement Education Grants' means 
        competitive grants, awarded through the Japanese American 
        Confinement Sites Program, for Japanese American organizations 
        to educate individuals, including through the use of digital 
        resources, in the United States on the historical importance of 
        Japanese American confinement during World War II, so that 
        present and future generations may learn from Japanese American 
        confinement and the commitment of the United States to equal 
        justice under the law.
            ``(5) Japanese american organization.--The term `Japanese 
        American organization' means a private nonprofit organization 
        within the United States established to promote the 
        understanding and appreciation of the ethnic and cultural 
        diversity of the United States by illustrating the Japanese 
        American experience throughout the history of the United 
        States.''; and
            (2) in section 4--
                    (A) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before 
                ``There are authorized'';
                    (B) by striking ``$38,000,000'' and inserting 
                ``$80,000,000''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Japanese American Confinement Education Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--Of the amounts made available under this 
        section, not more than $10,000,000 shall be awarded as Japanese 
        American Confinement Education Grants to Japanese American 
        organizations. Such competitive grants shall be in an amount 
        not less than $750,000 and the Secretary shall give priority 
        consideration to Japanese American organizations with fewer 
        than 100 employees.
            ``(2) Matching requirement.--
                    ``(A) Fifty percent.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), for funds awarded under this 
                subsection, the Secretary shall require a 50 percent 
                match with non-Federal assets from non-Federal sources, 
                which may include cash or durable goods and materials 
                fairly valued, as determined by the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive all or part 
                of the matching requirement under subparagraph (A), if 
                the Secretary determines that--
                            ``(i) no reasonable means are available 
                        through which an applicant can meet the 
                        matching requirement; and
                            ``(ii) the probable benefit of the project 
                        funded outweighs the public interest in such 
                        matching requirement.''.
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