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JAPANESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HISTORY NETWORK ACT
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6434) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish, within the National Park Service, the Japanese American World War II History Network, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6434
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 ``Japanese American World War II History Network Act''.
SEC. 2. JAPANESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HISTORY NETWORK.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Interior
(hereinafter referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish, within the National Park Service, a program to be known as the ``Japanese American World War II History Network'' (hereinafter referred to as the ``Network'').
(b) Duties of Secretary.--In carrying out the Network, the Secretary shall--
(1) review studies and reports to complement and not duplicate studies of Japanese American World War II history and Japanese American experiences during World War II, including studies related to relocation centers and confinement sites, that are underway or completed;
(2) produce and disseminate appropriate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information relating to Japanese American World War II history and Japanese American experiences during the war, including relocation centers and confinement sites;
(3) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance under subsection (c); and
(4)(A) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the Network; and
(B) issue regulations for the use of the symbol or device adopted under subparagraph (A).
(c) Elements.--The Network shall encompass the following elements:
(1) All units and programs of the National Park Service that are determined by the Secretary to relate to Japanese American World War II history and Japanese American experiences during the war, including relocation centers and confinement sites.
(2) With the consent of the property owner, other Federal, State, local, Tribal, and privately owned properties that--
(A) relate to Japanese American World War II history and Japanese experiences during the war, including relocation centers and confinement sites;
(B) have a verifiable connection to Japanese American World War II history and Japanese experiences during the war, including relocation and confinement sites; and
(C) are included in, or determined by the Secretary to be eligible for inclusion in, 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 Japanese American World War II history and the experiences of Japanese Americans during the war, including relocation centers and confinement sites.
SEC. 3. 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 Network described in section 2(c) with units of the National Park System and programs of the National Park Service, including the Japanese American Confinement Sites Program, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding with, and provide technical assistance to the heads of other Federal agencies, States, units of local government, Tribes, regional governmental bodies, and private entities.
SEC. 4. SUNSET.
The authority of the Secretary under this Act shall expire 7 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
General Leave
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material for the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6434, the Japanese American World War II History Network Act, introduced by my Natural Resources Committee colleague, Representative Jay Obernolte.
This bill will direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Japanese American World War II History Network within the National Park Service.
Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. Government wrongfully imprisoned approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens. Many of the U.S. Government's activities during World War II were done in secrecy and were not accurately represented to the public in the years after the war.
Designating this network will support education and awareness of the people, places, and events that were associated with the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans.
This effort will be a welcome complement to the existing Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, which we are looking to reauthorize and strengthen today through Representative Matsui's legislation, which we considered earlier this afternoon.
I thank Representative Obernolte for championing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6434, offered by my committee colleague, Mr. Obernolte of California, to establish a Japanese American World War II History Network within the National Park Service.
As Chairman Grijalva stated, this bill is complementary to the previous bill we considered today with the JACS program in it.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, tens of thousands of Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from the West Coast to relocation centers across the United States. Japanese Americans were imprisoned without trial and forced to relocate to some of the most remote areas of our country, with few personal belongings. My State of Arkansas was home to two relocation camps, Rohwer in Desha County and Jerome in Chicot and Drew Counties.
Mr. Obernolte's bill, which I have proudly cosponsored, would establish a cohesive national network to increase the visibility of all sites related to the Japanese American experience during World War II. The network will be similar to existing networks established in recent years to connect sites associated with the Underground Railroad, the Reconstruction era, and the African American civil rights movement.
At the legislative hearing, Mr. Bruce Saito, chair of the Friends of Manzanar, testified about this critical network, saying: ``We must continue to strengthen the network and continue to connect the dots through the network so this tragic and very important lesson in history is never forgotten.''
The new network will be an important tool to ensure that this history, no matter how painful it may be, is always remembered, and the important stories of interned Japanese Americans are told with honor and respect.
In addition to the Friends of Manzanar, we have received letters of support from the Amache Preservation Society, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the National Japanese American Historical Society, and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
I commend Mr. Obernolte for his work on this important legislation that will help future generations learn from and reflect on the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support, and I thank Mr. Obernolte for introducing the legislation. I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Obernolte, our colleague on the committee, and Ms. Matsui, a former colleague on the committee, for two pieces of very important legislation that look at the realism that we need to look at in terms of our history as a Nation. They are complementary and good pieces of legislation.
Madam Speaker, I urge approval, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6434.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. HARRIS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion are postponed.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 46
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