[107th Congress Public Law 363]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
<DOC>
[DOCID: f:publ363.107]
[[Page 116 STAT. 3024]]
Public Law 107-363
107th Congress
An Act
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the site
commonly known as Eagledale Ferry Dock at Taylor Avenue in the State of
Washington for potential inclusion in the National Park
System. <<NOTE: Dec. 19, 2002 - [H.R. 3747]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress <<NOTE: Bainbridge Island Japanese-
American Memorial Study Act of 2002.>> assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Bainbridge Island
Japanese-American Memorial Study Act of 2002''.
(b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) During World War II on February 19, 1942, President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, setting
in motion the forced exile of more than 110,000 Japanese
Americans.
(2) In Washington State, 12,892 men, women and children of
Japanese ancestry experienced three years of incarceration, an
incarceration violating the most basic freedoms of American
citizens.
(3) On March 30, 1942, 227 Bainbridge Island residents were
the first Japanese Americans in United States history to be
forcibly removed from their homes by the U.S. Army and sent to
internment camps. They boarded the ferry Kehloken from the
former Eagledale Ferry Dock, located at the end of Taylor
Avenue, in the city of Bainbridge Island, Washington State.
(4) The city of Bainbridge Island has adopted a resolution
stating that this site should be a National Memorial, and
similar resolutions have been introduced in the Washington State
Legislature.
(5) Both the Minidoka National Monument and Manzanar
National Historic Site can clearly tell the story of a time in
our Nation's history when constitutional rights were ignored.
These camps by design were placed in very remote places and are
not easily accessible. Bainbridge Island is a short ferry ride
from Seattle and the site would be within easy reach of many
more people.
(6) This is a unique opportunity to create a site that will
honor those who suffered, cherish the friends and community who
stood beside them and welcomed them home, and inspire all to
stand firm in the event our nation again succumbs to similar
fears.
(7) The site should be recognized by the National Park
Service based on its high degree of national significance,
association with significant events, and integrity of its
location
[[Page 116 STAT. 3025]]
and setting. This site is critical as an anchor for future
efforts to identify, interpret, serve, and ultimately honor the
Nikkei--persons of Japanese ancestry--influence on Bainbridge
Island.
SEC. 2. EAGLEDALE FERRY DOCK LOCATION AT TAYLOR AVENUE STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out a special
resource study regarding the national significance, suitability, and
feasibility of designating as a unit of the National Park System the
property commonly known as the Eagledale Ferry Dock at Taylor Avenue and
the historical events associated with it, located in the town of
Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County, Washington.
(b) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> Report.--Not later than 1 year after funds
are first made available for the study under subsection (a), the
Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on Resources of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report describing the findings, conclusions,
and recommendations of the study.
(c) Requirements for Study.--Except as otherwise provided in this
section, the study under subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance
with section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
Approved December 19, 2002.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 3747: (S. 1894) (S. 1959)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 107-690 (Comm. on Resources).
SENATE REPORTS: No. 107-196 accompanying S. 1894 (Comm. on Energy and
Natural Resources).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 148 (2002):
Nov. 14, considered and passed House.
Nov. 19, considered and passed Senate.
<all>