I
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8502
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 1, 2020
Mr. Yoho (for himself, Mr. Soto, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Spano, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Hastings, Ms. Shalala, and Ms. Frankel) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the site formerly known as Rosewood
, located in Levy County, Florida, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Rosewood Study Act
.
Findings
Congress finds as follows:
The town of Rosewood was originally surveyed in 1847 in Levy County, Florida, and quickly became a majority minority community.
On January 1, 1923, a young married White woman from a neighboring town falsely accused an African-American man of assault.
This accusation started a riot and the majority of Rosewood was burned to the ground.
This riot led to an unjust massacre and death toll that is still unknown.
Survivors were forced to flee to the woods and ultimately resettle around the State of Florida.
The town of Rosewood never recovered from this event.
The Governor of Florida was notified of the events, but did not intervene.
A small attempt was eventually made to indict locals by a grand jury, but this was unsuccessful.
This tragedy went unnoticed by those who were not immediately affected for almost 60 years, until 1982 when a reporter for the Saint Petersburg Times began to investigate the massacre.
In 1993, the State of Florida formally investigated the event and eventually passed a law issuing compensation for the losses to the victims and creating a scholarship fund.
Violence and prejudice have no place in our society.
Our society cannot be complacent in senseless acts of violence.
In order to learn from history, our society must make sure to remember it.
Definitions
In this Act:
Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
Study area
The term study area means the site formerly known as Rosewood
, grounds of the Rosewood massacre
, and State Road 24, Rosewood
located in Levy County, Florida.
Rosewood special resource study
In general
Not later than 1 year after the date on which funds are first made available for this purpose, the Secretary shall complete a special resource study of the study area.
Contents
In conducting the study pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
evaluate the national significance of the study area;
determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System;
consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, and interpretation of the study area by the Federal Government, State or local government entities, or private and nonprofit organizations;
consult with interested Federal agencies, State or local governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations, or any other interested individuals; and
identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance associated with the alternatives described in paragraphs (2) and (3).
Applicable law
Except as provided by subsection (a), the study required by subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of title 54, United States Code.
Report
Not later than 1 year after the date on which funds are first made available to carry out the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that describes—
the results of the study; and
any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.