Washington, D.C.--U.S. Sixth District Congressman Frank Lucas was pleased to join his colleagues in passing H.R. 1635, the ANational Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act@ yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 415-2. The legislation requires the National Park Service (NPS) to establish a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. A similar bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate on May 12 but has not been considered on the Senate floor.

"It is important that our government formally recognizes the significance of this chapter of American history by commemorating it officially and permanently," Lucas said. "I think this interactive, widespread, national park network plan is a fitting way to memorialize a period in history that played an integral role in the path our nation has taken in its maturation process since that time."

The Underground Railroad spanned 29 states, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Its "railways" were back roads, swamps, caves, forests, rivers and streams. It is believed that as many as one hundred thousand enslaved persons may have escaped in the years between the American Revolution and the Civil War using this network of aid and assistance.

"The process to establish this commemorative effort began before I was even a Member of Congress," Lucas said. "I am pleased to be a part of the effort to actually put this meritorious project plan into action."

In 1990, Congress authorized the NPS to conduct a study of the Underground Railroad, its routes and operation in order to preserve and interpret this aspect of U.S. history. The Park Service has been able to identify nearly 400 sites in 29 states that are associated with the Underground Railroad. H.R. 1635 sets up the plan for commemoration and interpretation.

"I have been a long-time supporter of memorializing our nation's history in the name of preserving its history for the better understanding of the generations to come," Lucas said. "In Oklahoma I have personally worked on efforts to commemorate the massacre at the Washita Battlefield in 1868 and the terrorist bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City in 1995. It is now time to provide our youth and adults alike with a better understanding of the institution of slavery that existed in the United States."

The bill directs the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to (1) develop a program that highlights the historic importance and value of the National Underground Railroad at appropriate national parks around the country; (2) establish exhibits; (3) provide appropriate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, and electronic information; (4) create and adopt an official symbol for the network; and (5) provide technical assistance to other interested entities. In addition, the bill authorizes the NPS to establish partnerships with interested entities (i.e., private organizations, federal, state, or local government agencies, and other countries) to assist in establishing the program.