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Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act
Introduced Feb 25, 2026 · Last action Jul 21, 2026 — Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
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Summary
This legislation is called the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
Full bill text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3925 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3925
To establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National
Historical Park, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 25, 2026
Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Alsobrooks, Ms. Duckworth,
Mr. Booker, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National
Historical Park, 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 ``Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald
Schools National Historical Park Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to establish a unit of the National Park System--
(A) to commemorate the life and legacy of Julius
Rosenwald, who--
(i) was the son of German-Jewish
immigrants;
(ii) helped make Sears, Roebuck and Co. the
leading retailer in the United States for many
years;
(iii) used his enormous fortune to become a
visionary philanthropist; and
(iv) partnered with Booker T. Washington
and approximately 5,000 African American
communities in the segregated South to build
schools for children who had few or no
educational opportunities;
(B) to recognize the impact of the Rosenwald
Schools, which--
(i) were constructed between 1912 and 1932
in 15 States; and
(ii) educated more than 600,000 African
American children, including a number of
graduates who became leaders in the civil
rights movement, such as--
(I) Representative John Lewis;
(II) Maya Angelou;
(III) Medgar Evers;
(IV) Nina Simone; and
(V) Carlotta Walls LaNier; and
(C) to honor other important parts of the legacy of
Julius Rosenwald, including--
(i) the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which--
(I) between 1928 and 1948, awarded
fellowships to nearly 900 talented men
and women--
(aa) \2/3\ of whom were
African Americans; and
(bb) including--
(AA) Marian
Anderson;
(BB) Langston
Hughes;
(CC) Ralph Bunche;
(DD) James Baldwin;
(EE) Dr. Charles
Drew;
(FF) Drs. Kenneth
and Mamie Phipps Clark;
(GG) Ralph Ellison;
and
(HH) Woody Guthrie;
(II) supported early legal cases of
the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People that led
to the Supreme Court opinion in Brown
v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347
U.S. 483 (1954); and
(III) provided support for a
significant number of historically
Black colleges and universities,
particularly to train teachers;
(ii) the founding, and service as the first
president of, the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Chicago;
(iii) service as a member of the board of
Jane Addams' Hull House for 20 years;
(iv) being the founding donor of the
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry; and
(v) otherwise embodying social justice;
(2) to preserve a small number of representative sites of
the Rosenwald Schools (including the San Domingo School in
Sharptown, Maryland, a 3-teacher restored school built during
the Tuskegee phase of the Rosenwald School program, the Saint
George Rosenwald School in Saint George, South Carolina, a 6-
teacher restored school built during the Julius Rosenwald Fund
phase of the Rosenwald School program, and the Woodville
Rosenwald School in Gloucester County, Virginia, a restored 2-
teacher school built during the Julius Rosenwald Fund phase of
the Rosenwald School program) and to establish a headquarters
and visitor center for the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald
Schools National Historical Park within or near the former
Sears Merchandising Complex in North Lawndale in the city of
Chicago, Illinois, to enlighten visitors on--
(A) the overall life and legacy of Julius
Rosenwald; and
(B) the ways in which the Rosenwald Schools--
(i) significantly improved African American
education in the South; and
(ii) helped to make the United States a
more democratic society; and
(3) to establish a network in the National Park Service to
connect the remaining Rosenwald Schools to disseminate more
fully the story of the Rosenwald Schools throughout the United
States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map prepared under
section 4(b)(2)(A).
(2) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the Rosenwald
Schools National Network established under section 5(a)(1).
(3) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Julius Rosenwald and
Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park established by
section 4(a)(1).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 4. JULIUS ROSENWALD AND ROSENWALD SCHOOLS NATIONAL HISTORICAL
PARK.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), there is
established as a unit of the National Park System the Julius
Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park.
(2) Determination by the secretary.--
(A) Date of establishment.--The Park shall not be
established until the date on which the Secretary
determines that a sufficient quantity of land or
interests in land within the boundary of the Park has
been acquired to constitute a manageable unit.
(B) Federal register notice.--The Secretary shall
publish in the Federal Register notice of a
determination under subparagraph (A).
(b) Boundary; Map.--
(1) Boundary.--The Park shall consist of the following:
(A) The 40-acre site selected for the Sears
merchandising complex constructed in 1905-1906, which
includes the original Sears Administration Building,
the catalog building, the power plant, and the Nichols
Tower, which now comprise the Sears Roebuck and Company
Complex National Historic Landmark, and the Sears
Sunken Garden directly across the street from the Sears
Administration Building.
(B) The San Domingo Rosenwald School in Sharptown,
Maryland, as generally depicted on the Map.
(C) The Saint George Rosenwald School in Saint
George, South Carolina, as generally depicted on the
Map.
(D) The Woodville Rosenwald School in Gloucester
County, Virginia, as generally depicted on the Map.
(E) Any Rosenwald School or other area designated
by Congress to be included in the Park after the date
of enactment of this Act.
(2) Map.--
(A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
prepare a map of the boundary of the Park.
(B) Availability.--The Map shall be on file and
available for public inspection in the appropriate
offices of the National Park Service.
(c) Administration.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer land within
the boundary of the Park in accordance with--
(A) this section; and
(B) the laws generally applicable to units of the
National Park System, including--
(i) sections 100101(a), 100751(a), 100752,
100753, and 102101 of title 54, United States
Code; and
(ii) chapters 1003 and 3201 of title 54,
United States Code.
(2) Contributing resources.--For the purposes of
establishing the Park, the following properties shall be
associated with the Park but shall not be transferred to, or
directly managed by, the National Park Service:
(A) The Saint George Rosenwald School in Saint
George, South Carolina.
(B) The Woodville Rosenwald School in Gloucester
County, Virginia.
(3) Cooperative agreements.--
(A) In general.--To further the purposes of this
section and notwithstanding chapter 63 of title 31,
United States Code, the Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements with the State of Illinois, the
city of Chicago, the States of Maryland, South
Carolina, and Virginia, other appropriate State and
local government officials, and public and nonpublic
entities, subject to subparagraph (B)--
(i) to support collaborative interpretive
and educational programs at non-Federal
historic properties within the boundary of the
Park; and
(ii) to identify, interpret, and provide
assistance for the preservation of non- Federal
land within the boundary of the Park and at
sites related to the Park but located outside
the boundaries of the Park, including providing
for--
(I) the placement of directional
and interpretive signage;
(II) exhibits; and
(III) technology-based and other
interpretive devices.
(B) Public access.--A cooperative agreement entered
into under this paragraph shall provide for reasonable
public access to any property subject to the
cooperative agreement.
(4) Use of funds.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary may use appropriated
funds to carry out a project to mark, interpret,
improve, restore, or provide technical assistance with
respect to the preservation and interpretation of any
property that is subject to a cooperative agreement
under paragraph (3).
(B) Inconsistent purposes.--Any payment made by the
Secretary under this section shall be subject to an
agreement that the conversion, use, or disposal of a
project carried out under subparagraph (A) for purposes
that are inconsistent with the purposes of this
section, as determined by the Secretary, shall result
in a right of the United States to reimbursement in an
amount that is the greater of--
(i) the amount provided by the Secretary to
the project; and
(ii) an amount equal to the increase in the
value of the project that is attributable to
the funds, as determined by the Secretary as of
the date of the conversion, use, or disposal.
(5) Acquisition of land.--
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the
Secretary may, within the National Historic Landmark
District in Chicago, Illinois--
(i) acquire a facade or other easement
interest on the Nichols Tower; and
(ii) enter into a lease or other agreement
for purposes of providing for administration of
the Park and appropriate visitor services.
(B) Outside of park boundary.--If the Secretary is
unable to identify appropriate space for administration
and visitor services in accordance with subparagraph
(A)(ii), the Secretary may acquire the appropriate land
or interests in land, or enter into other appropriate
agreements, in the vicinity of, but outside the
boundary of the Park, for administration and visitor
services.
(C) Limitation.--The San Domingo School in
Sharptown, Maryland, may only be acquired by the
Secretary under this section by--
(i) donation;
(ii) purchase with donated funds; or
(iii) exchange.
(6) Interpretation.--To further the dissemination of
information about the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald, with
an emphasis on the partnership of Julius Rosenwald with Booker
T. Washington and the approximately 5,000 communities in the
South that led to the establishment and success of the
Rosenwald Schools, the Secretary shall include interpretation
of the story of Julius Rosenwald at--
(A) the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in the
State of Illinois, within the boundary of which is
located the childhood home of Julius Rosenwald; and
(B) the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
in the State of Alabama, which was founded by Booker T.
Washington for the education of African Americans and
at which architects designed the early Rosenwald
Schools.
(7) Management plan.--Not later than 3 fiscal years after
the date on which funds are first made available to carry out
this section, the Secretary shall complete a general management
plan for the Park in accordance with--
(A) section 100502 of title 54, United States Code;
and
(B) any other applicable laws.
SEC. 5. ROSENWALD SCHOOLS NATIONAL NETWORK.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
(1) establish, within the National Park Service, a program
to be known as the ``Rosenwald Schools National Network'';
(2) as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of
this Act, solicit proposals from sites, facilities, and
programs interested in being a part of the Network; and
(3) administer the Network.
(b) Duties of the Secretary.--In carrying out the Network, the
Secretary shall--
(1) review studies and reports to complement and not
duplicate studies of the historical importance of the Rosenwald
Schools;
(2) produce and disseminate appropriate educational and
promotional materials relating to the life and work of Julius
Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools that are part of the
Network, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or
electronic information;
(3) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and
memoranda of understanding to provide assistance, as
appropriate;
(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 this paragraph;
(5) conduct research relating to the Rosenwald Schools;
(6) make recommendations for any additional Rosenwald
School sites that should be considered for inclusion within the
Park due to the significance, integrity, and need for
management by the National Park Service of the sites; and
(7) have the authority to provide grants to Network
elements described in subsection (c).
(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 the story of
Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools.
(2) Other Federal, State, local, and privately owned
properties that the Secretary determines--
(A) relate to Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald
Schools; and
(B) are included, or determined by the Secretary to
be eligible for inclusion, in the National Register of
Historic Places.
(3) Other governmental and nongovernmental sites,
facilities, and programs of an educational, research, or
interpretive nature that are directly related to Julius
Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools.
(d) Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.--To
achieve the purposes of this section and to ensure effective
coordination of the Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network and
units and programs of the National Park Service, 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, regional governmental
bodies, and private entities.
<all>Official legislative text sourced from the public record (cached on CivicsHQ).
Official source
View the original bill, actions, and full legislative record on Congress.gov.
Status
In Committee
- 1Introduced
- 2Committee
- 3Floor
- 4Passed
- 5Signed
Timeline reflects current normalized status only. Full action history is not yet stored in the API.
Sponsors
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]DSenateIL
Votes
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