[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3894 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3894

    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
 resource study of the Pullman Historic Site in Chicago, Illinois, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2012

   Mr. Jackson of Illinois 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 Pullman Historic Site in Chicago, Illinois, 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 ``Pullman Historic Site National Park 
Service Study Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The Historic Pullman District, built between the years 
        of 1880 and 1884, was established by George M. Pullman, owner 
        of the Pullman Palace Car Company. Pullman envisioned an 
        industrial town that provided employees with a model community 
        and suitable living conditions for workers and their families. 
        The town, which consisted of over 1,000 buildings and homes, 
        was awarded ``The World's Most Perfect Town'' at the 
        International Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition in 1896.
            (2) The Pullman factory site is a true symbol of the 
        historic American struggle to achieve fair labor practices for 
        the working class, with the original factory serving as the 
        catalyst for the first industry-wide strike in the United 
        States. In the midst of economic depression in 1894, factory 
        workers there initiated a strike to protest unsafe labor and 
        reductions in pay that when taken up as a cause by the American 
        Railway Union (ARU) crippled the entire rail industry. The 
        Pullman conceived strike continued even in the face of a 
        federal injunction and Federal troops were sent to Chicago by 
        President Grover Cleveland to end the strike. Efforts made by 
        the Pullman workers set a national example for the ability of 
        working Americans to change the existing system in favor of 
        more just practices.
            (3) The Pullman Car Company plays an important role in both 
        American, African American and early Civil Rights History 
        through the legacy of the Pullman Porters, all black and many 
        ex-slaves receiving paid work in a heavily discriminatory 
        environment immediately following the Civil War. These men, who 
        served diligently between the 1870s and the 1960s, have been 
        commended for their level of service and attention to detail, 
        as well as their contributions to the development of the black 
        middle class. The information, ideas, and commerce they carried 
        across the country helped to bring education and wealth to the 
        black community, and their role in the historical image of the 
        Pullman car is unmistakable. The struggles of A. Philip 
        Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first 
        black union established in 1925, against discrimination and in 
        support of just labor practices, helped lay the groundwork for 
        the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement.
            (4) The preservation of Pullman has been threatened by 
        plans for demolition in 1960 and by a fire in 1998, which 
        damaged the iconic clock-tower and surrounding manufacturing 
        buildings. The restoration and preservation led by the diligent 
        efforts of community organizations, foundations, non-profits, 
        residents and the local and state government, were vital to the 
        protection of the site.
            (5) Due to the Pullman's historic and architectural 
        significance, the site is designated as--
                    (A) a registered National Historic Landmark 
                District;
                    (B) an Illinois State Landmark; and
                    (C) a City of Chicago Landmark district.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special 
resource study of the historic Pullman site in Chicago, Illinois.
    (b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) evaluate the national significance of the site;
            (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
        designating the site as a unit of the National Park System;
            (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 
        protection, and interpretation of the site by Federal, State, 
        or local governmental entities, or private and nonprofit 
        organizations;
            (4) consult with interested Federal, State, or local 
        governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations, or 
        any other interested individuals;
            (5) consider the appropriate management options needed to 
        ensure the protection, preservation, and interpretation of the 
        site; and
            (6) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, 
        development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance 
        associated with the alternatives.
    (c) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
be conducted in accordance with section 8 of National Park Service 
General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a-5).
    (d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 
are first made available for 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 containing the results of the study 
and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
                                 <all>