[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4400 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4400
To designate the Salt Pond Visitor Center at Cape Cod National Seashore
as the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center'', and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 19, 2012
Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Neal, Mr.
Olver, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Tsongas,
Mr. Keating, and Ms. Pelosi) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To designate the Salt Pond Visitor Center at Cape Cod National Seashore
as the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center'', 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. DESIGNATION.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Thomas Phillip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr., was born on December
9, 1912, in the Irish middle-class area of North Cambridge,
Massachusetts, to Thomas Phillip O'Neill, Sr., and Rose Ann
(Tolan) O'Neill.
(2) Nicknamed ``Tip'' during his childhood, O'Neill was
educated in Roman Catholic schools, graduating from St. John's
High School in 1931, where he was captain of the basketball
team.
(3) Tip O'Neill then attended Boston College, where he ran
for a Cambridge City Council seat during his senior year--his
first attempt at running for office and only electoral defeat.
(4) Following his graduation from Boston College in 1936,
Tip O'Neill was elected to the Massachusetts House of
Representatives that same year as a New Deal Democrat whose
political philosophy was shaped by his experience growing up in
working-class Boston and his strong Catholic faith, which led
him to view government as a means for helping the disadvantaged
in society.
(5) In 1949, Tip O'Neill became the first Democratic
Speaker in the history of the Massachusetts State Legislature,
serving as Speaker until 1952, when he ran successfully for the
United States House of Representatives to fill the seat vacated
by Senator-elect John F. Kennedy.
(6) In 1958, inspired by the establishment of the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore, a seashore park in North Carolina,
Representative Tip O'Neill, along with his close friend and
colleague Representative Edward Boland, introduced legislation
to protect lands on Cape Cod as a national seashore.
(7) In describing this area on Cape Cod, Henry David
Thoreau had written that ``A man may stand there and put all
America behind him'', as the pristine sandy beach, marshes,
ponds, and uplands supporting diverse species represent a
unique, cherished jewel of nature.
(8) The legislation established a 40-mile national park
along Cape Cod's outer beach, from Chatham through Orleans,
Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown that includes
lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs that
offer a glimpse of Cape Cod's past and continuing ways of life.
(9) After introduction of the legislation during the 85th
Congress, Tip O'Neill continued to advocate strongly for
establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore, co-sponsoring
bills in the 86th and 87th Congresses, testifying at hearings
and working to advance the legislation through Congress.
(10) The legislation was intended to preserve one of the
great natural marvels of the United States, with its unbroken
beach and moors, marshes, forests, and freshwater ponds that
are home to many species of birds, fish, animals, and plants.
(11) On August 7, 1961, President Kennedy signed into law
the legislation authorizing the Cape Cod National Seashore as
Public Law 87-126.
(12) In 1966, the Cape Cod National Seashore was formally
established, and Representative O'Neill attended the May 30,
1966, ceremony inaugurating the Salt Pond Visitor Center.
(13) The Cape Cod National Seashore has become a national
treasure, with millions of Americans and visitors from around
the world enjoying its beauty and remarkable biodiversity.
(14) Tip O'Neill and his family maintained a home on Cape
Cod in Harwich Port, and he was a frequent visitor to the
National Seashore during his service in Congress and in his
retirement years.
(15) While in Congress, Tip O'Neill rose quickly through
the leadership ranks due to his extraordinary political skills,
mastery of the legislative process and sharp wit, serving first
as Majority Whip in the House beginning in 1971 and then in
1973 as House Majority Leader.
(16) One of O'Neill's greatest accomplishments as Speaker
was the crafting of a peace accord between warring factions in
Northern Ireland, during which he worked with fellow Irish-
American politicians including Senator Edward M. Kennedy to
develop the ``St. Patrick's Day declaration'' denouncing
violence in Northern Ireland and culminating with the Irish aid
package upon the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985.
(17) On January 3, 1987, Tip O'Neill retired from Congress,
having served in public life for 50 years, including 34 years
as a Member of Congress and 10 years as Speaker of the House,
the longest continuous term of any Speaker since the first
Congress met in 1789.
(18) Tip O'Neill's extraordinary record of public service
and tremendous accomplishments for the nation and unmatched
attention to the needs of his constituents led President George
H.W. Bush in 1991 to present Tip O'Neill with the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United
States.
(19) It is also altogether fitting to recognize Tip
O'Neill's support for the protection of the natural, historic,
and cultural resources of the national parks of Massachusetts.
(b) Designation.--The Salt Pond Visitor Center at Cape Cod National
Seashore in Eastham, Massachusetts, is designated as the ``Thomas P.
O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center''.
(c) References.--Any reference to the Salt Pond Visitor Center at
Cape Cod National Seashore in any law, regulation, map, document,
record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a
reference to the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center''.
(d) Signage.--The Secretary of the Interior may post an
interpretive sign at the visitor center that--
(1) includes information on Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., and his
contributions as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives;
(2) includes an image of Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.; and
(3) refers to his efforts to aid in the preservation of the
national seashore and other national parks in Massachusetts.
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