[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2316 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2316
To designate the Salt Pond Visitor Center at the Cape Cod National
Seashore as the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center'',
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 19, 2012
Mr. Kerry (for himself and Mr. Brown of Massachusetts) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To designate the Salt Pond Visitor Center at the 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 OF SALT POND VISITOR CENTER AT THE CAPE COD
NATIONAL SEASHORE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) Thomas Phillip (``Tip'') O'Neill, Jr. was born on
December 9, 1912, in a middle-class Irish neighborhood of North
Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Thomas Phillip O'Neill, Sr. and
Rose Ann O'Neill;
(2) nicknamed ``Tip'' during his childhood, Tip 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 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 the State of
North Carolina, Representative Tip O'Neill, along with his
close friend and colleague Representative Edward Boland,
introduced legislation to protect land on Cape Cod as a
national seashore;
(7) in describing the area on Cape Cod referred to in
paragraph (6), Henry David Thoreau wrote 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 referred to in paragraph (6)
established a 40-mile National Park along the outer beach of
Cape Cod, from the city of Chatham through the cities of
Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown, including
lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs that
offer a glimpse of the past and continuing ways of life of Cape
Cod;
(9) after introducing the legislation referred to in
paragraph (6) in the 85th Congress, Tip O'Neill continued to
advocate strongly for the establishment of the Cape Cod
National Seashore, cosponsoring bills in the 86th and 87th
Congresses, testifying at hearings, and working to advance the
legislation through Congress;
(10) the legislation to establish the Cape Cod National
Seashore was intended to preserve one of the great natural
marvels of the United States, including the 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
Public Law 87-126, which authorized the establishment the Cape
Cod National Seashore;
(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 the beauty and remarkable biodiversity of
the Cape Cod National Seashore;
(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 throughout his service in Congress and his
retirement;
(15) while a Member of 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 of Representatives
beginning in 1971 and then, in 1973, as House Majority Leader;
(16) one of Tip 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'',
which denounced violence in Northern Ireland and culminated
with the Irish aid package on 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
to the United States and tremendous accomplishments 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; and
(19) it is fitting to recognize the support of Tip O'Neill
for the protection of the natural, historic, and cultural
resources of the National Parks of the State 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 described in this section
that--
(1) includes information on Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. and his
contributions as a Member of the United States House of
Representatives;
(2) includes an image of Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.; and
(3) refers to the efforts of Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. to aid
in the preservation of the Cape Cod National Seashore and other
National Parks in the State of Massachusetts.
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