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.