[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 142 (Saturday, October 10, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10411-H10413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ACT OF 1998

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Resources be discharged from further consideration of the Senate 
bill (S. 1408) to establish the Lower East Side Tenement National 
Historic Site, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 1408

       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 ``Lower East Side Tenement 
     National Historic Site Act of 1998''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1)(A) immigration, and the resulting diversity of cultural 
     influences, is a key factor in defining the identity of the 
     United States; and
       (B) many United States citizens trace their ancestry to 
     persons born in nations other than the United States;
       (2) the latter part of the 19th century and the early part 
     of the 20th century marked a period in which the volume of 
     immigrants coming to the United States far exceeded that of 
     any time prior to or since that period;
       (3) no single identifiable neighborhood in the United 
     States absorbed a comparable number of immigrants than the 
     Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City;
       (4) the Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street in 
     New York City is an outstanding survivor of the vast number 
     of humble buildings that housed immigrants to New York City 
     during the greatest wave of immigration in American history;
       (5) the Lower East Side Tenement is owned and operated as a 
     museum by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum;
       (6) the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is dedicated to 
     interpreting immigrant life within a neighborhood long 
     associated with the immigrant experience in the United 
     States, New York City's Lower East Side, and its importance 
     to United States history; and
       (7)(A) the Director of the National Park Service found the 
     Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street to be 
     nationally significant; and
       (B) the Secretary of the Interior declared the Lower East 
     Side Tenement a National Historic Landmark on April 19, 1994; 
     and
       (C) the Director of the National Park Service, through a 
     special resource study, found the Lower East Side Tenement 
     suitable and feasible for inclusion in the National Park 
     System.
       (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to ensure the preservation, maintenance, and 
     interpretation of this site and to interpret at the site the 
     themes of immigration, tenement life in the latter half of 
     the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the 
     housing reform movement, and tenement architecture in the 
     United States;
       (2) to ensure continued interpretation of the nationally 
     significant immigrant phenomenon associated with New York 
     City's Lower East Side and the Lower East Side's role in the 
     history of immigration to the United States; and
       (3) to enhance the interpretation of the Castle Clinton, 
     Ellis Island, and Statue of Liberty National Monuments.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       As used in this Act:
       (1) Historic site.--The term ``historic site'' means the 
     Lower East Side Tenement found at 97 Orchard Street on 
     Manhattan Island in City of New York, State of New York, and 
     designated as a national historic site by section 4.
       (2) Museum.--The term ``Museum'' means the Lower East Side 
     Tenement Museum, a nonprofit organization established in City 
     of New York, State of New York, which owns and operates the 
     tenement building at 97 Orchard Street and manages other 
     properties in the vicinity of 97 Orchard Street as 
     administrative and program support facilities for 97 Orchard 
     Street.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF HISTORIC SITE.

       (a) In General.--To further the purposes of this Act and 
     the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the preservation of 
     historic American sites, buildings, objects, and antiquities 
     of national significance, and for other purposes'', approved 
     August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.), the Lower East Side 
     Tenement at 97 Orchard Street, in the City of New York, State 
     of New York, is designated a national historic site.
       (b) Coordination With National Park System.--
       (1) Affiliated site.--The historic site shall be an 
     affiliated site of the National Park System.
       (2) Coordination.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Museum, shall coordinate the operation and interpretation of 
     the historic site with the Statue of Liberty National 
     Monument, Ellis Island National Monument, and Castle Clinton 
     National Monument. The historic site's story and 
     interpretation of the immigrant experience in the United 
     States is directly related to the themes and purposes of 
     these National Monuments.
       (c) Ownership.--The historic site shall continue to be 
     owned, operated, and managed by the Museum.

     SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT OF THE SITE.

       (a) Cooperative Agreement.--The Secretary may enter into a 
     cooperative agreement with the Museum to ensure the marking, 
     interpretation, and preservation of the national historic 
     site designated by section 4(a).
       (b) Technical and Financial Assistance.--The Secretary may 
     provide technical and financial assistance to the Museum to 
     mark, interpret, and preserve the historic site, including 
     making preservation-related capital improvements and repairs.
       (c) General Management Plan.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Museum, shall develop a general management plan for the 
     historic

[[Page H10412]]

     site that defines the role and responsibility of the 
     Secretary with regard to the interpretation and the 
     preservation of the historic site.
       (2) Integration with national monuments.--The plan shall 
     outline how interpretation and programming for the historic 
     site shall be integrated and coordinated with the Statue of 
     Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island National Monument, 
     and Castle Clinton National Monument to enhance the story of 
     the historic site and these National Monuments.
       (3) Completion.--The plan shall be completed not later than 
     2 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
       (d) Limited Role of Secretary.--Nothing in this Act 
     authorizes the Secretary to acquire the property at 97 
     Orchard Street or to assume overall financial responsibility 
     for the operation, maintenance, or management of the historic 
     site.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are 
     necessary to carry out this Act.

     Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute Offered by Mr. Hansen

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Mr. 
     Hansen:
       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

  TITLE I--LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, NEW YORK.

     SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1)(A) immigration, and the resulting diversity of cultural 
     influences, is a key factor in defining the identity of the 
     United States; and
       (B) many United States citizens trace their ancestry to 
     persons born in nations other than the United States;
       (2) the latter part of the 19th century and the early part 
     of the 20th century marked a period in which the volume of 
     immigrants coming to the United States far exceeded that of 
     any time prior to or since that period;
       (3) no single identifiable neighborhood in the United 
     States absorbed a comparable number of immigrants than the 
     Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City;
       (4) the Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street in 
     New York City is an outstanding survivor of the vast number 
     of humble buildings that housed immigrants to New York City 
     during the greatest wave of immigration in American history;
       (5) the Lower East Side Tenement is owned and operated as a 
     museum by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum;
       (6) the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is dedicated to 
     interpreting immigrant life within a neighborhood long 
     associated with the immigrant experience in the United 
     States, New York City's Lower East Side, and its importance 
     to United States history; and
       (7)(A) the Director of the National Park Service found the 
     Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street to be 
     nationally significant; and
       (B) the Secretary of the Interior declared the Lower East 
     Side Tenement a National Historic Landmark on April 19, 1994; 
     and
       (C) the Director of the National Park Service, through a 
     special resource study, found the Lower East Side Tenement 
     suitable and feasible for inclusion in the National Park 
     System.
       (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this title are--
       (1) to ensure the preservation, maintenance, and 
     interpretation of this site and to interpret at the site the 
     themes of immigration, tenement life in the latter half of 
     the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the 
     housing reform movement, and tenement architecture in the 
     United States;
       (2) to ensure continued interpretation of the nationally 
     significant immigrant phenomenon associated with New York 
     City's Lower East Side and the Lower East Side's role in the 
     history of immigration to the United States; and
       (3) to enhance the interpretation of the Castle Clinton, 
     Ellis Island, and Statue of Liberty National Monuments.

     SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.

       As used in this title:
       (1) Historic site.--The term ``historic site'' means the 
     Lower East Side Tenement found at 97 Orchard Street on 
     Manhattan Island in City of New York, State of New York, and 
     designated as a national historic site by section 103.
       (2) Museum.--The term ``Museum'' means the Lower East Side 
     Tenement Museum, a nonprofit organization established in City 
     of New York, State of New York, which owns and operates the 
     tenement building at 97 Orchard Street and manages other 
     properties in the vicinity of 97 Orchard Street as 
     administrative and program support facilities for 97 Orchard 
     Street.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 103. ESTABLISHMENT OF HISTORIC SITE.

       (a) In General.--To further the purposes of this title and 
     the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the preservation of 
     historic American sites, buildings, objects, and antiquities 
     of national significance, and for other purposes'', approved 
     August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.), the Lower East Side 
     Tenement at 97 Orchard Street, in the City of New York, State 
     of New York, is designated a national historic site.
       (b) Coordination With National Park System.--
       (1) Affiliated site.--The historic site shall be an 
     affiliated site of the National Park System.
       (2) Coordination.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Museum, shall coordinate the operation and interpretation of 
     the historic site with the Statue of Liberty National 
     Monument, Ellis Island National Monument, and Castle Clinton 
     National Monument. The historic site's story and 
     interpretation of the immigrant experience in the United 
     States is directly related to the themes and purposes of 
     these National Monuments.
       (c) Ownership.--The historic site shall continue to be 
     owned, operated, and managed by the Museum.

     SEC. 104. MANAGEMENT OF THE HISTORIC SITE.

       (a) Cooperative Agreement.--The Secretary may enter into a 
     cooperative agreement with the Museum to ensure the marking, 
     interpretation, and preservation of the national historic 
     site designated by section 103(a).
       (b) Technical and Financial Assistance.--The Secretary may 
     provide technical and financial assistance to the Museum to 
     mark, interpret, and preserve the historic site, including 
     making preservation-related capital improvements and repairs.
       (c) General Management Plan.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Museum, shall develop a general management plan for the 
     historic site that defines the role and responsibility of the 
     Secretary with regard to the interpretation and the 
     preservation of the historic site.
       (2) Integration with national monuments.--The plan shall 
     outline how interpretation and programming for the historic 
     site shall be integrated and coordinated with the Statue of 
     Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island National Monument, 
     and Castle Clinton National Monument to enhance the story of 
     the historic site and these National Monuments.
       (3) Completion.--The plan shall be completed not later than 
     2 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
       (d) Limited Role of Secretary.--Nothing in this title 
     authorizes the Secretary to acquire the property at 97 
     Orchard Street or to assume overall financial responsibility 
     for the operation, maintenance, or management of the historic 
     site.

     SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are 
     necessary to carry out this title.

                        TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS

     SEC. 201. CASA MALPAIS NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK, ARIZONA.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds and declares that--
       (1) the Casa Malpais National Historic Landmark was 
     occupied by one of the largest and most sophisticated 
     Mogollon communities in the United States;
       (2) the landmark includes a 58-room masonry pueblo, 
     including stairways, Great Kiva complex, and fortification 
     walls, a prehistoric trail, and catacomb chambers where the 
     deceased were placed;
       (3) the Casa Malpais was designated as a national historic 
     landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 1964; and
       (4) the State of Arizona and the community of Springerville 
     are undertaking a program of interpretation and preservation 
     of the landmark.
       (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to assist 
     in the preservation and interpretation of the Casa Malpais 
     National Historic Landmark for the benefit of the public.
       (c) Cooperative Agreements.--
       (1) In general.--In furtherance of the purpose of this 
     section, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to enter 
     into cooperative agreements with the State of Arizona and the 
     town of Springerville, Arizona, pursuant to which the 
     Secretary may provide technical assistance to interpret, 
     operate, and maintain the Casa Malpais National Historic 
     Landmark and may also provide financial assistance for 
     planning, staff training, and development of the Casa Malpais 
     National Historic Landmark, but not including other routine 
     operations.
       (2) Additional provisions.--Any such agreement may also 
     contain provisions that--
       (A) the Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
     National Park Service, shall have right to access at all 
     reasonable times to all public portions of the property 
     covered by such agreement for the purpose of interpreting the 
     landmark; and
       (B) no changes or alterations shall be made in the landmark 
     except by mutual agreement between the Secretary and the 
     other parties to all such agreements.
       (d) Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as may be necessary to provide 
     financial assistance in accordance with this section.

     SEC. 202. PROVISION FOR ROADS IN PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL 
                   LAKESHORE.

       Section 6 of the Act of October 15, 1966, entitled ``An Act 
     to establish in the State of Michigan the Pictured Rocks 
     National Lakeshore, and for other purposes'' (16 U.S.C. 460s-
     5), is amended as follows:
       (1) In subsection (b)(1) by striking ``including a scenic 
     shoreline drive'' and inserting

[[Page H10413]]

     ``including appropriate improvements to Alger County Road H-
     58''.
       (2) By adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(c) Prohibition of Certain Construction.--A scenic 
     shoreline drive may not be constructed in the Pictured Rocks 
     National Lakeshore.''.

  Mr. HANSEN (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that the amendment in the nature of a substitute be considered as read 
and printed in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1408, the 
Lower East Side Tenement Museum Historic Site.
  First, I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Utah, 
chairman Hanson, for affording the Congress the opportunity to consider 
this important measure. In addition, I would like to thank all of those 
Members who have worked hard on this initiative, my friend and 
colleague from New York Peter King, as well as our two distinguished 
senators from New York.
  S. 1408 would establish the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New 
York as a national historic site, and create an affiliation between it 
and the National Park Service.
  The tenement museum, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 
1988 by president Ruth Abram, is devoted to preserving the history of 
America's urban working-class immigrants. After considerable research 
and labor, apartments have been restored and reconstructed to reflect 
the lives of actual tenants.
  The Lower East Side Tenement Museum serves as a window to America's 
immigrant past. Visitors are introduced to the daily lives and 
community building efforts of immigrant families from over 20 nations 
who owned, resided, or kept shops in the tenement buildings at that 
time.
  Affiliated status would allow the National Park Service to join with 
the museum to develop joint programs, with the Statue of Liberty and 
Ellis Island for example, which could only enhance the visitors' 
experience. This building is the first tenement in the Nation to be 
preserved as a historic site, and represents a unique opportunity for 
the public to interpret his rich cultural heritage, which has 
contributed to the very fabric in the formation of America.
  Finally, I would like to commend the president of the museum, Ruth 
Abrams, and her staff for all of her tireless efforts in preserving an 
important part of our Nation's history.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, the popularity of historical sites like 
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty attests to the value of this 
nation's rich immigrant history and the importance Americans place on 
understanding their heritage. But the story of the immigrant experience 
does not end at Ellis Island. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum 
offers us a rare window into how our ancestors adapted to their new 
lives in this country.
  In order to help the Tenement Museum to serve the public better, I 
introduced H.R. 2201, in July 1997. Senators D'Amato and Moynihan 
followed by introducing the Senate equivalent in November of that year. 
Our legislation would designate the Lower East Side Tenement Museum as 
an affiliate of the National Park Service. The Tenement Museum is 
located at 97 Orchard Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side, the heart 
of America's immigrant tradition. The building was erected in 1863 and, 
over the course of 69 years, served as the first American home for 
thousands of immigrants from around the world.
  Much of America's immigrant history begins in New York. The museum on 
Ellis Island explains how families from around the world journeyed to 
and arrived in the United States. While many newcomers set out to 
settle our nation's rural frontiers, many more became urban pioneers--
men, women and children who settled in the city. For this reason the 
next chapter of the immigrant tale, their lives in America, deserves 
closer exploration and recognition. Thus, in seeking a home for this 
story, the Museum sought the quintessential expression of urban, 
immigrant life--the tenement.
  The Lower East Side Tenement Museum bill recognizes the Museum's 
efforts to preserve, maintain and interpret the themes of early 
tenement life, the housing reform movement, and tenement architecture 
in the United States. Affiliate status would allow this private non-
profit museum to fully participate in the programs and activities of 
the National Park Service while complimenting the Park Services trinity 
of Ellis Island, Clinton Castle and the Statue of Liberty at no cost to 
American taxpayers.
  By making the museum an affiliate of the National Park Service, the 
immigrant story is personalized--linking Ellis Island, the Statue of 
Liberty and a Lower East Side Tenement. As visitors understand this 
story more fully, they will gain greater insight into who they are and 
where they came from. I urge all of you to support this national 
treasure.
  The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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