[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 156 (Tuesday, November 13, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8061-H8064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RONALD REAGAN BOYHOOD HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 400) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish 
the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 400

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. RONALD REAGAN BOYHOOD HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE.

       (a) Acquisition of Property.--As soon as practicable after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     purchase with donated or appropriated funds, at fair market 
     value and from a willing owner only, fee simple, unencumbered 
     title to the Property and to any personal property related to 
     the Property which the Secretary determines to be appropriate 
     for the purposes of this Act.
       (b) Establishment of Historic Site.--After the Property is 
     acquired by the Secretary, the Secretary shall designate the 
     Property as the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic 
     Site.
       (c) Land Description.--The Secretary shall ensure that a 
     copy of the land description referred to in subsection (f)(2) 
     is on file and available for public inspection in the 
     appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
       (d) Management of Historic Site.--
       (1) Cooperative agreement.--The Secretary shall enter into 
     a cooperative agreement with the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home 
     Foundation for the management, operation, and use of the 
     Historic Site. The cooperative agreement shall provide for 
     the preservation of the Property in a manner that preserves 
     the historical significance thereof and upon such terms and 
     conditions as the Secretary considers necessary to protect 
     the interests of the United States.
       (2) General management plan.--Not later than 2 years after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 
     consultation with the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Foundation, 
     shall complete 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.
       (e) Applicability of Other Laws.--The Secretary shall 
     administer the Historic Site in accordance with the 
     provisions of this Act and the provisions of laws generally 
     applicable to national historic sites, including the Act 
     entitled ``An Act to establish a National Park Service, and 
     for other purposes'', approved August 25, 1916 (16 U.S.C. 1-
     4), 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.).
       (f) Definitions.--For the purposes of this Act, the 
     following definitions apply:
       (1) Historic site.--The term ``Historic Site'' means the 
     Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site.
       (2) Property.--The term ``Property'' means the property 
     commonly known as the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Complex located 
     in Dixon, Illinois, (including any structures thereon), 
     further described as follows:
       The North Half (N\1/2\) of Lot Three (3), Block One Hundred 
     and Three (103), of the original Town (now City) of Dixon, 
     Lee County, Illinois, and more commonly known as 816 South 
     Hennepin Avenue, Dixon, Illinois. (Reagan Boyhood Home)
       The South Half (S\1/2\) of Lot Two (2), Block One Hundred 
     and Three (103), of the original Town (now City) of Dixon, 
     Lee County, Illinois, and more commonly known as 810 South 
     Hennepin Avenue, Dixon, Illinois. (Visitors Center)
       The South two-thirds (S\2/3\rds) of Lot Four (4) in Block 
     One Hundred Three (103) in the original Town (now City) of 
     Dixon, Lee County, Illinois, and more commonly known as 821 
     South Galena Avenue, Dixon, Illinois. (Parking Lot)
       The Westerly Ninety feet of the Southerly One half (S\1/2\) 
     of Lot 3 in Block 103 in the Town (now City) of Dixon, Lee 
     County, Illinois. (Park with statue of President Reagan)
       Legal title to all of the foregoing is: Fifth Third Bank, 
     as successor trustee to First Bank/Dixon (later known as 
     Grand Premier Trust) as trustee under Trust Agreement dated 
     August 15, 1980 and known as Trust No. 440.
       Said property is also located within an historical district 
     created by the City of Dixon pursuant to Ordinance No. 1329 
     dated June 16, 1986 as amended. The historical district was 
     created pursuant to Title VI, Chapter 16 of the City Code of 
     the City of Dixon.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. 
Rahall) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich).
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 400, introduced by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Hastert), the Speaker of the House, would authorize and direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to purchase the site of Ronald Reagan's 
boyhood home in Dixon, Illinois, at its fair market value and, once 
acquired, designate it as the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National 
Historic Site.
  In addition, the National Park Service would be required to enter 
into a cooperative agreement with the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home 
Foundation, the site's current owner, to operate the new historic site 
and within 2 years develop a general management plan that

[[Page H8062]]

would define the roles of the two parties interpreting and preserving 
the historic site.
  Mr. Speaker, establishing the boyhood home as a National Historic 
Site will ensure long-term preservation of the museum and its 
eligibility for funding from the National Park Service. I urge an 
``aye'' vote on the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to state at the outset that I support the 
pending legislation. Let me assure my colleagues on the Democratic side 
of the aisle that this bill is much different than other measures that 
we have seen to purportedly honor former President Reagan.
  This measure does not contain the irony of naming an airport after a 
President whose only claim to fame when it came to aviation was to bust 
the air traffic controllers union. It does not propose to circumvent 
all established procedures and force-feed a memorial to him on the 
Mall, as some have proposed.
  Instead, the pending legislation would establish a Ronald Reagan 
Boyhood Home National Historic Site in the same fashion as we have 
designated such sites to other former Presidents, for example, the 
Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri, and the 
Garfield National Historic Park in Mentor, Ohio.
  In this regard, it is a fact that Ronald Reagan resided in this 
particular home in Dixon, Illinois, during a portion of his teenage 
years. The home has already been fully restored and is being operated 
as a museum. So it is fitting that this legislation include this site 
as a unit of the national park system. It is our hope that this 
addition will assist those in seeking insight into the former 
President's life and work.
  Let us move forward on this particular designation to Ronald Reagan, 
but please let it be the last of them, at least in this Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Hefley), a member of the Committee on Resources.
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, not 
because of its subject matter, but because of the way it is being done.
  Seven years ago, I began work on the National Park Service Reform 
Act. I authored that bill because I believed then, and I believe now, 
that Park Service units should be designated on the basis of what they 
are, not because they are the pet project of someone in a powerful 
position. Instead, they should be the end result of a logical, 
thoughtful process of evaluation by the Park Service that must maintain 
them.
  This bill before us has none of that. Instead, it straightforwardly 
designates the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Decatur, Illinois, as a 
National Park unit, without study by the Park Service or indeed any 
real idea of what the Park Service's role in this will be or how they 
will manage it.
  Now, Ronald Reagan is a political and personal hero of mine, and I 
think Decatur's efforts to preserve his home are a wonderful example of 
what private citizens can do to preserve something worthwhile. They had 
this site in tip-top shape and have no problem waiting a year for 
designation until the Park Service does a study. In fact, they told us 
that was perfectly fine, to wait the year and do like every other 
single bill of this nature that came through the committee while I was 
chairman of the committee was done. Democrat and Republican bills 
alike, they all went to a study by the Park Service first. These people 
have no problem with that. That is perfectly all right.
  The board members, though, are getting up in years; and they would 
like the designation as insurance that their work will be continued 
after they are gone. So they do not want it to string on too long, and 
I do not either. They are proud of that work, and they should be proud 
of that work. By looking at them and what they have accomplished, maybe 
we can see a little of where Ronald Reagan got his beliefs.
  So at full committee I offered an amendment to give the Park Service 
1 year to study the Ronald Reagan home, again like every other bill of 
this nature that came through there in the last few months, and then 
report back to us about how they would manage this site. That amendment 
was passed unanimously at the Subcommittee on the Park Service markup; 
but in the full committee they elected to act on the base text because 
that is the way the Speaker and/or the Speaker's staff wanted it to be 
acted on, again, violating all the rules we had done for everybody 
else. It passed the full committee until one Member was persuaded to 
switch their vote.
  Now, I have absolutely no doubt that the Reagan home will be found 
worthy of National Park designation. But the way it is being done here 
is an affront to what we have been working for. We have been working 
for logical processes here, so that someone who just happens to be in 
the right spot, maybe it is the Committee on Appropriations, maybe it 
is the Speaker's office, maybe it is the minority leader's office, 
somebody who happens to be in the right spot can have their way just 
because they are in the right spot. It should not be that way. There 
should be a logical process.
  So we are working for logical processes, and we are working for 
fairness. We treated in this committee everybody's suggestions, 
everybody's ideas, every Democrat's idea, every Republican's idea, with 
the same evenhanded fairness and the same approach, except this one.
  I introduced the Park Reform Act because I believe everybody's ideas 
should be judged by the same rules. My ideas should, my colleagues' 
ideas should, and the Speaker's ideas should. Make no mistake, this 
bill is before us in this form today only because the Speaker wants it, 
and that is not right.
  For this reason, I must oppose this suspension.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder), a member of the Committee on Resources.
  (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, first let me speak to the underlying bill, 
which I strongly support and have supported since its introduction in 
the Congress.
  Ronald Reagan was not only an inspiration in my life, but many 
others. His speech for Barry Goldwater is what inspired me to get 
interested in politics when I was 14 years old. He inspired the bulk of 
the young conservatives, the middle-aged conservatives, and the older 
conservatives in America to a philosophy of government. To many of us, 
he stands as our conservative hero, much like Franklin Roosevelt is for 
liberals.
  Therefore, it is important that we recognize his sites and his 
importance to a strong political movement in America, not just some of 
his later sites, but also his early birth sites. For Teddy Roosevelt, 
we have multiple sites in the Park Service, for Franklin Roosevelt and 
for Abraham Lincoln and for others on the Mall. It is important that we 
have recognition for Ronald Reagan as one of those pillars of 
leadership in American history.
  Ronald Reagan's roots are in the Midwest, much like Abraham 
Lincoln's; and as a member of the Subcommittee on National Parks, 
Recreation and Public Lands, among many Westerners, let me add a 
concern that I have. The National Park Service has consistently opposed 
anything that has come up from the Midwest. We do not have the grand 
big Rocky Mountains, we do not have the ocean beaches, we do not have a 
lot of the things that they have in the West; but we do have a fair 
amount of historic sites. This happened when we got to the Underground 
Railroad. This has happened with a series of sites that the National 
Park Service has opposed.
  This bill has not moved until this year because it was opposed. Those 
of us in the Midwest, while we understand that the National Park 
Service is concerned that we keep adding units to the National Park 
Service without expending money at the same rate we are expanding units 
and, therefore, building a backlog; and we understand the concern of 
the Western States for constantly opposing new things because they are 
concerned with the backlog that those things are not going to be 
funded. Those of us in the Midwest, particularly when it comes to sites 
like Ronald Reagan's boyhood home, have concerns.

[[Page H8063]]

  I share the concern of our former chairman, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Hefley), about the proliferation of heritage areas, about 
the proliferation of sites, whoever wants to stick something in a bill; 
but this Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home is not that standard. Part of the 
reason they had to get somebody to switch in full committee was because 
I was in another markup at the time of it, sprinted over, as did the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), and because they managed to get 
the one person to switch, they did not get our votes. This bill would 
have passed in the committee had we been there. For that I apologize 
for any confusion.
  But the fact is, this is a deserving bill. We need this site in the 
Midwest. The Speaker is right to put his weight behind this. I support 
him in these efforts. We in the Midwest for too long have been shorted. 
Ronald Reagan deserves these tributes. He deserves these tributes while 
he is still alive. No one disputes the historic nature of this building 
or the importance of Dixon, Illinois, and his Midwestern upbringing, to 
his leadership of America and the values he was anchored in.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  If I might just respond to some of the comments made in opposition to 
this bill, in particular, by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley). 
I do not view this particular legislation as a pet project of a 
powerful person, regardless of it being the Speaker's bill. I have been 
contacted, I know, from Democratic Members on my side of the aisle in 
support of this legislation, including the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Lipinski) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello).
  I happen to believe that it would be a waste of taxpayers' money for 
the National Park Service to study this matter. The facts are the 
facts. As I said in my opening statement, Ronald Reagan lived at this 
site. I do not believe we need a study to determine that. The home has 
been restored. It is being operated as a museum. So I do not believe 
that taxpayers' money would necessarily be spent wisely to conduct a 
study of these very same facts.
  I can assure the gentleman from Colorado that I am not being swayed 
because it is the Speaker's bill. I am on the minority side of the 
aisle. So I would close and urge adoption of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 400 which 
would establish the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site 
in Dixon, Illinois. This legislation would allow the Secretary of the 
Interior to acquire the Reagan boyhood home from the Ronald Reagan 
Boyhood Home Foundation to ensure that this important historical 
structure is protected and maintained in perpetuity.
  First, I would like to thank Chairman Hansen, Chairman Radanovich, 
Ranking Member Rahall, and Ranking Member Christensen for their hard 
work on behalf of this legislation. I would also like to thank the 154 
cosponsors of this legislation, including every member of the Illinois 
Congressional Delegation.
  In my mind, and in the minds of all my colleagues from Illinois, 
there is no doubt this important property deserves federal recognition. 
Preservation of properties of historical significance is a necessary 
and important function of government.
  Ronald Reagan occupies a special place in the heart of Northern 
Illinoisans, to say nothing of the rest of the country. We take great 
pride in the record of our native son. As our 40th President, Ronald 
Reagan steered this country through some very difficult times. I am 
sure many of us can recall the atmosphere in America when he took 
office in 1981. We were mired in recession, in the midst of a Cold War 
with the Soviet Union, and there was a real sense that America had seen 
its better days. By the time President Reagan left office, we were in 
the middle of unprecedented economic growth, peace and freedom were on 
the rise in every corner of the globe, and we had experienced a re-
birth of the American spirit. Ronald Reagan's belief in limited 
government, lower taxes, and individual freedom had transformed 
American politics and re-ignited our spirit of optimism.
  Many of us believe that his success as president stems in no small 
part from his upbringing in Illinois. And, while his path to greatness 
took him to many places, I believe what he learned growing up in 
Illinois never left him.
  Although born in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan has always 
considered Dixon his hometown. In his youth, as it is today, Dixon 
represents a traditional, rural, Midwestern town. In Dixon, Ronald 
Reagan attended school, played football, worked as a lifeguard, and 
developed the values that would shape his future life in politics. In 
fact, many of the images of Reagan in his youth, which we are all 
familiar with, were taken in Dixon and the surrounding area.

  The history of Ronald Reagan's life in Dixon is typical of most 
raised in small Midwestern towns. His parents, Nelle and Jack, 
instilled in him a sense of fair play, duty to others, and a respect 
for hard work. Ronald Reagan was thirteen when he entered Dixon's 
Northside High School. At Northside, ``Dutch'' Reagan played football 
and basketball, ran track, and performed in school plays. Athletic 
achievement and theatrical performances in school plays increased his 
popularity at Northside, and in his senior year, Reagan was elected 
student body president. As was the custom of the time, yearbooks 
generally included mottoes written by the student to describe 
attributes or perspective outlooks. Ronald Reagan's reads' ``life is 
just one grand sweet song, so start the music.'' Ambitious, full of 
life, and ready to take on the world, Reagan graduated from Northside 
High School in 1928.
  After High School, he was admitted to Eureka College on a partial 
football scholarship--he lettered in football all four years. Reagan 
washed dishes at his fraternity house and at the girl's dormitory on 
campus for spending money. Reagan worked as a lifeguard and swimming 
coach in the summer months as well. As a freshman, Ronald Reagan was 
already a proven leader--he organized and led a student strike in 
protest of the decision by college administrators to reduce the number 
of courses offered. The demonstration resulted in the resignation of 
the college president and a return to the old curriculum. While at 
Eureka he also made it possible for his older brother Neal, who was 
then working at cement plant, to go to college by getting him a job, a 
partial scholarship, and a deal deferring his tuition until after 
graduation.
  The Depression hit Dixon, Illinois especially hard. The Reagan's were 
forced to sublet their home and live in one room. Jack and Nelle's 
next-door neighbor at times cooked for them, and handed meals through 
the window. The Depression had an enormous impact on Ronald Reagan--he 
often recalled the uncertainty of the times by re-telling the story of 
his father expecting a bonus check and instead being fired on Christmas 
Eve 1931. The trying times of the Great Depression touched the lives of 
every American and the Reagan's were no exception. The charitable 
kindness received and practiced by the Reagan's helped them to survive 
and thrive when hard times came.
  After college, Ronald Reagan set out on a one-day swing of nearby 
small-town radio stations where he was offered five dollars and round 
trip bus fair to broadcast a University of Iowa football game. Early in 
1993, World of Chiropractic radio (WOC), a subsidiary of WHO radio in 
Des Moines, hired him as a full timer announcer for $100 a month--a lot 
of money at the time. He had enough money to help his parents and send 
$10 a month spending money to his brother Neil while he finished 
college at Eureka. At first, Reagan's oratory was neither polished, nor 
very professional but he learned to rehearse and sound spontaneous. As 
we all know, Reagan's weakness became one of his trademark virtues.
  From his job at a small radio station in Iowa Reagan went on to serve 
in the Army during World War II, become a movie star, president of the 
Screen Actors Guild, a traveling spokesman for General Electric, 
Governor of the state of California, and ultimately, President of the 
United States. Wherever he went, however, he carried the lessons he 
learned growing up in Dixon, Illinois with him.
  I believe that, as a Nation, we must preserve and protect places of 
historical interest for future generations. The affection, we as a 
Nation, have for the 40th President of the United States is 
demonstrated by the fact that so many important things now bear his 
name--the airport which serves the nation's Capitol, a federal 
building, and the Navy's newest aircraft carrier.
  In my mind, however, there is another important piece of Reagan's 
life that deserve preservation. I believe that Reagan's life in Dixon, 
Illinois is critical to understanding the man and the presidency. But 
don't take my world for it--Take the word of the tens of thousands of 
visitors who tour his boyhood home every year.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent Ronald Reagan's boyhood home of 
Dixon, Illinois in Congress and I am proud to sponsor legislation that 
will ensure that the opportunity to experience the place where he was 
raised will be available to all Americans for years to come. I urge my 
colleagues to support this important legislation.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 400, a 
bill to establish the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic 
Site, in Dixon,

[[Page H8064]]

Illinois. This bill would allow the Secretary of the Interior to 
acquire the Reagan boyhood home to ensure that this important 
historical structure is protected for future generations to enjoy.
  Ronald Reagan holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the 
citizens of northern Illinois. Many believe that President Reagan was a 
Californian. But his core values and bold conservatism were the product 
of a childhood in Illinois.
  Ronald Reagan continues today to serve as a model of optimism and 
hope. In his very first inaugural address, President Reagan set the 
tone for his eight years in office when he proclaimed that, ``no 
arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as 
the will and moral courage of free men and women.''
  President Reagan truly was the ``Great Communicator.'' One of my 
favorite lines of his was when he said that the best view of big 
government is in the rear view mirror as you're driving away from it. 
Throughout his presidency, Reagan used his trademark humor and wit to 
unite a nation, end the Cold War, and restore prosperity. He championed 
the notion of individual responsibility and accountability.
  And most importantly he made people feel good about being proud of 
our great nation. President Reagan once said that he would like to go 
down in history as the President who made Americans believe in 
themselves again.
  There is no more appropriate time than now to remember Ronald Reagan, 
one of our great patriots and most inspired Presidents. There is no 
better way to do that than to preserve the boyhood home where he spent 
his formative years. I am proud to support this bill and urge its 
passage.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 400, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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