[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1660-E1661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 25, 2002

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my colleagues for your 
support of H.R. 3815, the Presidential Historic Site Study Act, a 
bipartisan bill I offered earlier this year.
  This bill simply begins the normal process for preserving an 
important American presidential landmark. American Presidents are a 
hallmark of our society. The way in which Americans forever remember 
leadership of the “greatest nation” is through their 
policies, their words, and through the people and places that have 
shaped their lives. We place a great significance on the homes of 
Presidents because they are a part of our nation's history. They are 
where our leaders formed the beliefs and values that shaped their 
decisions and legacies. Anyone who has visited Mt. Vernon, Monticello, 
or Abraham Lincoln's birthplace at Spring Creek has felt a sense of the 
historic value of where they stood and what they saw. The birthplace 
home of President William Jefferson Clinton holds a piece of our 
presidential history, and it is only fitting for it to be designated as 
a National Historic Site.
  I share the unique opportunity of being the Representative of former 
President Clinton's birthplace home, Hope, Arkansas. In fact, I am a 
1979 graduate of Hope High School. In that small town called Hope, 
President Clinton was educated and encouraged by a loving family in

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a home at 117 South Hervey Street. This home stands as a marker of his 
heritage.
  The Clinton Birthplace Foundation was formed several years ago, and 
has successfully renovated the home, turning it into a museum and 
visitors center. Today, the home is a tourist attraction on a local 
scale, and the Clinton Birthplace foundation is looking to have the 
home placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National 
Landmark. In order for this to happen, a feasibility study must be 
completed. This study is only the first step in a lengthy process. H.R. 
3815 will set this process in motion by authorizing the feasibility 
study.
  The eventual designation as a National Historic Site will open the 
doors of economic opportunity by way of added tourism to Southwest 
Arkansas. Thirty-one of my fellow colleagues are cosponsoring this 
legislation with me, including the complete Arkansas delegation. 
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, is also supportive of 
this study. Arkansans view this home as part of our state history. This 
is not about politics, but instead about the rich history of Arkansas 
and our Nation. This site will help to celebrate that history and 
educate thousands of visitors, and perhaps most importantly, it will 
bring jobs, opportunities, and economic development to a part of our 
district that greatly needs it.

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