[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6189-H6191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DAYTON AVIATION HERITAGE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK EXPANSION
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4199) to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act
of 1992 to add sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Historical Park, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4199
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I--ADDITIONAL AREAS INCLUDED IN DAYTON AVIATION HERITAGE NATIONAL
HISTORICAL PARK
SEC. 101. ADDITIONAL AREAS INCLUDED IN PARK.
Section 101 of the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation
Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 410ww, et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(c) Additional Sites.--In addition to the sites described
in subsection (b), the park shall consist of the following
sites, as generally depicted on a map titled `Dayton Aviation
Heritage National Historical Park', numbered 362/80,013 and
dated May 2008:
``(1) Hawthorn Hill, Oakwood, Ohio.
``(2) The Wright Company factory and associated land and
buildings, Dayton, Ohio.''.
SEC. 102. PROTECTION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
Section 102 of the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation
Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 410ww-1) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``Hawthorn Hill, the
Wright Company factory,'' after ``, acquire'';
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``Such agreements'' and
inserting:
``(d) Conditions.--Cooperative agreements under this
section'';
(3) by inserting before subsection (d) (as added by
paragraph 2) the following:
``(c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary is authorized
to enter into a cooperative agreement with a partner or
partners, including the Wright Family Foundation, to operate
and provide programming for Hawthorn Hill and charge
reasonable fees notwithstanding any other provision of law,
which may be used to defray the costs of park operation and
programming.''; and
(4) by striking ``Commission'' and inserting ``Aviation
Heritage Foundation''.
TITLE II--WRIGHT BROTHERS-DUNBAR NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK DESIGNATION
SEC. 201. REDESIGNATION OF DAYTON AVIATION HERITAGE NATIONAL
HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) Redesignation.--The Dayton Aviation Heritage
Preservation Act of 1992, is amended--
(1) by striking ``Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Historical Park'' each place it appears and inserting
``Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historical Park'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (b) of section 108 as
subsection (c); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) of section 108 the
following new subsection:
``(b) Grant Assistance.--The Secretary is authorized to
make grants to the parks' partners, including the Aviation
Trail, Inc., the Ohio Historical Society, and Dayton History,
for projects not requiring Federal involvement other than
providing financial assistance, subject to the availability
of appropriations in advance identifying the specific partner
grantee and the specific project. Projects funded through
these grants shall be limited to construction and development
on non-Federal property within the
[[Page H6190]]
boundaries of the park. Any project funded by such a grant
shall support the purposes of the park, shall be consistent
with the park's general management plan, and shall enhance
public use and enjoyment of the park.''.
(b) References.--Any reference in any law (other than this
title), map, regulation, document, record, or other official
paper of the United States to the ``Dayton Aviation Heritage
National Historical Park'' shall be considered to be a
reference to the ``Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historical
Park''.
SEC. 202. NATIONAL AVIATION HERITAGE AREA.
Title V of division J of the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2005 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 108-447), is
amended--
(1) in section 503(3), by striking ``104'' and inserting
``504'';
(2) in section 503(4), by striking ``106'' and inserting
``506'';
(3) in section 504, by striking subsection (b)(2) and by
redesignating subsection (b)(3) as subsection (b)(2); and
(4) in section 505(b)(1), by striking ``106'' and inserting
``506''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Guam.
General Leave
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Guam?
There was no objection.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 4199 adds two sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Historical Park. The bill also renames the park as the Wright Brothers-
Dunbar National Historical Park.
Mr. Speaker, the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
was established to preserve sites associated with Wilbur and Orville
Wright and the early history of aviation. The park also honors the life
and work of African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, a business
associate and a friend of Orville Wright.
H.R. 4199 would add Hawthorn Hill, the mansion designed by the Wright
Brothers, and the Wright Company factory to the park. The factory,
completed in 1910, is the site of the first American facilities
specifically designed and built for the manufacture of airplanes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4199 has been adequately
explained by the majority, and I would like to thank Congressman Turner
from Ohio for his diligent work to advance this legislation on behalf
of his constituents and for the benefit of park visitors around the
country.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner), author of the bill.
{time} 1515
Mr. TURNER. I speak today in favor of H.R. 4199, which will add two
important historic sites into the Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Park. I want to thank Natural Resources Chairman Rahall and Ranking
Member Young, as well as Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva and Ranking
Member Bishop for ushering this bill through the Resources Committee
process, as well as bringing it to the floor today. I also want to
thank the members of the Ohio delegation, many of whom have cosponsored
this legislation.
Mr. Chairman, Ohio is the birthplace of aviation, and Dayton is the
home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two men that invented the
airplane. Some consider their invention to be the most important
innovation in modern history. When the Wright brothers took flight in
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, our world became connected in a dramatic
way, transforming travel, commerce, and communication.
Dayton is also the home of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar was a
classmate of Orville Wright, and was a contemporary of the Wrights.
Throughout his life, he was known as the poet laureate of African
Americans, and achieved national success after his second collection of
poems was reviewed in Harper's Weekly in 1896.
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park is a celebration
of the legacies of the Wright brothers, as well as Paul Laurence
Dunbar. Currently, many people enjoy our National Historic Park. The
park includes the Wright's Cycle Shop, the Wright Flyer Airplane, and
the Huffman Prairie, where the Wrights perfected fixed-wing flight,
among other sites.
However, the Wright's history within the park remains incomplete.
Currently, the Wright Company factory buildings and their home,
Hawthorn Hill, are not included among the sites at the park. That is
why I have introduced H.R. 4199, which will complete the Wright's story
told at the park, by adding these two critical sites.
The Wright Company factory buildings in west Dayton are the first
American facilities specifically designed and built for the manufacture
of airplanes. These buildings had a production capability that was
greater than any other airplane manufacturing facility at the time.
The Wright Company operated at the site from 1910 to 1916, and
produced 13 different models of airplanes. This site is currently owned
and controlled by the Delphi Corporation, who will operate at this site
until later this year.
Hawthorn Hill was designed by Wilbur and Orville Wright and was the
home of the Wright family until 1948. This historic architectural
landmark tells the story of the Wright brothers as inventors. Amanda
Wright-Lane, the great-grandniece of the Wright brothers, testified
before the Resources Subcommittee on National Parks earlier this year,
discussing the Wright's incredible history and the importance of
Hawthorn Hill to the Wright's story.
Mr. Speaker, the addition of these sites to the existing park is
critical to the park's purpose, which was outlined in the Dayton
Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992. The purpose is ``to create
partnerships among Federal, State and local governments and the private
sector to preserve, enhance, and interpret for the present and future
generations the historic and cultural structures, districts, and
artifacts in Dayton and the Miami Valley in the State of Ohio
associated with the Wright brothers, the invention and the development
of aviation, or the life and works of Paul Laurence Dunbar.'' Put
plainly, the addition of these sites completes the Wright's story at
the park.
Mr. Speaker, adding these sites to the national park enjoys a wide
range of support from both local and national organizations, including
the City of Dayton; Montgomery County; the State of Ohio; the Wright
family; the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce; the Dayton Development
Coalition; the Ohio Historical Society; the Dayton Historical Society;
Sinclair Community College; The University of Dayton; the Dayton
Foundation, the National Cash Register Corporation; the Delphi
Corporation; the National Conference of State Historic Preservation
Officers; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
H.R. 4199 also includes the exact language from H.R. 4191, which
passed the House by a voice vote earlier this year. This language would
change the name of the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park to the
Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historic Park.
Changing the name of the park has been the result of a community-wide
process, led by Federal Judge Walter Rice and the Dayton Aviation
Heritage Commission. I want to thank Judge Walter Rice and the other
commissioners for their time and dedication to making the name of our
park a fitting salute to those for whom it is a tribute.
It is clear that this bill is an important priority to the Dayton
region. It is also important to the Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Wright
brothers' legacy.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you again for this opportunity, and I
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4199.
Ms. BORDALLO. I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague
from North Carolina (Mr. Miller).
Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. I want to applaud Mr. Turner for
bucking his party in introducing a bill on something other than gas
prices. I have frequently worked with Mr. Turner on historic
preservation issues. It has never been difficult to work across
partisan lines. But rising to support this bill is somewhat more
difficult for me.
[[Page H6191]]
Mr. Turner described Dayton, Ohio, as the birthplace of aviation in
his remarks a minute ago. Mr. Speaker, that is stretching the truth a
bit. But after sitting on the floor for about an hour and hearing our
energy problems blamed on environmentalists, not the fact that
ExxonMobil made $40 billion in profits in the fourth quarter of 2007,
it seems like a fairly minor stretching of the truth.
As every school child in America knows, with the exception of school
children in Dayton, Ohio, the first powered flight was in Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina, in December, 1903, or at least it was the first
photographed, the first documented powered flight. There is still some
dispute about where the actual first powered flight was. But the
photograph of the Wright brothers plane above the dunes, just a few
feet above the dunes at Kitty Hawk, was probably the most important
photograph in history to that point, and remains one of the most famous
photographs in all of history. That photograph, Mr. Speaker, was taken
by a North Carolinian.
After that first flight, which lasted just 12 seconds, and even with
the soft sands of Kitty Hawk to land in, the landing almost destroyed
or badly damaged the balsa wood plane. Progress was very rapid. Within
just a decade, the airplane proved to be a very effective weapon of war
in the First World War, and in another decade, just another decade
after that, Charles Lindbergh flew the Atlantic alone.
Mr. Turner is correct, flight has been an important transformational
invention in human history. We are now a connected world, largely
because of flight. The Wright brothers and Dayton, Ohio, did have a
role in that, Mr. Speaker. So I do rise to support adding Hawthorn
Hill, the Wright family home, and the Wright Airplane Factory to the
national park in Dayton, Ohio highly.
I do this, taking the lead of my party's nominee for President, who
has urged that we put aside all the old animosities, that we reach
across all divisions of society. In that spirit, Mr. Speaker, I rise in
support of this bill.
Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4199, which
would expand the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park to
include additional sites associated with the lives and work of Wilbur
and Orville Wright.
Few technological advances have transformed the world or our nation's
economy, society, culture, and national character as the development of
powered flight. Therefore, it is important to preserve the historical
sites associated the Wright brothers' achievements in the field of
aviation. That is what this bill will do.
Over the years, the Ohio congregational delegation has worked
together to preserve and promote Ohio's rich aviation history. A few
years ago, I, along with Congressman Tony Hall, had the privilege of
introducing the bill that later became law to designate eight Miami
Valley counties and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical
Park as part of a National Aviation Heritage Area. Today, I commend my
colleague, Congressman Mike Turner, for his leadership in sponsoring
this bill to add two additional sites to the aviation park.
Specifically, H.R. 4199 will add Hawthorne Hill, which was Orville
Wright's home in Oakwood, and several Wright Factory buildings in
Dayton, where the brothers conducted research and testing. These sites
would be part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park,
which already includes such historic sites as: Huffman Prairie Flying
Field, the Wright Cycle Company Complex, and the Paul Laurence Dunbar
House. Together, these sites are an important part to nation's history,
and Ohio's cultural heritage.
Again, I commend Congressman Turner for his leadership to preserve
and promote Ohio's aviation heritage with this legislation, and I urge
my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4419.
Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this
important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4199, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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