[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4528-H4530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND WAR OF 1812 AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1694) to amend the American Battlefield Protection Act 
of 1996 to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for the 
acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and 
associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1694

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

     SECTION 1. REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND WAR OF 1812 AMERICAN 
                   BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION.

       Section 7301(c) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act 
     of 2009 (Public Law 111-11) is amended as follows:
       (1) In paragraph (1)(A), by inserting after ``means'' the 
     following: ``collectively, both the document entitled `Report 
     to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War 
     and War of 1812 Sites in the United States', prepared by the 
     National Park Service, and dated September 2007, and''.
       (2) In paragraph (2), by inserting ``eligible sites or'' 
     after ``acquiring''.
       (3) In paragraph (3), by inserting ``an eligible site or'' 
     after ``acquire''.
       (4) In paragraph (4), by inserting ``an eligible site or'' 
     after ``acquiring''.
       (5) In paragraph (5), by striking ``An'' and inserting ``An 
     eligible site or an''.
       (6) By redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (8).
       (7) By inserting after paragraph (5) the following new 
     paragraphs:
       ``(6) Willing sellers.--Acquisition of land or interests in 
     land under this subsection shall be from willing sellers 
     only.
       ``(7) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of the 
     enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress a report on the activities carried out under this 
     subsection, including a description of--
       ``(A) preservation activities carried out at the 
     battlefields and associated sites identified in the 
     battlefield report during the period between publication of 
     the battlefield report and the report required under this 
     paragraph;
       ``(B) changes in the condition of the battlefields and 
     associated sites during that period; and
       ``(C) any other relevant developments relating to the 
     battlefields and associated sites during that period.''.
       (8) In paragraph (8) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013'' 
     and inserting ``$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 
     through 2014''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Bishop) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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 the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1694, the Revolutionary War and 
War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act, was introduced by my colleague 
on the Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Rush Holt of New 
Jersey. This bill will provide Federal matching grants that will help 
in the acquisition and preservation of nationally significant 
battlefields and sites associated with the Revolutionary War and the 
War of 1812.
  Rapid urbanization and suburban sprawl have increasingly encroached 
upon these battlefield sites, threatening the historic integrity and 
resulting in the loss of some sites altogether.
  H.R. 1694 will enable State or local governments to obtain Federal 
grants to leverage matching private funds to acquire these endangered 
sites and work to restore, protect and preserve them for future 
generations.

[[Page H4529]]

  I commend our colleague, Representative Holt, for his leadership on 
this issue, his patience and his perseverance, as well as his 
commitment to the preservation of these historic places which 
influenced the course of our American history.
  I ask my colleagues to support the passage of this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  During hearings on this bill, the committee heard testimony from 
historian David Hackett Fischer whose writings on the Revolutionary War 
pointed out General Washington's support for property rights and the 
strong actions he took to ensure that his soldiers respected the 
property of civilians, even when that property belonged to Tory 
sympathizers.
  Washington personally gave strict orders to forbid looting, even 
though plunder was the norm at the time and many of his men were 
hungry, they were dressed in rags, and they marched barefoot in the 
snow. It is remarkable in such a desperate situation and in such a 
noble cause, Washington imposed on the Patriot side such a high 
standard of conduct.
  Washington's honorable policy stood in stark contrast to the routine 
seizures by British and Hessian troops. It is no accident over the 
course of the early years of the war, in the battleground State of New 
Jersey, home of the sponsor of this bill, a population that was once 
evenly divided in its loyalty threw its support to the American cause.
  There are lessons that we can learn from Washington's example. In 
earlier battlefield protection efforts--not this one but earlier ones--
the National Park Service misused its eminent domain powers to seize 
land from unwilling sellers. The justified resentment this caused hurt 
subsequent efforts. Our enthusiasm for battlefield protection 
notwithstanding, it is definitely our hope that as we set out to 
preserve historic sites, we will emulate George Washington and not 
George III.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 
such time as he might consume to the distinguished sponsor of H.R. 
1694, Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady. I rise as the sponsor 
of the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act, 
which I introduced with others.
  If this looks familiar, it is because this House--you, my 
colleagues--passed this legislation by an overwhelming majority, this 
exact legislation, a little over a month ago. So here we are for take 
two.
  I would like to thank Chairman Rahall, Chairman Grijalva, and 
Majority Leader Hoyer for helping to bring this legislation back to the 
floor after a peculiarity, a quirk in parliamentary procedure, had left 
the previously passed legislation lying on the roadside.
  Mr. Speaker, the preservation of tangible history of the United 
States, especially history of those formative years of our country, is 
essential for us to see our way forward. Mr. Speaker, history is 
something we need now more than ever. I urge the passage of this 
legislation.
  I rise as the sponsor of H.R. 1694, the Revolutionary War and War of 
1812 Battlefield Protection Act, which I introduced for myself and 12 
of my colleagues. This bill may look familiar to many members, a carbon 
copy passed the House a little over a month ago. However, due to some 
procedural motions by the other body it is necessary to bring this 
legislation back to the floor today. I would like to thank Chairman 
Rahall, Chairman Grijalva, and Majority Leader Hoyer for their help in 
bringing this legislation back to the floor today.
  This month marks the 234th anniversary of two defining and symbolic 
moments in our nation's early struggle for independence. On the night 
of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere began his legendary ride to Lexington, 
Massachusetts to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops 
were marching to arrest them. Along the way, he and his fellow riders 
alerted countryside residents to the British troops' approach. The next 
day, dozens of Colonial troops gathered at Lexington to meet the 
British troops head on officially starting the Revolutionary War. Ralph 
Waldo Emerson in his poem ``The Concord Hymn,'' commemorated this 
moment as the ``shot heard `round the world.'' Paul Revere's Ride and 
the shot heard round the world are just a few of the stories of the 
American Revolution that help bring to life the ideals of liberty and 
Democracy fostered by our Nation's founders.
  One can read about the American Revolution and the values that were 
fought for and established at that time, or read about the War of 1812 
when the fledgling country fought to maintain its independence. 
However, history is best experienced not by reading but by feeling, 
touching and living what was experienced in those trying times. There 
is no better way to experience the history of the founding of our great 
Nation than on the hallowed ground where the epic struggle for our 
independence took place.
  Preserving these American historic treasures is essential to 
remembering the sacrifices that our forefathers made to secure our 
freedom and our independence, and it is vital for educating the current 
generations and future generations about our rich cultural heritage. 
Unfortunately, urbanization, suburban sprawl and unplanned development 
continually encroach on many of the significant battlefields of that 
period posing a severe and growing risk to the preservation of these 
sites.
  Last spring, the National Park Service published its report to 
Congress on the status of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 
sites. This report demonstrates that there is a great need to act and 
to act quickly to preserve many of these sites. Out of the 677 
naturally significant battlefields and associated sites of the 
Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, 99 are lost forever already; 234 
are fragmented or in poor condition; an additional 170 are in danger of 
being destroyed within the next decade.

  This bill would help State and local governments and non-profits 
protect and preserve these battlefields and historic sites by 
authorizing the use of money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
to provide up to 50 percent of the costs of purchasing battlefield land 
threatened by sprawl and commercial development. This legislation is 
patterned after the successful Civil War Battlefield Protection Program 
that has been in effect for quite some time now.
  I might add, it was an oversight, I would say, that decades ago, 
these battlefields and sites of the War of 1812 and the Revolutionary 
War were not included under the same umbrella. Now is the time to do 
it. Now is past the time to do it.
  In 1861, Abraham Lincoln visited Trenton on his historic journey to 
his inauguration in Washington. There, he told the New Jersey State 
Assembly ``In the early Revolutionary struggle, few of the States among 
the old Thirteen had more of the battle-fields of the country within 
their limits than old New-Jersey.'' A couple years ago, I was pleased 
when Congress took action to protect the battlefields in historic sites 
in New Jersey where this conflict took place. We passed legislation 
that created the Crossroads of the American Revolution National 
Heritage Area, linking hundreds of Revolutionary War sites across 14 
counties in New Jersey. New Jersey was truly the crossroads of the 
American Revolution for a number of reasons, and I'm pleased we are 
taking steps to preserve the record of those engagements.
  There's a fundamental misconception that the American Revolution and 
War of 1812 took place only in the Northeast. In truth, the story of 
the American Revolution and the War of 1812 crisscrosses 33 States, 
from New York to Louisiana, from Georgia to Oregon. Enacting this 
legislation would allow each of these States to preserve better their 
history and their role in the War of 1812 and the American Revolution.
  Today, I will be introducing legislation that will provide additional 
funding for the battlefield protection program created by this bill. My 
legislation, the American Revolution and War of 1812 Commemorative Coin 
Act, is modeled after the Civil War Battlefield Commemorative Coin Act 
of 1992, which has raised over $6 million for battlefield preservation.
  Enacting that bill will allow many more historic battlefields to be 
preserved. Enacting this bill will make it possible for our children 
and their children and other generations to enjoy and learn. We want to 
give Americans the opportunity to learn history, to feel history, to 
experience history so that they understand the principles on which this 
country was founded. People who know history can be better citizens, 
more engaged in current civic affairs and more cognizant of their place 
in history.
  I urge my colleagues to support and vote for this important 
legislation.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I want to be both 
partisan and very clear on this thing. This is the third time we have 
actually had this bill before us. I voted for it the first time; I am 
going to vote for it again; and I will urge my colleagues to

[[Page H4530]]

support this legislation at the same time. However, in fairness, I 
guess in fairness to the sponsor, we should do that again since his 
original bill did pass, and by machinations then over in the Senate, 
his bill was stripped and sent back to us in his title, with his number 
and name, but not with his bill.
  Had the Democratic Party leadership not tried so hard with so many 
machinations to make sure that Republicans were not allowed to try and 
make amendments to the omnibus land bill, his bill would have passed 
the first time, legitimately, and it would be done and passed by now. 
So let us remember that, unfortunately, the good representative from 
New Jersey lost out because of games that were played on a bill totally 
separate to this particular one, and I find those games were 
unfortunate. This bill, however, I once again want to make very clear 
that I support this bill, and I will urge my colleagues to support it. 
We passed another bill dealing with Civil War battlefields with a 
Republican chief sponsor. It is only fair and appropriate that we now 
look at Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefield sites with the 
Democratic sponsor.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1694, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to authorize the 
acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and 
associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 under the 
American Battlefield Protection Program.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________