[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 59 (Friday, April 26, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H2356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
                           NATIONAL PARK WEEK

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate National Park Week.
  Our national parks are truly one of America's greatest natural 
resources, drawing nearly 279 million visitors and families who go to 
camp, hike, fish, and explore each year. Minnesota, my home State, is 
home to several national parks as well, with lakes and rivers and 
waterways.
  In just a few years, our national parks will celebrate their 100th 
birthday. In preparation for this centennial, I have introduced 
legislation, H.R. 627, to allow the U.S. Mint to issue a National Park 
commemorative coin, with all of the proceeds going to help our national 
parks and our National Park Foundation. The bill has strong bipartisan 
support, and it is one more way that we can provide additional 
resources for our national parks.
  Protecting and preserving these beautiful spaces--our national parks, 
monuments, and Civil War battlefields--for future generations is 
important. Our National Park Week is a perfect time to reignite this 
interest for individual community efforts in order to ensure that our 
national parks remain and retain their place as the most beautiful in 
the world.

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