[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 170 (Tuesday, December 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7423-H7425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE AMENDMENTS ACT

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1846) to amend the Act establishing the Lower East Side 
Tenement National Historic Site, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1846

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Lower East Side Tenement 
     National Historic Site Amendments Act''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS.

       Public Law 105-378 is amended--
       (1) in section 101(a)--
       (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``the Lower East Side 
     Tenement at 97 Orchard Street in New

[[Page H7424]]

     York City is an outstanding survivor'' and inserting ``the 
     Lower East Side Tenements at 97 and 103 Orchard Street in New 
     York City are outstanding survivors''; and
       (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ``the Lower East Side 
     Tenement is'' and inserting ``the Lower East Side Tenements 
     are'';
       (2) in section 102--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Lower East Side 
     Tenement found at 97 Orchard Street'' and inserting ``Lower 
     East Side Tenements found at 97 and 103 Orchard Street''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``which owns and operates 
     the tenement building at 97 Orchard Street'' and inserting 
     ``which owns and operates the tenement buildings at 97 and 
     103 Orchard Street'';
       (3) in section 103(a), by striking ``the Lower East Side 
     Tenement at 97 Orchard Street, in the City of New York, State 
     of New York, is designated'' and inserting ``the Lower East 
     Side Tenements at 97 and 103 Orchard Street, in the City of 
     New York, State of New York, are designated''; and
       (4) in section 104(d), by striking ``the property at 97 
     Orchard Street'' and inserting ``the properties at 97 and 103 
     Orchard Street''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Grijalva) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1846 expands the boundaries of the Lower East Side 
Tenement Historic Site to include an additional building purchased in 
2007. This Manhattan museum is a National Park Service affiliated site, 
and therefore, it carries no cost to the taxpayers because it's owned 
and operated by a private foundation.
  I urge its adoption and reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Tenement Museum was founded in 1988 and has 
preserved the history of immigration in Manhattan's Lower East Side for 
the last 25 years. Through the personal experiences of the generations 
of migrants that have called 91 Orchard Street home, over 200,000 
annual visitors are able to hear the stories of real families that 
lived in the building between 1863 and 1935.
  H.R. 1846 would expand the boundaries of the current National Park 
Service affiliated site at 91 Orchard Street to include a recently 
purchased building two doors away and will allow the Tenement Museum to 
expand the stories they tell. This new building holds an array of 
untold stories from a family of Holocaust survivors who were allowed in 
the United States under the first refugee act, and Puerto Rican and 
Chinese families that were part of the foundation in making New York 
home to the largest Puerto Rican community on the American mainland and 
the largest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere.
  The ranking member of the Small Business Committee, Representative 
Velazquez, is to be commended for her legislation on behalf of this 
important cultural and historic resource. We support H.R. 1846 and urge 
its passage by the House today. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to 
the gentlelady from New York, Representative Velazquez, the ranking 
member of the Small Business Committee, the sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and the 
ranking member, and especially the ranking member for yielding.
  I rise in support of this critical legislation and urge my colleagues 
to support its passage. Throughout our Nation, in every city and town, 
immigrants have been critical to strengthening our communities. For 
centuries, people from every corner of the globe have traveled to the 
United States to start a new life, work hard, build a future for their 
children, and pursue their share of the American Dream.
  In New York especially, immigrants have long been an important part 
of the cultural fabric. Whether it is Chinatown, Little Italy, or our 
burgeoning Latino population, immigrants have made our city a stronger, 
more vibrant place offering invaluable economic and cultural 
contributions while shaping the city's identity.
  There are numerous ways we pay tribute to immigrants' role in 
American society. The Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island honors the 
thousands who arrived in New York's ports seeking a greater opportunity 
and freedom. This past week, we celebrated Thanksgiving--a holiday that 
originated with some of our earliest immigrants. In short, symbols of 
immigration's importance are woven throughout our society in physical 
landmarks, holidays--even our family histories.
  In my district, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum reminds New York 
residents and visitors alike of the challenges faced by some of our 
city's earliest immigrants. For 25 years, this valuable local 
institution has offered interactive exhibits recounting the story of 
the 7,000 working class families who inhabited these buildings.
  Just as the Lower East Side tenement communities evolved with each 
successive wave of newly arrived immigrants, the museum tells a wide 
range of stories reflecting the diversity of this storied neighborhood.
  Whether it was Asian, Irish, or German immigrants or Eastern European 
Jews, the Lower East Side's tenements housed generation after 
generation of new arrivals to our cities and our country.
  This body has previously recognized the museum as significant to our 
Nation's history. In 1998, I worked with my colleagues to pass 
legislation designating 97 Orchard Street as an affiliated site of the 
National Park System.
  Over the years, interest in the museum has grown steadily. Today, the 
museum serves 200,000 visitors every year, including 40,000 
schoolchildren. This growth in popularity has resulted in demand for 
additional space. The bill I authored and that we are debating today 
would help address this need. By making the museum's valuable 
educational tools available to a wider audience, the bill further 
honors immigrants' role in our Nation's past, present, and future. The 
additional space will also allow the museum to explore more immigrant 
stories, including the history of Holocaust survivors rebuilding their 
lives in America.
  Mr. Speaker, the immigrant story is the American story. The Tenement 
Museum honors the men, women, and children who came here to carve out a 
better life and, in the process, improved our country by an infusion of 
new cultures and ideas.
  H.R. 1846 will ensure the Lower East Side Tenement Museum continues 
telling this uniquely American story to future generations. I urge my 
colleagues to support its passage. I thank both gentlemen.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlelady from New York, Representative Maloney, the ranking 
member of the Joint Economic Committee.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentleman for 
yielding and for his leadership on this legislation and so many other 
important areas before our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, H.R. 1846, the 
Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site Amendments Act, which 
was authored and introduced by my good friend and colleague, Nydia 
Velazquez from New York.
  This legislation will expand the boundaries of the Lower East Side 
Tenement National Historic Site to include 103 Orchard Street, which is 
located just two doors down from the original museum location. Because 
of this, it will be able to expand its educational programs and allow 
more people to learn about our Nation's immigrant history.
  I had the privilege of representing the Tenement Museum in Congress 
prior to this year, when new congressional boundaries were implemented, 
and I still serve as an honorary trustee of this important institution. 
I can say without hesitation that the Lower East Side Tenement Museum 
is one of our Nation's most important historic and

[[Page H7425]]

cultural institutions. In recognition of the important work that they 
do, the National Endowment for the Humanities just recently awarded 
them a $500,000 matching grant.
  Founded 25 years ago, the museum brings to life the experiences of 
those immigrant families who settled in one of our Nation's most iconic 
and important neighborhoods--the Lower East Side. Through these 
stories, the museum tells the story of our great country, a nation of 
immigrants, and how our national identity is constantly evolving and 
changing thanks to immigration.
  Over 200,000 people visit the museum each year to learn about these 
stories--and that's not by accident. The Tenement Museum has found a 
unique way to personalize and bring to life history through the stories 
of individual families who actually lived in these buildings. They take 
rooms, and they make one for the Irish, one for the Greek, one for the 
Jews. They have all these stories, and you learn not only the history, 
but the stories of the particular families who lived there.
  The original museum building at 97 Orchard Street tells the 
progression of our country through the stories of immigrant families 
from Italy, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Austria, Russia, Germany, and 
Lithuania through 1935.
  The bill before us will allow the museum to expand to a new site so 
it can tell the stories of Jewish Holocaust survivors, post-1965 
Chinese families, and Puerto Rican families in the 1950s--bringing 
immigrant history to the present day.
  I commend the Natural Resources Committee for reporting out this 
legislation, the House leadership for bringing it to the floor, and my 
colleague and friend Nydia for authoring it, and I urge my colleagues 
to support H.R. 1846.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this legislation, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
1846, to amend the Act establishing the Lower East Side Tenement 
National Historic Site. This piece of legislation would extend the 
boundaries of the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site in 
New York City to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum's 103 Orchard 
Street location. This bill would at no additional cost to taxpayers 
ensure the preservation of a site that embodies the struggles and 
resilience of immigrant families and the essence of who we are as 
Americans. I urge my colleagues to ensure that this important chapter 
in the American story will remain for future generations by supporting 
H.R. 1846.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1846, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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