[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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