[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 15 (Monday, January 27, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S488-S490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Kirk):
  S. 1962. A bill to establish the Pullman National Historical Park in 
the State of Illinois as a unit of the National Park System, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. DURBIN. I rise today to introduce the Pullman National Historical 
Park Act. This legislation continues our commitment to preserve the 
unique stories and places that have a special place in our Nation's 
history.
  The Pullman neighborhood has been the site of some major events in 
U.S. history. The area was first developed in 1880 by George Pullman as 
the first American industrial town--a mixed-income community where the 
families of company executives and factory workers could work and live 
together.
  During the economic depression of the 1890s, the Pullman site served 
as the catalyst for the first industry-wide strike in the United 
States, which helped lead to the establishment of Labor Day as a 
national holiday.
  The Pullman community then went on to play an important role in 
African-American and early Civil Rights history through the legacy of 
the Pullman porters, as well as the development of the Brotherhood of 
Sleeping Car Porters--the first Black labor union.
  So it is fitting that the area has been recognized as a historical 
landmark by the city of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and nationally. 
But more can be done to showcase Pullman's unique place in America's 
history.
  A study released last year by the National Park Service stated that 
the Pullman Historical District had undisputed national significance 
and would make an excellent candidate for addition to the national park 
system. I agree. I am joined by my colleagues Senator Mark Kirk and 
Congresswoman Robin Kelly today to introduce a bill to designate the 
Pullman

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district as a national park. If created, the Pullman National 
Historical Park would be an important addition to the current national 
parks system because it would poignantly highlight stories from 
communities that are rarely represented in other national parks.
  The park's urban location on Chicago's South Side would make it 
easily accessible to millions of people by public transportation--
again, setting Pullman apart from other national parks. The Pullman 
National Historical Park would also provide an opportunity for tourism 
and facilitate job creation in the Southeast side of Chicago. More than 
3,000 Chicagoans and 110 organizations and businesses--including the 
AFL-CIO and Chicago Federation of Labor--have signed statements of 
support calling for its creation.
  Studies show that for every dollar that is invested in national park 
operations, $10 of economic activity is generated locally. Just last 
year, national park visitors contributed more than $30 billion to local 
economies and support more than a quarter million jobs. The benefits 
are clear.
  Creating the Pullman National Historical Park will allow the National 
Park Service to better represent America's cultural and ethnic 
diversity while providing a boost to the local economy and conservation 
opportunities for the area. I urge my colleagues to support Pullman 
National Historical Park Act.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follow:

                                S. 1962

       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 ``Pullman National Historical 
     Park Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) in 1970, the Secretary of the Interior designated the 
     Pullman Historic District as a National Historic Landmark 
     District in 1970 because of--
       (A) the significance of the District to the labor history, 
     social history, architecture, and urban planning of the 
     United States; and
       (B) the pivotal role of events in the District in creating 
     the first national Labor Day holiday in the world;
       (2) between 1880 and 1884 George M. Pullman, owner of the 
     Pullman Palace Car Company, built the Pullman community, 
     which was envisioned by Pullman as an industrial town that 
     would provide employees with--
       (A) a model community; and
       (B) suitable living conditions;
       (3) the town developed by George M. Pullman, which 
     consisted of over 1,000 buildings and homes, was awarded 
     ``The World's Most Perfect Town'' at the International 
     Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition in 1896;
       (4) the Pullman factory site is a true symbol of the 
     historic struggle in the United States to achieve fair labor 
     practices for the working class, with the original factory 
     serving as the catalyst for the first industry-wide strike in 
     the United States;
       (5) in the midst of economic depression in 1894, to protest 
     unsafe conditions and reductions in pay, Pullman factory 
     workers initiated a strike that--
       (A) when taken up as a cause by the American Railway Union, 
     crippled the entire rail industry;
       (B) continued even in the face of a Federal injunction and 
     a showdown between laborers and Federal troops that turned 
     violent and deadly; and
       (C) set a national example for the ability of working 
     people in the United States to change the existing system in 
     favor of more just practices for protecting workers rights 
     and safety;
       (6) following the deaths of a number of workers at the 
     hands of the United States military and United States 
     Marshals during the 1894 strike, Congress unanimously voted 
     to approve rush legislation that created a national Labor Day 
     holiday, which was signed into law by President Grover 
     Cleveland 6 days after the end of the strike;
       (7) the Pullman Palace Car Company also played an important 
     role in African-American and early civil rights history 
     through the legacy of the Pullman porters, many of whom were 
     ex-slaves were employed in a heavily discriminatory 
     environment immediately following the Civil War;
       (8) the Pullman porters, who served diligently between the 
     1870s and the 1960s, have been commended for--
       (A) the level of service and attention to detail of the 
     Pullman porters; and
       (B) the contributions of the Pullman porters to the 
     development of the African-American middle class;
       (9) the information, ideas, and commerce the Pullman 
     porters carried across the country while traveling on trains 
     helped to bring education and wealth to African-American 
     communities throughout the United States;
       (10) the positive role of the Pullman porters in the 
     historical image of the first-class service that was made 
     available on Pullman cars is unmistakable;
       (11) the Pullman community was the seminal home to the 
     Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, which--
       (A) was the first African-American labor union with a 
     collective bargaining agreement;
       (B) was founded by civil rights pioneer A. Philip Randolph 
     in 1925;
       (C) fought against discrimination and in support of just 
     labor practices; and
       (D) helped lay the groundwork for what became the great 
     Civil Rights Movement of the 20th Century;
       (12) the Pullman community is--
       (A) a paramount illustration of the work of architect Solon 
     Spencer Beman;
       (B) a well-preserved example of 19th Century community 
     planning, architecture, and landscape design; and
       (C) comprised of a number of historic structures, including 
     the Administration Clocktower Building, Hotel Florence, 
     Greenstone Church, Market Square, and hundreds of units of 
     rowhouses built for Pullman workers;
       (13) the preservation of the Pullman site has been 
     threatened by--
       (A) plans for demolition in 1960; and
       (B) a fire in 1998, which damaged the iconic clocktower and 
     the rear erecting shops;
       (14) the diligent efforts of community organizations, 
     foundations, nonprofits, residents, the State, and units of 
     local government in the restoration and preservation of the 
     District after the 1998 fire were vital to the protection of 
     the Pullman site;
       (15) due to the historic and architectural significance of 
     the District, the District is designated as--
       (A) a registered National Historic Landmark District;
       (B) an Illinois State Landmark; and
       (C) a City of Chicago Landmark District; and
       (16) the preservation, enhancement, economic, and tourism 
     potential and management of the important historic and 
     architectural resources of the Park requires cooperation and 
     partnerships from among local property owners, the Federal 
     Government, the State, units of local government, the private 
     and nonprofit sectors, and the more than 100 civic 
     organizations who have expressed support for community 
     preservation through the establishment of the Pullman 
     National Historical Park.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Pullman National 
     Historical Park established by section 4(a).
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.
       (3) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Illinois.

     SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PULLMAN NATIONAL HISTORICAL 
                   PARK.

       (a) Establishment and Purpose.--There is established in the 
     State a unit of the National Park System, to be known as the 
     ``Pullman National Historical Park''--
       (1) to preserve and interpret for the benefit of future 
     generations--
       (A) the significant labor, industrial, civil rights, and 
     social history of the Park;
       (B) the significant architectural structures in the Park; 
     and
       (C) the role of the Pullman community in the creation of 
     the first national Labor Day holiday in the world;
       (2) to coordinate preservation, protection, and 
     interpretation efforts of the Park by the Federal Government, 
     the State, units of local government, and private and 
     nonprofit organizations; and
       (3) to coordinate appropriate management options necessary 
     to ensure the protection, preservation, and interpretation of 
     the many significant aspects of the Park.
       (b) Park Boundary.--The boundary of the Park shall be 
     established by the Secretary, but shall not exceed the 
     boundary of the approximately 300-acre Pullman Historic 
     District in Chicago, which is between 103rd Street on the 
     north, 115th Street on the south, Cottage Grove Avenue on the 
     west, and the Norfolk & Western Rail Line on the east.
       (c) Inclusion of Historic Sites.--On conveyance by the 
     State to the Secretary, the Park shall include--
       (1) the Pullman Factory Complex, including the Clock Tower 
     Building and rear erecting shops; and
       (2) the approximately 13 acres of land on which the 
     structures described in paragraph (1) are located.

     SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall administer land within 
     the boundary of the Park in accordance with--
       (1) this Act; and
       (2) the laws generally applicable to units of the National 
     Park System, including--
       (A) the National Park Service Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et 
     seq.); and
       (B) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.).
       (b) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into 
     cooperative agreements with the State or other public and 
     nonpublic entities, under which the Secretary may identify, 
     interpret, and provide assistance for the preservation of 
     non-Federal land within the boundaries of the Park and at 
     sites in close proximity to the Park

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     but located outside the boundaries of the Park, including 
     providing for placement of directional and interpretive 
     signage, exhibits, and technology-based interpretive devices.
       (c) Acquisition of Land.--The Secretary may acquire for 
     inclusion in the Park any land (including interests in land), 
     buildings, or structures owned by the State or any other 
     political, private, or nonprofit entity by donation, 
     transfer, exchange, or purchase from a willing seller.
       (d) Management Plan.--Not later than 3 fiscal years after 
     the date on which funds are first made available to carry out 
     this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the State, 
     shall complete a general management plan for the Park in 
     accordance with--
       (1) section 12(b) of the National Park System General 
     Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a-7(b)); and
       (2) any other applicable laws.
       (e) Effect.--Nothing in this Act modifies any authority of 
     the Federal Government to carry out Federal laws on Federal 
     land located in the Park.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are 
     necessary to carry out this Act.

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