[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H5994-H5995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MEDGAR EVERS HOUSE STUDY ACT
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 959) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a
special resource study of the Medgar Evers House, located in Jackson,
Mississippi, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 959
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 ``Medgar Evers House Study
Act''.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a
special resource study of the home of the late civil rights
activist Medgar Evers, located at 2332 Margaret Walker
Alexander Drive in Jackson, Mississippi.
(b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall--
(1) evaluate the national significance of the site;
(2) determine the suitability and feasibility of
designating the site as a unit of the National Park System;
(3) consider other alternatives for preservation,
protection, and interpretation of the site by Federal, State,
or local governmental entities, or private and nonprofit
organizations;
(4) consult with interested Federal, State, or local
governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations or
any other interested individuals;
(5) determine the effect of the designation of the site as
a unit of the National Park System on existing commercial and
recreational uses, and the effect on State and local
governments to manage those activities;
(6) identify any authorities, including condemnation, that
will compel or permit the Secretary to influence or
participate in local land use decisions (such as zoning) or
place restrictions on non-Federal land if the site is
designated a unit of the National Park System; and
(7) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition,
development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance
associated with the alternatives.
(c) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection
(a) shall be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of
title 54, United States Code.
(d) Study Results.--Not later than 3 years after the date
on which funds are first made available for the study under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate the
results of the study and any conclusions and recommendations
of the Secretary.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs.
Dingell) 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 959 authorizes a special resource study to be
conducted by the Department of the Interior on the home of the late
civil rights activist Medgar Evers. This bill requires the Secretary to
determine the national significance of the home and the feasibility of
designating the site as a unit of the National Park Service.
The National Park Service does not have any objections to this bill,
and it was reported out of the Natural Resources Committee by unanimous
consent. Once results of the study are available, Congress would have
to act to create any new unit of the National Park system.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, 52 years ago, on June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers, a native
Mississippian and the first field officer in that State for the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which we
have come to know as the NAACP, was shot in the driveway of his home in
Jackson, Mississippi. This horrific event occurred hours after
President Kennedy made a televised speech in support of civil rights.
This was a critical moment in the modern civil rights movement as it
moved towards the seminal March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Evers was a World War II veteran, fighting in the Battle of Normandy.
He returned home to find his path to the voting booth literally blocked
at gunpoint. He personally fought to integrate the University of
Mississippi Law School and was integral in assisting James Meredith
successfully enroll as an undergraduate.
Evers was an activist, an organizer, a loving father, a husband, and,
finally, a martyr. He is a true American hero whose time came too soon,
yet his name and what he stood for continues to inspire so many. It is
time that his service and loss be properly recognized by our Nation.
H.R. 959, the Medgar Evers House Study Act, would authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the
Medgar Evers House in Jackson, Mississippi, for potential inclusion in
the National Park system. We estimate that this study will cost
approximately $200,000 to $300,000. Funding for this proposed study
would need to be allocated from the set amount of funding that Congress
appropriates for all special resource studies.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, Congressman
Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, for his very hard work on this
legislation and for his leadership on this critical issue. The Medgar
Evers House is a piece of American history that must be preserved,
which is why this legislation is so important.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of H.R.
959.
I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Mississippi
(Mr. Thompson).
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman
from Michigan for yielding me the necessary time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge our colleagues to support H.R. 959,
the Medgar Evers House Study Act.
Medgar Wiley Evers was born in the small town of Decatur,
Mississippi, in 1925. Medgar would go on to serve in our country's Army
in France and in
[[Page H5995]]
Germany during World War II. After his military service, Medgar
attended Alcorn State University, where he would meet his future wife,
Myrlie.
After graduating from Alcorn, Medgar devoted his life to seeking
justice and equality for all Americans. As field secretary for the
NAACP in Mississippi, Mr. Evers led successful voter registration
efforts throughout the State. He applied for admission to the
University of Mississippi Law School in an unsuccessful effort to
desegregate the university. Medgar also courageously led investigations
into the death of Emmett Till and publicly supported Clyde Kennard
after his imprisonment on erroneous charges stemming from his efforts
to integrate the University of Southern Mississippi.
On June 12, 1963, as he returned home from a NAACP planning meeting,
Medgar was shot in the back in the driveway of his home while his
family was inside the house. He died at a local hospital less than an
hour later. One week after his death, he was buried with full military
honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Today, the Medgar Evers House has been preserved as a museum by
Tougaloo College. The home has been refurbished to appear as it did at
the time of Evers' death. The home contains an exhibit regarding Evers'
family, career, death, and his legacy. The home has hosted scores of
visitors including many Members of Congress who participated in the
Faith & Politics pilgrimages throughout the South.
My bill, H.R. 959, the Medgar Evers House Study Act, authorizes a
special resource study by the Secretary of the Interior on the home in
which his family lived and Medgar Evers was assassinated located at
2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. The study
will determine the national significance of the Evers home and
determine the feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the
National Park system.
Mr. Speaker, Medgar Evers was a civil rights giant. He dedicated his
life to bringing down the pillars that maintained Jim Crow in
Mississippi. The heroic life he lived and the remarkable legacy that he
left are unquestioned. Today's bill will further cement the role that
he played in advancing civil and human rights in our Nation. With that,
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 959.
Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge all Members to support
H.R. 959.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, Medgar Evers was a patriot and a civil
rights leader who gave his life to realize the full promise of the
American Declaration of Independence. His memory is vivid and revered
by every American of goodwill who lived through those momentous years.
It is for us now to preserve his memory for the many generations of
Americans to follow who will have to look to history to know him.
This bill is a step toward recognizing the enormous debt our Nation
owes him and to ensure that future generations can draw inspiration
from his leadership, his patriotism, his courage, and his sacrifice
that he made in the cause of freedom.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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. 959, 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.
____________________