[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.

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