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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4400 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4400

To designate the Salt Pond Visitor Center at Cape Cod National Seashore 
  as the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center'', and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 2012

  Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Neal, Mr. 
Olver, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Tsongas, 
 Mr. Keating, and Ms. Pelosi) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To designate the Salt Pond Visitor Center at Cape Cod National Seashore 
  as the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center'', and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Thomas Phillip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr., was born on December 
        9, 1912, in the Irish middle-class area of North Cambridge, 
        Massachusetts, to Thomas Phillip O'Neill, Sr., and Rose Ann 
        (Tolan) O'Neill.
            (2) Nicknamed ``Tip'' during his childhood, O'Neill was 
        educated in Roman Catholic schools, graduating from St. John's 
        High School in 1931, where he was captain of the basketball 
        team.
            (3) Tip O'Neill then attended Boston College, where he ran 
        for a Cambridge City Council seat during his senior year--his 
        first attempt at running for office and only electoral defeat.
            (4) Following his graduation from Boston College in 1936, 
        Tip O'Neill was elected to the Massachusetts House of 
        Representatives that same year as a New Deal Democrat whose 
        political philosophy was shaped by his experience growing up in 
        working-class Boston and his strong Catholic faith, which led 
        him to view government as a means for helping the disadvantaged 
        in society.
            (5) In 1949, Tip O'Neill became the first Democratic 
        Speaker in the history of the Massachusetts State Legislature, 
        serving as Speaker until 1952, when he ran successfully for the 
        United States House of Representatives to fill the seat vacated 
        by Senator-elect John F. Kennedy.
            (6) In 1958, inspired by the establishment of the Cape 
        Hatteras National Seashore, a seashore park in North Carolina, 
        Representative Tip O'Neill, along with his close friend and 
        colleague Representative Edward Boland, introduced legislation 
        to protect lands on Cape Cod as a national seashore.
            (7) In describing this area on Cape Cod, Henry David 
        Thoreau had written that ``A man may stand there and put all 
        America behind him'', as the pristine sandy beach, marshes, 
        ponds, and uplands supporting diverse species represent a 
        unique, cherished jewel of nature.
            (8) The legislation established a 40-mile national park 
        along Cape Cod's outer beach, from Chatham through Orleans, 
        Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown that includes 
        lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs that 
        offer a glimpse of Cape Cod's past and continuing ways of life.
            (9) After introduction of the legislation during the 85th 
        Congress, Tip O'Neill continued to advocate strongly for 
        establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore, co-sponsoring 
        bills in the 86th and 87th Congresses, testifying at hearings 
        and working to advance the legislation through Congress.
            (10) The legislation was intended to preserve one of the 
        great natural marvels of the United States, with its unbroken 
        beach and moors, marshes, forests, and freshwater ponds that 
        are home to many species of birds, fish, animals, and plants.
            (11) On August 7, 1961, President Kennedy signed into law 
        the legislation authorizing the Cape Cod National Seashore as 
        Public Law 87-126.
            (12) In 1966, the Cape Cod National Seashore was formally 
        established, and Representative O'Neill attended the May 30, 
        1966, ceremony inaugurating the Salt Pond Visitor Center.
            (13) The Cape Cod National Seashore has become a national 
        treasure, with millions of Americans and visitors from around 
        the world enjoying its beauty and remarkable biodiversity.
            (14) Tip O'Neill and his family maintained a home on Cape 
        Cod in Harwich Port, and he was a frequent visitor to the 
        National Seashore during his service in Congress and in his 
        retirement years.
            (15) While in Congress, Tip O'Neill rose quickly through 
        the leadership ranks due to his extraordinary political skills, 
        mastery of the legislative process and sharp wit, serving first 
        as Majority Whip in the House beginning in 1971 and then in 
        1973 as House Majority Leader.
            (16) One of O'Neill's greatest accomplishments as Speaker 
        was the crafting of a peace accord between warring factions in 
        Northern Ireland, during which he worked with fellow Irish-
        American politicians including Senator Edward M. Kennedy to 
        develop the ``St. Patrick's Day declaration'' denouncing 
        violence in Northern Ireland and culminating with the Irish aid 
        package upon the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985.
            (17) On January 3, 1987, Tip O'Neill retired from Congress, 
        having served in public life for 50 years, including 34 years 
        as a Member of Congress and 10 years as Speaker of the House, 
        the longest continuous term of any Speaker since the first 
        Congress met in 1789.
            (18) Tip O'Neill's extraordinary record of public service 
        and tremendous accomplishments for the nation and unmatched 
        attention to the needs of his constituents led President George 
        H.W. Bush in 1991 to present Tip O'Neill with the Presidential 
        Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United 
        States.
            (19) It is also altogether fitting to recognize Tip 
        O'Neill's support for the protection of the natural, historic, 
        and cultural resources of the national parks of Massachusetts.
    (b) Designation.--The Salt Pond Visitor Center at Cape Cod National 
Seashore in Eastham, Massachusetts, is designated as the ``Thomas P. 
O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center''.
    (c) References.--Any reference to the Salt Pond Visitor Center at 
Cape Cod National Seashore in any law, regulation, map, document, 
record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a 
reference to the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Salt Pond Visitor Center''.
    (d) Signage.--The Secretary of the Interior may post an 
interpretive sign at the visitor center that--
            (1) includes information on Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., and his 
        contributions as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives;
            (2) includes an image of Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.; and
            (3) refers to his efforts to aid in the preservation of the 
        national seashore and other national parks in Massachusetts.
                                 <all>
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