II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 925 

To improve the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 9, 2013 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and Mr. SCHUMER) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To improve the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic 

Site, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lower East Side Tene5 ment National Historic Site Improvement Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the Lower East Side Tenement Museum 

9 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Museum’’) was 

10 founded in 1988 and has, for the past 25 years, preVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:29 May 11, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S925.IS S925

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1 served and interpreted the history of immigration 

2 through the personal experiences of generations of 

3 newcomers who settled in and built lives on Manhat4 tan’s Lower East Side, the iconic immigrant neigh5 borhood of the United States; 

6 (2) the Director of the National Park Service 

7 found the Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard 

8 Street to be nationally significant; 

9 (3) the Secretary of the Interior designated the 

10 Lower East Side Tenement a National Historic 

11 Landmark on April 19, 1994; 

12 (4) the Director of the National Park Service, 

13 through a special resource study, found the Lower 

14 East Side Tenement suitable and feasible for inclu15 sion in the National Park System; 

16 (5) Congress designated the Lower East Side 

17 Tenement at 97 Orchard Street as a national his18 toric site and as an affiliated site of the National 

19 Park System in title I of Public Law 105–378 (112 

20 Stat. 3395); 

21 (6) the National Park Service prepared a Gen22 eral Management Plan (referred to in this section as 

23 the ‘‘Plan’’) for the site in 2006; 

24 (7) the Plan recognized the need for space for 

25 administrative functions, collections storage, and visVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:29 May 11, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S925.IS S925

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1 itor services, including orientation and additional ex2 hibits; 

3 (8) the Museum obtained a neighboring 1888 

4 tenement, 103 Orchard Street, which was restored 

5 and renovated to serve as a visitor and education 

6 center; and 

7 (9) 103 Orchard was declared a contributing 

8 property in the Lower East Side National Historic 

9 District listed on both the National and New York 

10 State Registers of Historic Places. 

11 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

12 (1) to include 103 Orchard Street in New York 

13 City as part of the Lower East Side Tenement Na14 tional Historic Site; 

15 (2) to ensure the preservation, maintenance, 

16 and interpretation of the expanded site; 

17 (3) to interpret at the site the stories of Holo18 caust survivors, Puerto Rican migrants, and post19 1965 Chinese immigrants; 

20 (4) to enhance appreciation for the profound 

21 role immigration has played and continues to play in 

22 shaping the evolving national identity of the United 

23 States; and 

24 (5) to ensure continued interpretation of the 

25 nationally significant immigrant phenomenon associVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:29 May 11, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S925.IS S925

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1 ated with the Lower East Side of New York City 

2 and the role of the Lower East Side in the history 

3 of immigration to the United States, and to enhance 

4 the interpretation of the Castle Clinton, Ellis Island, 

5 and Statue of Liberty National Monuments. 

6 SEC. 3. LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT NATIONAL HISTORIC 

7 SITE. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Section 101(a)(4) of Public Law 

9 105–378 (112 Stat. 3395) is amended by striking ‘‘the 

10 Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street in New 

11 York City is an outstanding survivor’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

12 Lower East Side Tenements at 97 and 103 Orchard 

13 Street in New York City are outstanding survivors’’. 

14 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 102 of Public Law 105– 

15 378 (112 Stat. 3396) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Lower East 

17 Side Tenement found at 97 Orchard Street’’ and in18 serting ‘‘Lower East Side Tenements found at 97 

19 and 103 Orchard Street’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘which owns 

21 and operates the tenement building at 97 Orchard 

22 Street’’ and inserting ‘‘which owns and operates the 

23 tenement buildings at 97 and 103 Orchard Street’’. 

24 (c) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 103(a) of Public Law 

25 105–378 (112 Stat. 3396) is amended by striking ‘‘the 


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1 Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street, in the 

2 City of New York, State of New York, is designated’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘the Lower East Side Tenements at 97 and 103 

4 Orchard Street, in the City of New York, State of New 

5 York, are designated’’. 

6 (d) MANAGEMENT.—Section 104(d) of Public Law 

7 105–378 (112 Stat. 3397) is amended by striking ‘‘the 

8 property at 97 Orchard Street’’ and inserting ‘‘the prop9 erties at 97 and 103 Orchard Street’’. 

Æ 


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