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 be-
come 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 quick-
ly through the leadership ranks due to his extraor-
dinary political skills, mastery of the legislative proc-
ess 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 be-
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tween warring factions in Northern Ireland, during 
which he worked with fellow Irish-American politi-
cians including Senator Edward M. Kennedy to de-
velop the ‘‘St. Patrick’s Day declaration’’ denounc-
ing 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 Con-
gress met in 1789. 
(18) Tip O’Neill’s extraordinary record of pub-
lic 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 nat-
ural, historic, and cultural resources of the national 
parks of Massachusetts. 
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(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 preserva-
tion of the national seashore and other national 
parks in Massachusetts. 
Æ 
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