IB 
House Calendar No. 147 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4400 
[Report No. 112–598] 
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 
JULY 17, 2012 
Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 dur-
ing his senior year—his first attempt at running for 
office and only electoral defeat. 
(4) Following his graduation from Boston Col-
lege in 1936, Tip O’Neill was elected to the Massa-
chusetts 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. 
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(5) In 1949, Tip O’Neill became the first 
Democratic Speaker in the history of the Massachu-
setts 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 Representa-
tive 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 pris-
tine sandy beach, marshes, ponds, and uplands sup-
porting diverse species represent a unique, cherished 
jewel of nature. 
(8) The legislation established a 40-mile na-
tional 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. 
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(9) After introduction of the legislation during 
the 85th Congress, Tip O’Neill continued to advo-
cate strongly for establishment of the Cape Cod Na-
tional 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 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 
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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-
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 
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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. 
(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 
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House Calendar No. 147 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4400 
[Report No. 112–598] 
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. 
JULY 17, 2012 
Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
printed 
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