Pullman Historic Site National Park Service Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the historic Pullman site in Chicago, Illinois, which was the site of an industrial town built between 1880-1884 to provide Pullman Palace Car Company employees and their families with a model community and suitable living conditions, as well as the site of the Pullman Strike of 1894.
Requires the Secretary to evaluate the national significance of such site and to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3894 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3894
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study of the Pullman Historic Site in Chicago, Illinois, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 3, 2012
Mr. Jackson of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study of the Pullman Historic Site in Chicago, Illinois, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Pullman Historic Site National Park
Service Study Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) The Historic Pullman District, built between the years
of 1880 and 1884, was established by George M. Pullman, owner
of the Pullman Palace Car Company. Pullman envisioned an
industrial town that provided employees with a model community
and suitable living conditions for workers and their families.
The town, which consisted of over 1,000 buildings and homes,
was awarded ``The World's Most Perfect Town'' at the
International Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition in 1896.
(2) The Pullman factory site is a true symbol of the
historic American struggle to achieve fair labor practices for
the working class, with the original factory serving as the
catalyst for the first industry-wide strike in the United
States. In the midst of economic depression in 1894, factory
workers there initiated a strike to protest unsafe labor and
reductions in pay that when taken up as a cause by the American
Railway Union (ARU) crippled the entire rail industry. The
Pullman conceived strike continued even in the face of a
federal injunction and Federal troops were sent to Chicago by
President Grover Cleveland to end the strike. Efforts made by
the Pullman workers set a national example for the ability of
working Americans to change the existing system in favor of
more just practices.
(3) The Pullman Car Company plays an important role in both
American, African American and early Civil Rights History
through the legacy of the Pullman Porters, all black and many
ex-slaves receiving paid work in a heavily discriminatory
environment immediately following the Civil War. These men, who
served diligently between the 1870s and the 1960s, have been
commended for their level of service and attention to detail,
as well as their contributions to the development of the black
middle class. The information, ideas, and commerce they carried
across the country helped to bring education and wealth to the
black community, and their role in the historical image of the
Pullman car is unmistakable. The struggles of A. Philip
Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first
black union established in 1925, against discrimination and in
support of just labor practices, helped lay the groundwork for
the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement.
(4) The preservation of Pullman has been threatened by
plans for demolition in 1960 and by a fire in 1998, which
damaged the iconic clock-tower and surrounding manufacturing
buildings. The restoration and preservation led by the diligent
efforts of community organizations, foundations, non-profits,
residents and the local and state government, were vital to the
protection of the site.
(5) Due to the Pullman's historic and architectural
significance, the site is designated as--
(A) a registered National Historic Landmark
District;
(B) an Illinois State Landmark; and
(C) a City of Chicago Landmark district.
SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special
resource study of the historic Pullman site in Chicago, Illinois.
(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) consider the appropriate management options needed to
ensure the protection, preservation, and interpretation of the
site; and
(6) 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 8 of National Park Service
General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a-5).
(d) Report.--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 a report containing the results of the study
and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
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