Weir Farm National Historical Park Redesignation Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5852) to redesignate the Weir Farm National Historic Site in the State of Connecticut as the ``Weir Farm National Historical Park''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5852
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 ``Weir Farm National Historical Park Redesignation Act''. SEC. 2. WEIR FARM NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) In General.--The Weir Farm National Historic Site shall be known and designated as the ``Weir Farm National Historical Park''.
(b) Amendments to the Weir Farm National Historic Site Establishment Act of 1990.--The Weir Farm National Historic Site Establishment Act of 1990 (54 U.S.C. 320101 note; Public Law 101-485; 104 Stat. 1171; 108 Stat. 4756; 112 Stat. 3296; 123 Stat. 1190) is amended--
(1) in section 2(2)--
(A) by striking ``historic site'' and inserting ``historical park''; and
(B) by striking ``National Historic Site'' and inserting ``National Historical Park'';
(2) in section 4--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``historic site'' and inserting ``historical park'';
(B) in subsection (a), by striking ``Historic Site'' and inserting ``Historical Park''; and
(C) by striking ``historic site'' each place it appears and inserting ``historical park'';
(3) in section 5, by striking ``historic site'' each place it appears and inserting ``historical park''; and
(4) in section 6--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``historic site'' and inserting ``historical park''; and
(B) by striking ``historic site'' each place it appears and inserting ``historical park''.
(c) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, document, record, map, or other paper of the United States to the Weir Farm National Historic Site shall be considered to be a reference to the ``Weir Farm National Historical Park''.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5852, the Weir Farm National Historical Park Redesignation Act, introduced by Representative Jim Himes.
In 1882, American artist Julian Alden Weir traded a still life painting he had acquired in Europe for a 153-acre farm in Branchville, Connecticut. Inspired by the farm's rural setting, Weir spent the next 36 years developing a new approach to landscape painting and gained a reputation as a leader of the American Impressionists.
In 1990, Congress established the Weir Farm National Historic Site to preserve the structures and rural landscape that inspired Weir's transition into American Impressionism. Today, the 68-acre site includes more than a dozen structures, as well as historic gardens, orchards, fields, and hundreds of historic painting sites. The National Historic Site also maintains a museum collection containing more than 200,000 archives and objects, including original paintings, sculptures, and prints.
H.R. 5852 would redesignate the Weir Farm National Historic Site as the Weir Farm National Historical Park to conform with the National Park Service's standard pattern of nomenclature and to help promote increased visitation to the area.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Himes).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source