On the recordJune 7, 2016
I thank my colleagues for the work that they have done on this issue. Mr. Speaker, they have each mentioned the public-private partnership that has taken place in Tennessee and Mississippi and at the Shiloh National Military Park. I think it is so significant that we have seen our local elected officials work with our State and Federal officials. I do have to commend the employees of the National Park Service who have done a phenomenal job as they have worked toward the preservation of these entities, as Mr. Clay said so very well, and who have looked at how we adjust the boundaries, expand the boundaries, and then preserve these areas. It is a part of the historical legacy, as has been said, not only of Tennessee's and Mississippi's, but of the United States'. Indeed, over a half million visitors a year come to the Shiloh National Military Park. This will give the National Park Service the flexibility that it needs to look at adding in the additional 2,100 acres into this park. It would encompass the Fallen Timbers, the Russell House, and the Davis Bridge battlefields, and would provide that consideration for Parker's Crossroads. As I said, it is an important part of the National Park Service. This legislation is the product of work from our local, State, and Federal officials and from the community groups and organizations that support this. I thank my colleagues for their support.
