Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, and a representative from the New South that President Jimmy Carter…”

“As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, and a representative from the New South that President Jimmy Carter symbolized, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5472, the ``Jimmy Carter National Historical Park Redesignation Act,'' bipartisan legislation that elevates the designation of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Site to accurately reflect its status in the National Park System and accord with a standard pattern of nomenclature. National historical parks are typically areas of greater physical extent and complexity than national historic sites; often they contain multiple discontiguous sites. According to the National Park Service, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, which was established by Congress in 1987, is comprised of facilities at several sites in and around the town of Plains, Georgia and has the characteristics that make the designation of ``national historical park'' a more appropriate title than ``national historic site.'' Congress passed the legislation in 1987 to preserve the key sites and structures associated with President Jimmy Carter during his life, provide for the interpretation of the life and presidency of Jimmy Carter, and present the history of a small rural southern town.…”