Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument Preservation Act

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Thursday, July 24, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this hearing is to consider the nomination of Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to sallie__derr@energy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Sam Fowler at (202) 224-7571 or Sallie Derr at (202) 224-6836.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before Subcommittee on National Parks. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

H.R. 412, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and

its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for

study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic

Rivers System, and for other purposes.

S.1189, to adjust the boundaries of Paterson Great Falls

National Historical Park to include Hinchliffe Stadium, and

for other purposes;

S. 1389 and H.R. 1501, to direct the Secretary of the

Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of

designating the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene

Park, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, as a unit of

the National Park System;

S. 1520 and H.R. 2197, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers

Act to designate segments of the York River and associated

tributaries for study for potential inclusion in the National

Wild and Scenic Rivers System;

S. 1641, to establish the Appalachian Forest National

Heritage Area, and for other purposes;

S. 1718, to modify the boundary of Petersburg National

Battlefield in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other

purposes;

S. 1750, authorize the Secretary of the Interior or the

Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with States

and political subdivisions of States providing for the

continued operation, in whole or in part, of public land,

units of the National Park System, units of the National

Wildlife Refuge System, and units of the National Forest

System in the State during any period in which the Secretary

of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture is unable to

maintain normal level of operations at the units due to a

lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes;

S. 1785, to modify the boundary of the Shiloh National

Military Park located in the States of Tennessee and

Mississippi, to establish Parker's Crossroads Battlefield as

an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other

purposes;

S. 1794, to designate certain Federal land in Chaffee

County, Colorado, as a national monument and as wilderness.

S. 1866, a bill to provide for an extension of the

legislative authority of the Adams Memorial Foundation to

establish a commemorative work in honor of former President

John Adams and his legacy;

S. 2031, to amend the Act to provide for the establishment

of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in the State of

Wisconsin, and for other purposes, to adjust the boundary of

that National Lakeshore to include the lighthouse known as

Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light, and for other purposes;

S. 2104, to require the Director of the National Park

Service to refund to States all State funds that were used to

reopen and temporarily operate a unit of the National Park

System during the October 2013 shutdown;

S. 2111, to reauthorize the Yuma Crossing National Heritage

Area;

S. 2221, to extend the authorization for the Automobile

National Heritage Area in Michigan;

S. 2264, A bill to designate memorials to the service of

members of the United States Armed Forces in World War I, and

for other purposes;

S. 2293, to clarify the status of the North Country, Ice

Age, and New England National Scenic Trails as units of the

National Park System, and for other purposes;

S. 2318, to reauthorize the Erie Canalway National Heritage

Corridor Act.

S. 2346, to amend the National Trails System Act to include

national discovery trails, and to designate the American

Discovery Trail, and for other purposes;

S. 2356, to adjust the boundary of the Mojave National

Preserve;

S. 2392, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate certain segments of East Rosebud Creek in Carbon

County, Montana, as components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers

System;

S.2576, to establish the Maritime Washington National

Heritage Area in the State of Washington, and for other

purposes; and

S. 2602, to establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway

National Heritage Area in the State of Washington.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, 304 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to John Assini@ienergy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks (202) 224-9863 or John Assini (202) 224-9313.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The title of this hearing is ``Breaking the Logjam at BLM: Examining Ways to More Efficiently Process Permits for Energy Production on Federal Lands.''

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to Kristen_Granier@energy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Jan Brunner at (202) 224-3907 or Kristen Granier at (202) 224-1219.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Oregon for yielding, for his support, and for his leadership, as well as to Mr. Young.

Mr. Speaker, the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument pays homage to American Revolutionary War heroes and patriots who lost their lives while fighting for our Nation's independence.

This structure was first erected in 1908 to memorialize and contain the remains of 11,500 patriots from the Revolutionary War who died while in British custody on ships anchored in the East River, immediately adjacent to Brooklyn, New York. The British maintained approximately 16 prison ships during the war, which became necessary after the limited land-based prison space reached capacity shortly after New York City fell to the British in August of 1776. These prisoners of war were housed in inhumane conditions; disease was rampant; and food and water were scarce. Each ship typically contained more than 1,000 men and boys.

More Americans died in British captivity than in all of the battles of the Revolutionary War combined. Many perished on these prison ships. The deceased represent patriots from all Thirteen Colonies and of more than a dozen nationalities. Accordingly, this is one of the only international war monuments in the world. The individuals housed on the prison ships could have obtained their freedom had they acceded to requests to join the British forces. However, very few opted to save their own lives, instead believing in the promise of America.

According to a written newspaper account of the situation:

American prisoners suffered so egregiously, in part,

because the British refused to recognize them as enemy

soldiers, which would have, of course, amounted to

legitimizing the colonial government, and therefore denied

them the basic rights ordinarily accorded to prisoners of

war.

It was not until 1908 that their remains were properly memorialized in a 149-foot-tall Doric column atop a 95-foot hill in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, beneath which is the crypt.

During the Great Depression, the monument as a whole fell into disrepair due to a shortage of funds, neglect, and a lack of public interest. The monument originally had four bronze eagles mounted to the corner granite posts. After repeatedly being vandalized, these eagles were removed, never to be returned to the park again. This is emblematic of the overall treatment of the monument, treatment that continued for much of the previous century.

In 2005, as part of a $3 million reconstruction project, which took 18 months, the condition of the monument improved somewhat. However, it is still under great threat as vandals continue to deface the property. This monument should be a place to memorialize forgotten martyrs and Revolutionary War heroes. Instead, it is now more frequently used as a skate park and as a casual recreation space.

To that end, the potential designation of the crypt and the monument as a unit of the NPS should be studied given its national significance and the ability of the NPS to protect our national treasures. The story of these brave heroes--with the atrocities they suffered--has been described as one of the least known accounts of the American Revolution. I respectfully urge my colleagues in the House to support H.R. 1501. Preserve the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, and help illuminate the sacrifices made by these forgotten patriots and American Revolutionary War heroes.

Again, let me thank the distinguished gentleman, the ranking member, for his support and for his leadership as well as that of Mr. Young's.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1501) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene Park, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, as a unit of the National Park System, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1501 authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a study of the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Brooklyn, New York, to determine its eligibility to become a unit in the National Park Service.

The Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene Park is a memorial to the more than 11,500 American prisoners of war who died in captivity aboard 16 British prison ships during the American Revolutionary War.

The study authorized by this legislation will determine if the site meets the test of national significance and provide different Federal, local, and nongovernmental management proposals. The study is informational. Congress would still have to act on separate legislation to designate the monument as a park.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us brought by the gentleman from New York has tremendous merit. This is a chapter of history that many of us have forgotten or didn't learn in school, but the 11,500 lives that were lost aboard British prison ships while our country fought for its independence during the Revolutionary War is certainly a very, very important national and nationally significant site.

The site has been managed by the New York Department of Parks and Recreation, but the gentleman from New York has rightly pointed out in his advocacy that this should actually be a site that has national significance. He therefore has authored--and hopefully today we will successfully see passed--H.R. 1501, which would direct the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study within 1 year on the feasibility of designating the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, New York, as a unit of the National Park System. I would hope that this legislation would be broadly supported.

With that, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.