James K. Polk Presidential Home Study Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 443) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the James K. Polk Home in Columbia, Tennessee, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, President James K. Polk lived in Columbia, Tennessee, from 1819 until 1824. Other than the White House itself, the Columbia, Tennessee, site is the only surviving residence of our 11th President. It is the repository of many original artifacts from his life.

Although he served a single term, Polk left our Nation with a remarkable legacy of public accomplishments, including expansion of our Western territories and the establishment of the U.S. Naval Academy. My home State of California owes him a particular debt of gratitude.

Indeed, he made four campaign promises and, in 4 years, he fulfilled all four.

President Polk left office in 1849, and returned to Nashville, Tennessee, where he lived for 3 months before his death.

The James K. Polk home in Columbia, Tennessee, was designated as a national historic landmark in 1961. In April of 2015, the National Park Service completed a reconnaissance survey of the home and determined that the site warrants a special resource study.

H.R. 443 would authorize the special resource study of the James K. Polk home to evaluate its national significance and the suitability and feasibility for a potential designation of the area as a unit of the National Park Service.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. DesJarlais), the author of this measure and another tireless advocate for Tennessee.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa)

for her support, and I ask for adoption of the measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as mentioned, the James K. Polk Presidential Home Study Act would require the Department of the Interior to study adding our 11th President's only surviving residence to the National Park Service. The aim of my bill is to help the charity that currently maintains the property in Columbia, Tennessee, to preserve it for future generations.

Two hundred years ago, Columbia was a frontier town in a new State. Nobody knew the United States would eventually stretch from sea to shining sea, but James Polk had confidence and vision.

He was a country lawyer who rose from the Tennessee State house to the Governor's office, then to the House of Representatives here in Congress. James Polk was the only Speaker of the House to ever be elected President.

Polk oversaw the establishment of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Department of the Interior.

Most importantly, he fulfilled his promise to Western settlers to expand the country's boundaries to the Pacific. Without James Polk's contributions, the United States might not look like it does today, a strong, prosperous Nation spanning a continent.

The outcome was not always certain; however, today, we enjoy the fruits of President Polk's often overlooked legacy. Many historians consider him to be the most successful pre-Civil War President. People in Columbia consider him a local hero. He is a national hero and deserves a place of honor in our National Park System.

I appreciate Representative Marsha Blackburn's support for my legislation to accomplish this goal. I also thank Senator Lamar Alexander, who has offered companion legislation in the Senate, and we all anticipate progress.

I want to thank the Columbia city leaders and the many volunteers who have tirelessly worked on this project and helped bring this issue to my attention. We all look forward to its continued prosperity and recognition.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 443 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability of designating the James K. Polk home in Columbia, Tennessee, as a unit of the National Park System. The home is the only surviving residence of our 11th President, President Polk, and contains over 1,300 artifacts and original documents.

The National Park Service has previously testified in support of this bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the bill and helping us preserve an important part of our Nation's history.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, if I may inquire as to whether the gentleman from California has any more speakers.

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

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and helping us preserve an important part of our Nation's history.

I yield back the balance of my time.