Fort San Gerónimo Preservation Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for supporting this bill, which is really wanted by the people of Puerto Rico.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 359, the Fort San Geronimo Preservation Act, legislation that will establish Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron as an affiliated area of the National Park System.

Fort San Geronimo is a small, two-level, stone masonry fort located at the mouth of the Condado Lagoon in San Juan. Many who have visited San Juan will see it from all the hotels in the area. It is part of the massive system of fortification built by the Spanish military engineers between the 16th and 19th centuries to protect the cities, specifically 1500.

Three of the forts that were part of this defense system--Fort San Felipe del Morro, Fort San Cristobal, and Fort San Juan de la Cruz--are currently included within the San Juan National Historic Site, which is the sole National Park Service unit in Puerto Rico. Fort San Geronimo, however, is managed, as the chairman said, by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, a state government agency.

Despite its small size, this fort became a centerpiece of San Juan's first line of defense. It played a crucial role in the 1797 Battle of San Juan when a squadron of British ships led by Sir Ralph Abercromby attacked and attempted to invade the city for 13 days. Fort San Geronimo bore the brunt of this assault. Although severely damaged, it stood up against the firepower and successfully thwarted the British invasion, which retreated in defeat.

The 1797 British siege of San Juan would be the last attack on Puerto Rico by a major European power, underscoring Fort San Geronimo's historic significance and key strategic role.

The fort was rebuilt largely in its original design in 1799 and continued to be used as a Spanish military post throughout the 19th century. After Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898, the U.S. Navy, as the chairman mentioned, used it as a military post until 1921. It was then transferred into private property and eventually acquired by the government of Puerto Rico in 1949.

Today, this fort is the sole surviving site in Puerto Rico representing the 1797 Battle of San Juan. It was listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and again in 1997 as a contributing resource of the Advanced Defense Line historic district.

Yet, despite the significance of this fort, preserving Fort San Geronimo has been a challenging task due to age, weathering, and limited resources.

Over the last couple of years, entities like the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and nonprofit organizations like Amigos del Fortin San Jeronimo have taken important steps to rehabilitate and protect the site, but it is clear that more can be done.

In 2020, the National Park Service released a study that found that Fort San Geronimo is nationally significant and met suitability criteria that there was strong local support for the agency to become involved in the site's interpretation and preservation. The study

concluded that there was the potential for the fort to be considered as an affiliated area of the National Park System.

This bill, H.R. 359, would achieve just that, designating Fort San Geronimo as the first affiliated area in Puerto Rico. The National Park Service would be authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture to provide technical and financial assistance for the fort's preservation. This would support and strengthen ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the site without placing it under Federal ownership.

Affiliated area designation would also bring national recognition to Fort San Geronimo's role in our military history. It would help us better interpret and tell the full story of the San Juan National Historic Site and that of the oldest and largest Spanish fortification system in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for their support. I look forward to continuing working together to get this legislation across the finish line and to help protect Fort San Geronimo for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 359) to establish Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron in Puerto Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 359, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Resident Commissioner Gonzalez- Colon's bill, the Fort San Geronimo Preservation Act. This legislation would establish Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron as an affiliated area of the National Park System. I applaud Resident Commissioner Gonzalez- Colon's leadership on this effort.

Fort San Geronimo is a small, two-level, stone masonry fort located at the easternmost point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Part of the massive fortification system built by Spanish military engineers between the 16th and 19th centuries to protect San Juan from foreign invasions, Fort San Geronimo became a centerpiece of the city's defenses and played a crucial role in the 1797 Battle of San Juan. The fort was rebuilt in 1799, largely to its original design, and continued to be used as a Spanish military post in the 19th century. After Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898, the U.S. Navy used Fort San Geronimo as a military post until 1921. Today, Fort San Geronimo is owned and managed by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, an agency of the Puerto Rican Government.

Establishing Fort San Geronimo as a national affiliated area is a cost-effective way to conserve this important historic and cultural site without placing it under Federal ownership or management. Under H.R. 359, the fort will continue to be managed by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, although the National Park Service will be able to provide assistance for the marketing, interpretation, and protection of the site.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, as the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon) stated, this is a commonsense bill that will improve the conservation and protection of a key historical site. It does so while avoiding unnecessary Federal involvement. I thank the gentlewoman again for her leadership on this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 359, the Fort San Geronimo Preservation Act, introduced by my colleague from Puerto Rico, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon.

The Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron, located in Puerto Rico, was built as part of the fortification system to protect San Juan from invasions. Today, it is the sole surviving fortification on the island, representing the successful defense from a siege by the British military in 1797, the Battle of San Juan.

The bill before us today would establish the Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron in Puerto Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park System to ensure the fort is maintained and preserved as an important historic site.

I am pleased to support the legislation and congratulate my colleague, Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon, for her fine work on the legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on November 6, I missed two recorded votes. Had I been present, on Roll Call No. 599, the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1607, I would have voted Yea. On Roll Call No. 600, the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 359, I would have voted Yea. On November 9, I missed two recorded votes. Had I been present, on Roll Call No. 641, agreeing to Tenney Amendment No. 100, I would have voted No. On Roll Call No. 642, agreeing to Tenney Amendment No. 101, I would have voted No.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present for the following Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: on Roll Call vote No. 599, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass as Amended H.R. 1607, To clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes, I would have voted YEA; and on Roll Call vote No. 600, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 359, the Fort San Geronimo Preservation Act, I would have voted YEA.