I rise today to thank my colleagues for your support of HR 3815, the Presidential Historic Site Study Act, a bipartisan bill I offered earlier this year.

This bill simply begins the normal process for preserving an important American presidential landmark.  American Presidents are a hallmark of our society.  The way in which Americans forever remember leadership of the “greatest nation” is through their policies, their words, and through the people and places that have shaped their lives.  We place a great significance on the homes of Presidents because they are a part of our nation’s history.  They are where our leaders formed the beliefs and values that shaped their decisions and legacies.  Anyone who has visited Mt. Vernon, Monticello, or Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace at Spring Creek has felt a sense of the historic value of where they stood and what they saw.  The birthplace home of President William Jefferson Clinton holds a piece of our presidential history, and it is only fitting for it to be designated as a National Historic Site.

I share the unique opportunity of being the Representative of former President Clinton’s birthplace home, Hope, Arkansas.  In fact, I am a 1979 graduate of Hope High School.  In that small town called Hope, President Clinton was educated and encouraged by a loving family in a home at 117 South Hervey Street.  This home stands as a marker of his heritage.  

The Clinton Birthplace Foundation was formed several years ago, and has successfully renovated the home, turning it into a museum and visitors center. Today, the home is a tourist attraction on a local scale, and the Clinton Birthplace foundation is looking to have the home placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Landmark.   In order for this to happen, a feasibility study must be completed.  This study is only the first step in a lengthy process.  H.R.3815 will set this process in motion by authorizing the feasibility study.

The eventual designation as a National Historic Site will open the doors of economic opportunity by way of added tourism to Southwest Arkansas.  Thirty-one of my fellow colleagues are cosponsoring this legislation with me, including the complete Arkansas delegation.  Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, is also supportive of this study.  Arkansans view this home as part of our state history.  This is not about politics, but instead about the rich history of Arkansas and our Nation.  This site will help to celebrate that history and educate thousands of visitors, and perhaps most importantly, it will bring jobs, opportunities, and economic development to a part of our district that greatly needs it.