Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.Res. 421 on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. H.Res. 421 was introduced on May 7, 2009, by Rep. David Roe (R-TN) and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, which took no official action.

Bill Summary

H.Res. 421 would express the sense that the House of Representatives:

• "Commends the citizens of east Tennessee and western North Carolina for their vision and sacrifice;
• "Commends the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the National Park Service for 75 years of successful management and preservation of the park land;
• "Congratulates the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its 75th anniversary; and
• "Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Headquarters located at 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, for appropriate display."

Background

According to the resolution's findings, in the 1920s, the States of North Carolina and Tennessee began to investigate the establishment of a National Park in the southern part of the Appalachians. The two States, along with the Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial Fund, purchased over 400,000 acres of private land over the span of almost two decades to establish the park. On June 15, 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created by Congress. The park now covers approximately 521,000 acres.