Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. I thank my colleagues.

I will yield for a moment to my friend from Maryland and then I may say a word after that.

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Mr. WICKER. Reclaiming my time simply to say that I appreciate the cooperation of the Senator from Maryland, and I thank the Senate for giving unanimous consent to these two measures.

S. 4994, the Vicksburg National Military Park Modification Act, will modify--simply modify--the boundary of the Vicksburg National Park in my State of Mississippi. This transfer will convey a small parcel of Federal land to the State government and to the Friends of Vicksburg Military Park, an organization that will assist with restoration efforts at the park.

These efforts include a new, state-of-the-art, interactive center, which will guide tourists through the park and teach them the history and importance of Vicksburg, MS, during the Civil War. To execute these plans, the park will need to perform this land transfer.

The State will then be responsible for building and maintaining the connector road as well as the bridge to the new center, relieving the National Park Service from that burden.

So I am glad to see that our partners as well as Friends of Vicksburg are working together to establish a modern, interactive center that will tell the story of the siege and battle of Vicksburg for many generations to come.

I thank the Chair, I thank my colleague, and I thank the Senate for giving unanimous consent to these two measures.

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