Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) fought for a lot of things during his nearly three decades in Congress, but two of the causes to which he was most committed were the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (which was established in 2009 after years of advocacy from Pascrell) and the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) program.
Although Pascrell died last month at the age of 87, those two achievements – among many others – will live on. And under a new proposal from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), both would do so under Pascrell’s name.
Pallone, Pascrell’s frequent collaborator on many issues in Congress, announced today that he plans on introducing legislation to rename both the Great Falls National Park and the TBI program after Pascrell. Pallone also said he plans on leading a moment of silence on the House floor for Pascrell when Congress reconvenes next week.
“Bill Pascrell’s leadership in securing the designation of Paterson Great Falls as a National Historical Park and his decades of advocacy for traumatic brain injury survivors will forever be a part of his legacy,” Pallone said in a statement. “Bill was tireless in his dedication to the people of Paterson, and his work has left an indelible mark on the nation. We’re going to keep fighting for the causes Bill cared about, from protecting our national parks to ensuring every brain injury survivor gets the care they deserve.”
The renaming bills have not yet been introduced, and Pallone’s office said that some details – such as what, exactly, the new park name would be and which parts of the park it would apply to – are still being worked out.
Pascrell’s name already adorns one landmark in North Jersey: Route 19, a state highway running through Paterson and Clifton that was designated the William J. Pascrell Highway in 2020. (Signs announcing the highway’s name, however, are still not up, though the Department of Transportation is working to fix that following a gentle rebuke at Pascrell’s funeral.)