[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2549 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2549

  To amend the National Trails System Act to expand Federal authority 
 relating to land acquisition for the majority of the trails, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            October 7 (legislative day, September 12), 1994

Mr. Levin (for himself, Mr. Durenberger, Mr. Graham, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. 
 Kohl, and Mr. Feingold) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the National Trails System Act to expand Federal authority 
 relating to land acquisition for the majority of the trails, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Trails System Act 
Amendments of 1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In spite of commendable efforts by the governments of 
        States and political subdivisions of States and private 
        volunteer trail groups to develop, operate, and maintain the 
        national scenic and national historic trails (referred to in 
        this Act as the ``trails''), the rate of progress towards 
        developing and completing the trails is slower than 
        anticipated.
            (2) If the necessary rights-of-way for the trails cannot be 
        secured, major revisions or relocations of the routes for the 
        trails could become necessary.
            (3) The multijurisdictional nature of governmental 
        authority concerning the protection of lands associated with 
        the trails--
                    (A) has hindered the ability of appropriate 
                officials to respond to opportunities to ensure the 
                protection of necessary rights-of way; and
                    (B) has resulted in confusion concerning the extent 
                of the administrative responsibilities of the Federal 
                Government with respect to the trails.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that in order to address the problems 
referred to in section 2(3), the head of each Federal agency with 
jurisdiction over the trails should--
            (1) cooperate with appropriate officials of States and 
        political subdivisions of States and private persons with an 
        interest in the trails to pursue the development of the trails; 
        and
            (2) be granted sufficient authority to protect lands that 
        are critical to the completion of the trails and exercise such 
        authority.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT.

    The National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) in section 5(a)--
                    (A) in the fourth sentence of paragraph (11)--
                            (i) by striking out ``No lands or interest 
                        therein outside the exterior'' and inserting in 
                        lieu thereof ``No land or interest in land 
                        outside of the exterior''; and
                            (ii) by inserting before the period the 
                        following: ``without the consent of the owner 
                        of the land or interest''; and
                    (B) in the fourth sentence of paragraph (14)--
                            (i) by striking out ``No lands or interests 
                        therein outside the exterior'' and inserting in 
                        lieu thereof ``No land or interest in land 
                        outside of the exterior''; and
                            (ii) by inserting before the period the 
                        following: ``without the consent of the owner 
                        of the land or interest''; and
            (2) in section 10(c), by striking out paragraph (1) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof the following new paragraph:
    ``(c)(1) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 
be necessary to implement the provisions of this Act relating to the 
trails designated under paragraphs (3) through (10) of section 5(a). 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including any other 
provision of this Act), no funds may be expended by the Federal 
Government for the acquisition of any land or interest in land outside 
of the exterior boundaries of existing Federal lands for the 
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, the North Country National 
Scenic Trail, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the Oregon National 
Historic Trail, the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, the Lewis 
and Clark National Historic Trail, or the Iditarod National Historic 
Trail (including the acquisition of land or an interest in the land for 
the purpose of providing for a trail interpretation site described in 
section 7(c)), except with the consent of the owner of the land or 
interest.''.
                                 <all>