[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 150 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  1st Session
                                 S. 150

  To authorize an entrance fee surcharge at the Grand Canyon National 
                     Park, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 5, 1995

  Mr. McCain introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize an entrance fee surcharge at the Grand Canyon National 
                     Park, 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 ``Grand Canyon Public/Private 
Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) as of the date of enactment of this Act, the existing 
        infrastructure of Grand Canyon National Park is not adequate to 
        serve the purposes for which the Park was established;
            (2) improving the infrastructure of the Park would enhance 
        the natural and cultural resources of the Park and the quality 
        of the experiences of visitors to the Park;
            (3) through the development of a general management plan, 
        the Director of the National Park Service has identified 
        reasonable measures that are necessary to improve the 
        infrastructure and related services of the Park, including 
        making improvements to transportation facilities and visitor 
        services, and reusing historic structures appropriately; and
            (4) in order for the Director to implement the general 
        management plan referred to in paragraph (3) at the Park, it is 
        necessary for the Director to be authorized to--
                    (A) enter into agreements with non-Federal entities 
                to share the costs of the improvements; and
                    (B) assess and collect a special surcharge in 
                addition to the entrance fees otherwise collected by 
                the National Park Service.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible project.--The term ``eligible project'' means 
        any project that is eligible for funding in accordance with 
        this Act.
            (2) Facility.--The term ``facility'' includes any 
        structure, road, trail, utility, or other facility that is used 
        or to be used for or in support of--
                    (A) the protection or restoration of a natural or 
                cultural resource;
                    (B) an interpretive service; or
                    (C) any other service or activity that the 
                Secretary determines to be related to the operation of 
                the Park.
            (3) Federal share.--The term ``Federal share'', with 
        respect to the cost of an eligible project, means the 
        percentage of the cost of the project that is paid with Federal 
        funds, including funds disbursed from the special account.
            (4) National park foundation.--The term ``National Park 
        Foundation'' means the foundation established under the Act 
        entitled ``An Act to establish the National Park Foundation'', 
        approved December 18, 1967 (16 U.S.C. 19e et seq.).
            (5) Non-federal share.--The term ``non-Federal share'', 
        with respect to the cost of an eligible project, means the 
        percentage of the cost of the project that is paid with funds 
        other than funds referred to in paragraph (3).
            (6) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Grand Canyon 
        National Park.
            (7) Special account.--The terms ``special account for Grand 
        Canyon National Park infrastructure improvement'' and ``special 
        account'' mean the account established pursuant to section 5.

SEC. 4. GRAND CANYON ENTRANCE FEE SURCHARGE.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall--
            (1) authorize the Superintendent of the Grand Canyon 
        National Park to charge and collect, in addition to the 
        entrance fee collected pursuant to section 4 of the Land and 
        Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-6a), a 
        surcharge in an amount not to exceed $2 for each individual 
        charged the entrance fee; and
            (2) remit to the special account for Grand Canyon National 
        Park infrastructure improvement amounts collected as a 
        surcharge under paragraph (1).

SEC. 5. SPECIAL ACCOUNT FOR GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK INFRASTRUCTURE 
              IMPROVEMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
with the National Park Foundation, shall establish in the Treasury of 
the United States a special account for Grand Canyon National Park 
infrastructure improvement.
    (b) Administration of Account.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
shall--
            (1) credit to the special account amounts remitted pursuant 
        to section 4(2); and
            (2) make funds in the special account available for use 
        only as provided in subsection (c).
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--The National Park Foundation may provide 
        funds from the special account to the Secretary of the 
        Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park 
        Service, to be used to pay the Federal share of the cost of 
        eligible projects.
            (2) Daily operations.--No funds in the special account may 
        be used for daily operation of the Park.

SEC. 6. ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), any project for the 
design, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, or replacement of 
a facility within the Park shall be eligible for funding in accordance 
with this Act.
    (b) Limitation.--A project referred to in subsection (a) shall be 
consistent with--
            (1) the laws governing the National Park Service;
            (2) the Act entitled ``An Act to establish the Grand Canyon 
        National Park in the State of Arizona'', approved February 26, 
        1919 (16 U.S.C. 221 et seq.), the Grand Canyon National Park 
        Enlargement Act (16 U.S.C. 228a et seq.), and any related law; 
        and
            (3) the general management plan for the Park.

SEC. 7. COST-SHARING AGREEMENTS WITH NON-FEDERAL ENTITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Park Service, in 
consultation with the Superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park, 
shall enter into a cost-sharing agreement with a non-Federal Government 
entity for each eligible project for which funds are provided under 
section 5(c)(1).
    (b) Content.--Each cost-sharing agreement shall specify the Federal 
share and the non-Federal share of the cost of the project and shall 
provide for payment of the non-Federal share by the non-Federal entity.
    (c) Authority To Cover Several Projects.--A cost-sharing agreement 
may cover more than 1 eligible project.

SEC. 8. REGULATIONS.

    (a) In General.--In consultation with the National Park Foundation, 
the Secretary of the Interior shall issue regulations to carry out this 
Act.
    (b) Content.--The regulations shall include--
            (1) procedures for the management of the special account;
            (2) the manner in which funds for payment of the non-
        Federal share of the cost of an eligible project may be 
        solicited and acknowledged;
            (3) provisions for ensuring the protection of the natural, 
        cultural, and other resources that the Park was established to 
        protect;
            (4) provisions to encourage funding from the private sector 
        only for projects that contribute to the restoration and 
        protection of the resources referred to in paragraph (3);
            (5) protections against the commercialization of the Park;
            (6) procedures to prevent the creation of a conflict of 
        interest with respect to an employee of the Federal Government; 
        and
            (7) provisions for continuous participation of the general 
        public in the oversight of the implementation of this Act.
    (c) Notice and Public Comment.--The Secretary shall carry out 
subsection (a) in accordance with section 553 of title 5, United States 
Code, without regard to any applicable exception provided in the 
section.

SEC. 9. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to Congress a 
report on the Park infrastructure improvement authority provided in 
this Act.
    (b) Content of Report.--The report shall include--
            (1) an assessment of the effectiveness of the exercise of 
        authority under this Act to improve the infrastructure of the 
        Park; and
            (2) any recommended legislation with respect to--
                    (A) the surcharge authorized under section 4;
                    (B) the special account;
                    (C) the use of the special account for funding 
                eligible projects; or
                    (D) any other matter that the Secretary determines 
                to be related to the authority provided under this Act.
                                 <all>