[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 546 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 546

To redesignate General Grant National Memorial as Grant's Tomb National 
                   Monument, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 1997

Mr. Nadler (for himself and Mr. Hall of Ohio) introduced the following 
         bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To redesignate General Grant National Memorial as Grant's Tomb National 
                   Monument, 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 ``Grant's Tomb National Monument 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) Ulysses S. Grant has been heralded as a national hero 
        by his contemporaries and by generations thereafter;
            (2) Ulysses S. Grant led the Union army to victory, 
        bringing to an end the Civil War in 1865, assuring the 
        preservation of the United States of America, and resulting in 
        the emancipation of American slaves;
            (3) Ulysses S. Grant served as the 18th President of the 
        United States from 1869 through 1877;
            (4) Ulysses S. Grant demonstrated his commitment to 
        maintaining the rights of freed slaves by executing his 
        authority as Commander in Chief to command Federal troops to 
        protect the rights and freedoms of former slaves; and
            (5) Ulysses S. Grant demonstrated his commitment to 
        rebuilding the Nation and restoring unity among the American 
        people.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to recognize and pay tribute to Ulysses S. Grant, both 
        as a general and as the President of the United States;
            (2) to restore, complete, and preserve in perpetuity the 
        Grant's Tomb National Monument and surrounding areas which are 
        of National historical significance in a manner consistent with 
        the existing architectural, historical, and educational value 
        of the monument's original design and purpose; and
            (3) to educate present and future generations about the 
        life of Ulysses S. Grant and his contributions to the United 
        States.

SEC. 3. REDESIGNATION OF MEMORIAL AND ADMINISTRATION OF GRANT'S TOMB 
              NATIONAL MONUMENT.

    (a) Redesignation.--General Grant National Memorial, located at 
Riverside Drive and West One Hundred and Twenty-Second Street in New 
York, New York, is hereby redesignated as Grant's Tomb National 
Monument (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``monument'').
     (b) Area Included.--The monument shall consist of the tomb of 
Ulysses S. Grant and the surrounding plaza area, as generally depicted 
on the map entitled ``Grant's Tomb National Monument'' and dated April 
27, 1994. The map shall be on file and available for public inspection 
in the offices of the National Park Service, Department of the 
Interior.
    (c) Administration.--The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in 
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall administer, repair, 
restore, preserve, maintain, and promote the monument in accordance 
with this Act and with the provisions of law generally applicable to 
units of the National Park System, including the Act entitled ``An Act 
to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes'', 
approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2, 3, and 4).
    (d) Visitors Center.--(1) The Secretary shall design and construct 
a visitors center (including public restrooms) at the monument to aid 
in the interpretation and maintain the historical significance of the 
monument.
    (2) The visitors center shall--
            (A) be established in consultation with the study 
        commission established under section 5; and
            (B) be designed in a manner which is consistent with the 
        existing architectural and historical intent of the site and 
        which does not detract from the historical interpretation and 
        the scenic views of the monument and the existing park area.

SEC. 4. LAND ACQUISITION; LEASE OR COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT.

    (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary shall acquire from the city of New 
York non-Federal lands located within the boundaries of the monument as 
depicted on the map referred to in section 3(b) by donation, purchase 
with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.
    (b) Lease or Cooperative Management Agreement.--The Secretary may 
lease non-Federal lands located within the boundary of the monument or 
enter into a cooperative agreement for the management of such lands to 
carry out the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 5. STUDY COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--(1) The Secretary shall establish a study 
commission of seven persons within 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act which shall be composed of the president and at least three 
members of the executive committee of the Grant Monument Association, 
representatives of the community surrounding the monument, and citizens 
with a unique knowledge or expertise relating to the monument. No 
officer or employee of the Federal, State, or local government is 
eligible for membership on the study commission.
    (2) Members of the study commission shall serve without pay.
    (3) The members of the study commission shall designate a chair of 
the study commission.
    (4) Upon request of the study commission, the Secretary shall 
furnish on a reimbursable basis such administrative support services 
(including staff, supplies, and facilities) as necessary for the study 
commission to carry out its responsibilities under this Act.
    (b) Duties.--The study commission shall review security and 
maintenance at the monument, as well as plan for interpretive programs 
and for the complete restoration of the monument, and within 180 days 
after the date of their first meeting, submit a written report 
regarding their study to the Secretary. The report shall include 
proposed measures to improve security, maintenance, and interpretive 
programs, including such improvements as may be required to be carried 
out by April 27, 1999, which shall be based on the original plans of 
the architect of the tomb, John H. Duncan, and the plans of architect 
John Russell Pope, approved in 1928 by the Grant Monument Association. 
The report shall also include an estimate of the capital costs and 
general operating costs of implementing these proposed measures. 
Following the submission of the report to the Secretary, the study 
commission shall monitor the progress of the repairs being made to the 
Tomb, and shall, until the study commission's termination as provided 
herein, submit reports to the Secretary and the Congress on the 
progress of such repairs as the commission deems necessary.
    (c) Final Plan.--Not later than 90 days after the date on which the 
report is submitted to the Secretary under subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall review and evaluate the report and submit to the 
Congress a final plan for the projects at the monument to be fully 
completed by April 27, 1999. Unless the Secretary reports to the 
Congress that specific aspects of the study commission's report are 
unreasonable; inconsistent with the existing architectural, historical, 
and educational intent of the site; detract from, distort, or otherwise 
compromise the historical interpretation or scenic views of the 
monument; or conflict with the purpose of this Act as described in 
section 2(b), such final plan shall be entirely consistent with the 
study commission's report. The final plan shall contain designs for the 
site which are consistent with the existing architectural and 
historical intent of the site and do not detract from or distort the 
historical interpretation or scenic views of the monument and the 
existing park area.
    (d) Meetings.--All meetings of the study commission shall be open 
to the public. Interested persons may attend such meetings, appear 
before the study commissions, or file statements related to the 
purposes of this Act with the study commission.
    (e) Termination; FACA.--(1) The study commission shall terminate no 
later than three years after the date that it is established.
    (2) The provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
Appendix; 86 Stat. 776), shall not apply to the study commission.

SEC. 6. HONOR GUARD.

    The Secretary of the Interior in coordination with the Secretary of 
Defense, acting through the Secretary of the Army, shall provide no 
less than three military guards who shall protect the monument and the 
site on a twenty-four hour basis every day in perpetuity, beginning no 
later than the start of implementation of the final plan referred to in 
section 5(c).

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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