[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2465 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2465

 To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the 
 War of 1812 British invasion of Maryland and Washington, District of 
    Columbia, and the route of the American defense, for study for 
           potential addition to the national trails system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 14, 1998

 Mr. Sarbanes (for himself and Ms. Mikulski) 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 designate the route of the 
 War of 1812 British invasion of Maryland and Washington, District of 
    Columbia, and the route of the American defense, for study for 
           potential addition to the national trails system.

    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 ``Star-Spangled Banner National 
Historic Trail Study Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the British invasion of Maryland and Washington, 
        District of Columbia, during the War of 1812 marks a defining 
        period in the history of our Nation, the only occasion on which 
        the United States of America has been invaded by a foreign 
        power;
            (2) the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail traces 
        the route of the landing of the British forces at Benedict, 
        Maryland, the sinking of the Chesapeake Flotilla in St. 
        Leonard's Creek, the American defeat at the Battle of 
        Bladensburg, the siege of the Nation's capital, Washington, 
        District of Columbia (including the burning of the United 
        States Capitol and the White House), the route of the American 
        troops between Washington and Baltimore, the Battle of North 
        Point, and the ultimate victory of the Americans at Fort 
        McHenry, on September 14, 1814, where a distinguished Maryland 
        lawyer and poet, Francis Scott Key, wrote the words that 
        captured the essence of our national struggle for independence, 
        words that now serve as our national anthem, the Star-Spangled 
        Banner; and
            (3) the designation of this route as a national historic 
        trail--
                    (A) would serve as a reminder of the importance of 
                the concept of liberty to all who experience the Star-
                Spangled Banner National Historic Trail; and
                    (B) would give long overdue recognition to the 
                patriots whose determination to stand firm against 
                enemy invasion and bombardment preserved this liberty 
                for future generations of Americans.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF TRAIL FOR STUDY.

    Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (36) (as added by section 3 
        of the El Camino Real Para Los Texas Study Act of 1993 (107 
        Stat. 1497)) as paragraph (37);
            (2) by designating the paragraphs relating to the Old 
        Spanish Trail and the Great Western Scenic Trail as paragraphs 
        (38) and (39), respectively; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(40) Star-spangled banner national historic trail.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Star-Spangled Banner 
                National Historic Trail, tracing the War of 1812 route 
                of the landing of the British forces at Benedict, 
                Maryland, the sinking of the Chesapeake Flotilla in St. 
                Leonard's Creek, the American defeat at the Battle of 
                Bladensburg, the siege of the Nation's capital, 
                Washington, District of Columbia (including the burning 
                of the United States Capitol and the White House), the 
                route of the American troops between Washington and 
                Baltimore, the Battle of North Point, and the ultimate 
                victory of the Americans at Fort McHenry, on September 
                14, 1814.
                    ``(B) Affected areas.--The trail crosses 6 Maryland 
                counties, the city of Baltimore, and Washington, 
                District of Columbia.''.
                                 <all>