[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1619 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  1st Session

                               H. R. 1619

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage 
     Corridor Act of 1994 to expand the boundaries of the Corridor.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1619

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage 
     Corridor Act of 1994 to expand the boundaries of the Corridor.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Quinebaug and 
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act 
of 1999''.
    (b) Reference.--Whenever in this Act a section or other provision 
is amended or repealed, such amendment or repeal shall be considered to 
be made to that section or other provision of the Quinebaug and 
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (Public 
Law 103-449; 16 U.S.C. 461 note).

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Section 102 of the Act is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and the Commonwealth 
        of Massachusetts'' after ``State of Connecticut'';
            (2) by striking paragraph (2) and redesignating paragraphs 
        (3) through (9) as paragraphs (2) through (8), respectively; 
        and
            (3) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by inserting 
        ``New Haven,'' after ``Hartford,''.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF QUINEBAUG AND SHETUCKET RIVERS VALLEY NATIONAL 
              HERITAGE CORRIDOR; PURPOSE.

    (a) Establishment.--Section 103(a) of the Act is amended by 
inserting ``and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts'' after ``State of 
Connecticut''.
    (b) Purpose.--Section 103(b) of the Act is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this title to provide 
assistance to the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, their units of local and regional government and 
citizens in the development and implementation of integrated natural, 
cultural, historic, scenic, recreational, land, and other resource 
management programs in order to retain, enhance, and interpret the 
significant features of the lands, water, structures, and history of 
the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley.''.

SEC. 4. BOUNDARIES AND ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Boundaries.--Section 104(a) of the Act is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``Union,'' after ``Thompson,''; and
            (2) by inserting after ``Woodstock'' the following: ``in 
        the State of Connecticut, and the towns of Brimfield, Charlton, 
        Dudley, E. Brookfield, Holland, Oxford, Southbridge, 
        Sturbridge, and Webster in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
        which are contiguous areas in the Quinebaug and Shetucket 
        Rivers Valley, related by shared natural, cultural, historic, 
        and scenic resources''.
    (b) Administration.--Section 104 of the Act is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(b) Administration.--
            ``(1) In general.--(A) The Corridor shall be managed by the 
        management entity in accordance with the management plan, in 
        consultation with the Governor and pursuant to a compact with 
        the Secretary.
            ``(B) The management entity shall amend its by-laws to add 
        the Governor of Connecticut (or the Governor's designee) and 
        the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (or the 
        Governor's designee) as a voting members of its Board of 
        Directors.
            ``(C) The management entity shall provide the Governor with 
        an annual report of its activities, programs, and projects. An 
        annual report prepared for any other purpose shall satisfy the 
        requirements of this paragraph.
            ``(2) Compact.--To carry out the purposes of this Act, the 
        Secretary shall enter into a compact with the management 
        entity. The compact shall include information relating to the 
        objectives and management of the Corridor, including, but not 
        limited to, each of the following:
                    ``(A) A delineation of the boundaries of the 
                Corridor.
                    ``(B) A discussion of goals and objectives of the 
                Corridor, including an explanation of the proposed 
                approaches to accomplishing the goals set forth in the 
                management plan.
                    ``(C) A description of the role of the State of 
                Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
            ``(3) Authorities of management entity.--For the purpose of 
        achieving the goals set forth in the management plan, the 
        management entity may use Federal funds provided under this 
        Act--
                    ``(A) to make grants to the State of Connecticut 
                and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, their political 
                subdivisions, nonprofit organizations, and other 
                persons;
                    ``(B) to enter into cooperative agreements with or 
                provide technical assistance to the State of 
                Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
                their political subdivisions, nonprofit organizations, 
                and other persons;
                    ``(C) to hire and compensate staff; and
                    ``(D) to contract for goods and services.
            ``(4) Prohibition on acquisition of real property.--The 
        management entity may not use Federal funds received under this 
        Act to acquire real property or any interest in real 
        property.''.

SEC. 5. STATES CORRIDOR PLAN.

    Section 105 of the Act is amended--
            (1) by striking subsections (a) and (b);
            (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (a);
            (3) in subsection (a) (as so redesignated)--
                    (A) by striking the first sentence and all that 
                follows through ``Governor,'' and inserting the 
                following: ``The management entity shall implement the 
                management plan. Upon request of the management 
                entity,''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ``identified 
                pursuant to the inventory required by section 
                5(a)(1)''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Grants and Technical Assistance.--For the purposes of 
implementing the management plan, the management entity may make grants 
or provide technical assistance to the State of Connecticut and the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, their political subdivisions, nonprofit 
organizations, and other persons to further the goals set forth in the 
management plan.''.

SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.

    Section 106 of the Act is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``Governor'' each place it appears 
                and inserting ``management entity'';
                    (B) by striking ``preparation and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following: ``Such 
                assistance shall include providing funds authorized 
                under section 109 and technical assistance necessary to 
                carry out this Act.''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Termination of Authority.--The Secretary may not make any 
grants or provide any assistance under this Act after September 30, 
2009.''.

SEC. 7. DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    Section 107 of the Act is amended by striking ``Governor'' and 
inserting ``management entity''.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 108 of the Act is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting before the period the 
        following: ``and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts''.
            (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting before the period the 
        following: ``and the Governor of the Commonwealth of 
        Massachusetts'';
            (3) in paragraph (5), by striking ``each of'' and all that 
        follows and inserting the following: ``the Northeastern 
        Connecticut Council of Governments, the Windham Regional 
        Council of Governments, and the Southeastern Connecticut 
        Council of Governments in Connecticut, (or their successors), 
        and the Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission and the 
        Southern Worcester County Regional Planning Commission (or 
        their successors) in Massachusetts.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) The term `management plan' means the document 
        approved by the Governor of the State of Connecticut on 
        February 16, 1999, and adopted by the management entity, 
        entitled `Vision to Reality: A Management Plan', the management 
        plan for the Corridor, as it may be amended or replaced from 
        time to time.
            ``(7) The term `management entity' means Quinebaug-
        Shetucket Heritage Corridor, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation 
        (or its successor) incorporated in the State of Connecticut.''.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 109 of the Act is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 109. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated under 
this title not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not more than 
a total of $10,000,000 may be appropriated for the Corridor under this 
title after the date of the enactment of the Quinebaug and Shetucket 
Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 1999.
    ``(b) 50 Percent Match.--Federal funding provided under this title 
may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of any assistance or grant 
provided or authorized under this title.''.

SEC. 10. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Long Title.--The long title of the Act is amended to read as 
follows: ``An Act to establish the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers 
Valley National Heritage Corridor in the State of Connecticut and the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for other purposes.''.
    (b) Heading.--The heading for section 110 of the Act is amended by 
striking ``service'' and inserting ``system''.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 13, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.