[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2249 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2249

 To establish the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National Military Park in the 
 vicinity of Corinth, Mississippi, and in the State of Tennessee, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 16, 1999

  Mr. Wicker introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National Military Park in the 
 vicinity of Corinth, Mississippi, and in the State of Tennessee, 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 ``Corinth Battlefield Preservation Act 
of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) in 1996, Congress authorized the establishment and 
        construction of a center--
                    (A) to facilitate the interpretation of the Siege 
                and Battle of Corinth and other Civil War actions in 
                the area in and around the city of Corinth, 
                Mississippi; and
                    (B) to enhance public understanding of the 
                significance of the Corinth campaign and the Civil War 
                relative to the western theater of operations, in 
                cooperation with--
                            (i) State or local governmental entities;
                            (ii) private organizations; and
                            (iii) individuals;
            (2) the Corinth Battlefield was ranked as a priority 1 
        battlefield having critical need for coordinated nationwide 
        action by the year 2000 by the Civil War Sites Advisory 
        Commission in its report on Civil War Battlefields of the 
        United States;
            (3) there is a national interest in protecting and 
        preserving sites of historic significance associated with the 
        Civil War; and
            (4) the States of Mississippi and Tennessee and their 
        respective local units of government--
                    (A) have the authority to prevent or minimize 
                adverse uses of these historic resources; and
                    (B) can play a significant role in the protection 
                of the historic resources related to the Civil War 
                battles fought in the area in and around the city of 
                Corinth.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to establish the Corinth Unit of the Shiloh National 
        Military Park--
                    (A) in the city of Corinth, Mississippi; and
                    (B) in the State of Tennessee;
            (2) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to manage, 
        protect, and interpret the resources associated with the Civil 
        War Siege and the Battle of Corinth that occurred in and around 
        the city of Corinth, in cooperation with--
                    (A) the State of Mississippi;
                    (B) the State of Tennessee;
                    (C) the city of Corinth, Mississippi;
                    (D) other public entities; and
                    (E) the private sector; and
            (3) to authorize a special resource study to identify other 
        Civil War sites area in and around the city of Corinth that--
                    (A) are consistent with the themes of the Siege and 
                Battle of Corinth;
                    (B) meet the criteria for designation as a unit of 
                the National Park System; and
                    (C) are considered appropriate for inclusion in the 
                Unit.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled ``Corinth 
        Unit'', numbered 304/80,007, and dated October 1998.
            (2) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Shiloh National 
        Military Park.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) Unit.--The term ``Unit'' means the Corinth Unit of 
        Shiloh National Military Park established under section 4.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF CORINTH UNIT OF SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK.

    (a) In General.--There is established in the States of Mississippi 
and Tennessee the Corinth Unit of the Shiloh National Military Park.
    (b) Composition of Unit.--The Unit shall be comprised of--
            (1) the tract consisting of approximately 20 acres 
        generally depicted as ``Park Boundary'' on the Map, and 
        containing--
                    (A) the Battery Robinett; and
                    (B) the site of the interpretive center authorized 
                under section 602 of division I of the Omnibus Parks 
                and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 
                430f-5); and
            (2) any additional land that the Secretary determines to be 
        suitable for inclusion in the Unit that--
                    (A) is under the ownership of a public entity or 
                nonprofit organization; and
                    (B) has been identified by the Siege and Battle of 
                Corinth National Historic Landmark Study, dated January 
                8, 1991.
    (c) Availability of Map.--The Map shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the office of the Director of the National 
Park Service.

SEC. 5. LAND ACQUISITION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may acquire land and interests in 
land within the boundary of the Park as depicted on the Map, by--
            (1) donation;
            (2) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or
            (3) exchange.
    (b) Exception.--Land may be acquired only by donation from--
            (1) the State of Mississippi (including a political 
        subdivision of the State);
            (2) the State of Tennessee (including a political 
        subdivision of the State); or
            (3) the organization known as ``Friends of the Siege and 
        Battle of Corinth''.

SEC. 6. PARK MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall administer the Unit in 
accordance with this Act and the laws generally applicable to units of 
the National Park System, including--
            (1) the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a National Park 
        Service, and for other purposes'', approved August 25, 1916 (16 
        U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and
            (2) the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the 
        preservation of historic American sites, buildings, objects, 
        and antiquities of national significance, and for other 
        purposes'', approved August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.).
    (b) Duties.--In accordance with section 602 of division I of the 
Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 430f-
5), the Secretary shall--
            (1) commemorate and interpret, for the benefit of visitors 
        and the general public, the Siege and Battle of Corinth and 
        other Civil War actions in the area in and around the city of 
        Corinth within the larger context of the Civil War and American 
        history, including the significance of the Civil War Siege and 
        Battle of Corinth in 1862 in relation to other operations in 
        the western theater of the Civil War; and
            (2) identify and preserve surviving features from the Civil 
        War era in the area in and around the city of Corinth, 
        including both military and civilian themes that include--
                    (A) the role of railroads in the Civil War;
                    (B) the story of the Corinth contraband camp; and
                    (C) the development of field fortifications as a 
                tactic of war.
    (c) Cooperative Agreements.--
            (1) In general.--To carry this Act, the Secretary may enter 
        into cooperative agreements with entities in the public and 
        private sectors, including--
                    (A) colleges and universities;
                    (B) historical societies;
                    (C) State and local agencies; and
                    (D) nonprofit organizations.
            (2) Technical assistance.--To develop cooperative land use 
        strategies and conduct activities that facilitate the 
        conservation of the historic, cultural, natural, and scenic 
        resources of the Unit, the Secretary may provide technical 
        assistance, to the extent that a recipient of technical 
        assistance is engaged in the protection, interpretation, or 
        commemoration of historically significant Civil War resources 
        in the area in and around the city of Corinth, to--
                    (A) the State of Mississippi (including a political 
                subdivision of the State);
                    (B) the State of Tennessee (including a political 
                subdivision of the State);
                    (C) a governmental entity;
                    (D) a nonprofit organization; and
                    (E) a private property owner.
    (d) Resources Outside the Unit.--Nothing in subsection (c)(2) 
authorizes the Secretary to own or manage any resource outside the 
Unit.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--To determine whether certain additional properties 
are appropriate for inclusion in the Unit, the Secretary shall conduct 
a special resource study of land in and around the city of Corinth, 
Mississippi, and nearby areas in the State of Tennessee that--
            (1) have a relationship to the Civil War Siege and Battle 
        of Corinth in 1862; and
            (2) are under the ownership of--
                    (A) the State of Mississippi (including a political 
                subdivision of the State);
                    (B) the State of Tennessee (including a political 
                subdivision of the State);
                    (C) a nonprofit organization; or
                    (D) a private person.
    (b) Contents of Study.--The study shall--
            (1) identify the full range of resources and historic 
        themes associated with the Civil War Siege and Battle of 
        Corinth in 1862, including the relationship of the campaign to 
        other operations in the western theater of the Civil War that 
        occurred in--
                    (A) the area in and around the city of Corinth; and
                    (B) the State of Tennessee;
            (2) identify alternatives for preserving features from the 
        Civil War era in the area in and around the city of Corinth, 
        including both military and civilian themes involving--
                    (A) the role of the railroad in the Civil War;
                    (B) the story of the Corinth contraband camp; and
                    (C) the development of field fortifications as a 
                tactic of war;
            (3) identify potential partners that might support efforts 
        by the Secretary to carry out this Act, including--
                    (A) State entities and their political 
                subdivisions;
                    (B) historical societies and commissions;
                    (C) civic groups; and
                    (D) nonprofit organizations;
            (4) identify alternatives to avoid land use conflicts; and
            (5) include cost estimates for any necessary activity 
        associated with the alternatives identified under this 
        subsection, including--
                    (A) acquisition;
                    (B) development;
                    (C) interpretation;
                    (D) operation; and
                    (E) maintenance.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year and 180 days after the date on 
which funds are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary 
shall submit a report describing the findings of the study under 
subsection (a) to--
            (1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
        Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Resources of the House of 
        Representatives.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act, including $3,000,000 for the construction of an 
interpretive center under section 602(d) of division I of the Omnibus 
Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 430f-5(d)).
                                 <all>