[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 449 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.449

                       One Hundred Sixth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
   the sixth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine


                                 An Act


 
    To authorize the Gateway Visitor Center at Independence National 
                Historical 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 ``Gateway Visitor Center Authorization 
Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
        (1) The National Park Service completed and approved in 1997 a 
    general management plan for Independence National Historical Park 
    that establishes goals and priorities for the park's future.
        (2) The general management plan for Independence National 
    Historical Park calls for the revitalization of Independence Mall 
    and recommends as a critical component of the Independence Mall's 
    revitalization the development of a new ``Gateway Visitor Center''.
        (3) Such a visitor center would replace the existing park 
    visitor center and would serve as an orientation center for 
    visitors to the park and to city and regional attractions.
        (4) Subsequent to the completion of the general management 
    plan, the National Park Service undertook and completed a design 
    project and master plan for Independence Mall which includes the 
    Gateway Visitor Center.
        (5) Plans for the Gateway Visitor Center call for it to be 
    developed and managed, in cooperation with the Secretary of the 
    Interior, by a nonprofit organization which represents the various 
    public and civic interests of the greater Philadelphia metropolitan 
    area.
        (6) The Gateway Visitor Center Corporation, a nonprofit 
    organization, has been established to raise funds for and cooperate 
    in a program to design, develop, construct, and operate the 
    proposed Gateway Visitor Center.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to authorize the Secretary 
of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Gateway 
Visitor Center Corporation to construct and operate a regional visitor 
center on Independence Mall.

SEC. 3. GATEWAY VISITOR CENTER AUTHORIZATION.

    (a) Agreement.--The Secretary of the Interior, in administering the 
Independence National Historical Park, may enter into an agreement 
under appropriate terms and conditions with the Gateway Visitor Center 
Corporation (a nonprofit corporation established under the laws of the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) to facilitate the construction and 
operation of a regional Gateway Visitor Center on Independence Mall.
    (b) Operations of Center.--The Agreement shall authorize the 
Corporation to operate the Center in cooperation with the Secretary and 
to provide at the Center information, interpretation, facilities, and 
services to visitors to Independence National Historical Park, its 
surrounding historic sites, the City of Philadelphia, and the region, 
in order to assist in their enjoyment of the historic, cultural, 
educational, and recreational resources of the greater Philadelphia 
area.
    (c) Management-Related Activities.--The Agreement shall authorize 
the Secretary to undertake at the Center activities related to the 
management of Independence National Historical Park, including, but not 
limited to, provision of appropriate visitor information and 
interpretive facilities and programs related to Independence National 
Historical Park.
    (d) Activities of Corporation.--The Agreement shall authorize the 
Corporation, acting as a private nonprofit organization, to engage in 
activities appropriate for operation of a regional visitor center that 
may include, but are not limited to, charging fees, conducting events, 
and selling merchandise, tickets, and food to visitors to the Center.
    (e) Use of Revenues.--Revenues from activities engaged in by the 
Corporation shall be used for the operation and administration of the 
Center.
    (f) Protection of Park.--Nothing in this section authorizes the 
Secretary or the Corporation to take any actions in derogation of the 
preservation and protection of the values and resources of Independence 
National Historical Park.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
        (1) Agreement.--The term ``Agreement'' means an agreement under 
    this section between the Secretary and the Corporation.
        (2) Center.--The term ``Center'' means a Gateway Visitor Center 
    constructed and operated in accordance with the Agreement.
        (3) Corporation.--The term ``Corporation'' means the Gateway 
    Visitor Center Corporation (a nonprofit corporation established 
    under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania).
        (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
    the Interior.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.