[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 940 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  1st Session

                               H. R. 940

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

  To designate the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, and for 
                            other purposes.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 940

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To designate the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, 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 ``Lackawanna Valley National Heritage 
Area Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The industrial and cultural heritage of northeastern 
        Pennsylvania inclusive of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and 
        Susquehanna counties, related directly to anthracite and 
        anthracite-related industries, is nationally significant, as 
        documented in the United States Department of the Interior-
        National Parks Service, National Register of Historic Places, 
        Multiple Property Documentation submittal of the Pennsylvania 
        Historic and Museum Commission (1996).
            (2) These industries include anthracite mining, ironmaking, 
        textiles, and rail transportation.
            (3) The industrial and cultural heritage of the anthracite 
        and related industries in this region includes the social 
        history and living cultural traditions of the people of the 
        region.
            (4) The labor movement of the region played a significant 
        role in the development of the Nation including the formation 
        of many key unions such as the United Mine Workers of America, 
        and crucial struggles to improve wages and working conditions, 
        such as the 1900 and 1902 anthracite strikes.
            (5) The Department of the Interior is responsible for 
        protecting the Nation's cultural and historic resources, and 
        there are significant examples of these resources within this 
        4-county region to merit the involvement of the Federal 
        Government to develop programs and projects, in cooperation 
        with the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, the Commonwealth 
        of Pennsylvania, and other local and governmental bodies, to 
        adequately conserve, protect, and interpret this heritage for 
        future generations, while providing opportunities for education 
        and revitalization.
            (6) The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority would be an 
        appropriate management entity for a Heritage Area established 
        in the region.
    (b) Purpose.--The objectives of the Lackawanna Valley National 
Heritage Area are as follows:
            (1) To foster a close working relationship with all levels 
        of government, the private sector, and the local communities in 
        the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania and 
        empower the communities to conserve their heritage while 
        continuing to pursue economic opportunities.
            (2) To conserve, interpret, and develop the historical, 
        cultural, natural, and recreational resources related to the 
        industrial and cultural heritage of the 4-county region of 
        northeastern Pennsylvania.

SEC. 3. LACKAWANNA VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the Lackawanna 
Valley National Heritage Area (in this Act referred to as the 
``Heritage Area'').
    (b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall be comprised of all or 
parts of the counties of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Susquehanna in 
Pennsylvania, determined pursuant to the compact under section 4.
    (c) Management Entity.--The management entity for the Heritage Area 
shall be the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.

SEC. 4. COMPACT.

    To carry out the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall enter 
into a compact with the management entity. The compact shall include 
information relating to the objectives and management of the area, 
including each of the following:
            (1) A delineation of the boundaries of the Heritage Area.
            (2) A discussion of the goals and objectives of the 
        Heritage Area, including an explanation of the proposed 
        approach to conservation and interpretation and a general 
        outline of the protection measures committed to by the 
        partners.

SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT ENTITY.

    (a) Authorities of the Management Entity.--The management entity 
may, for purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan 
developed under subsection (b), use funds made available through this 
Act for the following:
            (1) To make grants to, and enter into cooperative 
        agreements with States and their political subdivisions, 
        private organizations, or any person.
            (2) To hire and compensate staff.
            (3) To enter into contracts for goods and services.
    (b) Management Plan.--The management entity shall develop a 
management plan for the Heritage Area that presents recommendations for 
the Heritage Area's conservation, funding, management, and development. 
Such plan shall take into consideration existing State, county, and 
local plans and involve residents, public agencies, and private 
organizations working in the Heritage Area. It shall include 
recommendations for actions to be undertaken by units of government and 
private organizations to protect the resources of the Heritage Area. It 
shall specify the existing and potential sources of funding to protect, 
manage, and develop the Heritage Area. Such plan shall include, as 
appropriate, the following:
            (1) An inventory of the resources contained in the Heritage 
        Area, including a list of any property in the Heritage Area 
        that is related to the themes of the Heritage Area and that 
        should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or 
        maintained because of its natural, cultural, historic, 
        recreational, or scenic significance.
            (2) A recommendation of policies for resource management 
        which considers and details application of appropriate land and 
        water management techniques, including, but not limited to, the 
        development of intergovernmental cooperative agreements to 
        protect the Heritage Area's historical, cultural, recreational, 
        and natural resources in a manner consistent with supporting 
        appropriate and compatible economic viability.
            (3) A program for implementation of the management plan by 
        the management entity, including plans for restoration and 
        construction, and specific commitments of the identified 
        partners for the first 5 years of operation.
            (4) An analysis of ways in which local, State, and Federal 
        programs may best be coordinated to promote the purposes of 
        this Act.
            (5) An interpretation plan for the Heritage Area.
The management entity shall submit the management plan to the Secretary 
for approval within 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act. If 
a management plan is not submitted to the Secretary as required within 
the specified time, the Heritage Area shall no longer qualify for 
Federal funding.
    (c) Duties of Management Entity.--The management entity shall--
            (1) give priority to implementing actions set forth in the 
        compact and management plan, including steps to assist units of 
        government, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit 
        organizations in preserving the Heritage Area;
            (2) assist units of government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations in establishing and 
        maintaining interpretive exhibits in the Heritage Area; assist 
        units of government, regional planning organizations, and 
        nonprofit organizations in developing recreational resources in 
        the Heritage Area;
            (3) assist units of government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations in increasing public 
        awareness of and appreciation for the natural, historical, and 
architectural resources and sites in the Heritage Area; assist units of 
government, regional planning organizations and nonprofit organizations 
in the restoration of any historic building relating to the themes of 
the Heritage Area;
            (4) encourage economic viability in the Heritage Area 
        consistent with the goals of the plan; encourage local 
        governments to adopt land use policies consistent with the 
        management of the Heritage Area and the goals of the plan;
            (5) assist units of government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations to ensure that 
        clear, consistent, and environmentally appropriate signs 
        identifying access points and sites of interest are put in 
        place throughout the Heritage Area;
            (6) consider the interests of diverse governmental, 
        business, and nonprofit groups within the Heritage Area;
            (7) conduct public meetings at least quarterly regarding 
        the implementation of the management plan; and
            (8) for any year in which Federal funds have been received 
        under this Act, make available for audit all records pertaining 
        to the expenditure of such funds and any matching funds, and 
        require, for all agreements authorizing expenditure of Federal 
        funds by other organizations, that the receiving organizations 
        make available for audit all records pertaining to the 
        expenditure of such funds.
    (d) Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The 
management entity may not use Federal funds received under this Act to 
acquire real property or an interest in real property. Nothing in this 
Act shall preclude any management entity from using Federal funds from 
other sources for their permitted purposes.
    (e) Spending for Non-Federally Owned Property.--The management 
entity may spend Federal funds directly on non-federally owned property 
to further the purposes of this Act, especially in assisting units of 
government in appropriate treatment of districts, sites, buildings, 
structures, and objects listed or eligible for listing on the National 
Register of Historic Places.

SEC. 6. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Technical and Financial Assistance.--The Secretary may, upon 
request of the management entity, provide technical and financial 
assistance to the management entity to develop and implement the 
management plan. In assisting the management entity, the Secretary 
shall give priority to actions that in general assist in--
            (1) conserving the significant natural, historic, and 
        cultural resources which support its themes; and
            (2) providing educational, interpretive, and recreational 
        opportunities consistent with its resources and associated 
        values.
    (b) Approval and Disapproval of Management Plans.--The Secretary, 
in consultation with the Governor of Pennsylvania, shall approve or 
disapprove a management plan submitted under this Act not later than 90 
days after receiving such management plan.
    (c) Action Following Disapproval.--If the Secretary disapproves a 
submitted management plan, the Secretary shall advise the management 
entity in writing of the reasons therefore and shall make 
recommendations for revisions in the plan. The Secretary shall approve 
or disapprove a proposed revision within 90 days after the date it is 
submitted.
    (d) Approving Amendments.--The Secretary shall review substantial 
amendments to the management plan for the Heritage Area. Funds 
appropriated pursuant to this Act may not be expended to implement the 
changes made by such amendments until the Secretary approves the 
amendments.

SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL ANTHRACITE COAL REGION DESIGNATION.

    (a) Designation.--Upon publication by the Secretary in the Federal 
Register of notice that the Secretary has signed a compact (as provided 
for in subsection (b)) there is hereby designated the Schuylkill River 
National Heritage Area.
    (b) Compact.--The compact submitted under this section with respect 
to the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area shall consist of an 
agreement between the Secretary and the Schuylkill River Greenway 
Association (who shall serve as the management entity for the area). 
Such agreement shall define the area (including a delineation of the 
boundaries), describe anticipated programs for the area, and include 
information relating to the objectives and management of the area. Such 
information shall include, but not be limited to, an explanation of the 
proposed approach to the conservation and interpretation of the area 
and a general outline of the protection measures committed to by the 
partners.
    (c) Authorities and Duties.--The authorities and duties of the 
management entity and other Federal agencies for the Schuylkill River 
National Heritage Area shall be the same as provided for by sections 5 
and 6 of this Act, except that for such purposes any reference in such 
sections to the ``Heritage Area'' shall be deemed to be a reference to 
the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area and any reference to the 
``management entity'' shall be deemed a reference to the Schuylkill 
River Greenway Association.

SEC. 8. CULTURE AND HERITAGE OF ANTHRACITE COAL REGION.

    All authorized existing and future heritage area management 
entities in the Anthracite Coal Region in Pennsylvania are authorized 
and directed to coordinate with one another in the management of such 
areas. Each such management entity is authorized to use funds 
appropriated for such heritage areas for the purposes of this section.

SEC. 9. SUNSET.

    The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any assistance 
under this Act after September 30, 2012.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated under this 
Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year for each heritage area 
designated by this Act. Not more than a total of $10,000,000 may be 
appropriated for each heritage area under this Act.
    (b) 50 Percent Match.--Federal funding provided under this Act, 
after the designation of each heritage area, may not exceed 50 percent 
of the total cost of any assistance or grant provided or authorized 
under this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 13, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.