[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2478 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  2d Session
                                S. 2478

 To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a theme study on 
            the peopling of America, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 27, 2000

 Mr. Akaka (for himself and Mr. Graham) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a theme study on 
            the peopling of America, 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 ``Peopling of America Theme Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) an important facet of the history of the United States 
        is the story of how the United States was populated;
            (2) the migration, immigration, and settlement of the 
        population of the United States--
                    (A) is broadly termed the ``peopling of America''; 
                and
                    (B) is characterized by--
                            (i) the movement of groups of people across 
                        external and internal boundaries of the United 
                        States and territories of the United States; 
                        and
                            (ii) the interactions of those groups with 
                        each other and with other populations;
            (3) each of those groups has made unique, important 
        contributions to American history, culture, art, and life;
            (4) the spiritual, intellectual, cultural, political, and 
        economic vitality of the United States is a result of the 
        pluralism and diversity of the American population;
            (5) the success of the United States in embracing and 
        accommodating diversity has strengthened the national fabric 
        and unified the United States in its values, institutions, 
        experiences, goals, and accomplishments;
            (6)(A) the National Park Service's official thematic 
        framework, revised in 1996, responds to the requirement of 
        section 1209 of the Civil War Sites Study Act of 1990 (16 
        U.S.C. 1a-5 note; Public Law 101-628), that ``the Secretary 
        shall ensure that the full diversity of American history and 
        prehistory are represented'' in the identification and 
        interpretation of historic properties by the National Park 
        Service; and
            (B) the thematic framework recognizes that ``people are the 
        primary agents of change'' and establishes the theme of human 
        population movement and change--or ``peopling places''--as a 
        primary thematic category for interpretation and preservation; 
        and
            (7) although there are approximately 70,000 listings on the 
        National Register of Historic Places, sites associated with the 
        exploration and settlement of the United States by a broad 
        range of cultures are not well represented.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to foster a much-needed understanding of the diversity 
        and contribution of the breadth of groups who have peopled the 
        United States; and
            (2) to strengthen the ability of the National Park Service 
        to include groups and events otherwise not recognized in the 
        peopling of the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Theme study.--The term ``theme study'' means the 
        national historic landmark theme study required under section 
        4.

SEC. 4. THEME STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress 
a national historic landmark theme study on the peopling of America.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the theme study shall be to identify 
regions, areas, districts, communities, sites, buildings, structures, 
objects, organizations, societies, and cultures that--
            (1) best illustrate and commemorate key events or decisions 
        affecting the peopling of America; and
            (2) can provide a basis for the preservation and 
        interpretation of the peopling of America that has shaped the 
        culture and society of the United States.
    (c) Identification and Designation of Potential New National 
Historic Landmarks.--
            (1) In general.--The theme study shall identify and 
        recommend for designation new national historic landmarks.
            (2) List of appropriate sites.--The theme study shall--
                    (A) include a list in order of importance or merit 
                of the most appropriate sites for national historic 
                landmark designation; and
                    (B) encourage the nomination of other properties to 
                the National Register of Historic Places by assisting 
                members of the public in evaluating sites within their 
                communities and in surrounding areas.
            (3) Designation.--On the basis of the theme study, the 
        Secretary shall designate new national historic landmarks.
    (d) National Park System.--
            (1) Identification of sites within current units.--The 
        theme study shall identify appropriate sites within units of 
        the National Park System at which the peopling of America may 
        be interpreted.
            (2) Identification of new sites.--On the basis of the theme 
        study, the Secretary shall recommend to Congress sites for 
        which studies for potential inclusion in the National Park 
        System should be authorized.
    (e) Continuing Authority.--After the date of submission to Congress 
of the theme study, the Secretary shall, on a continuing basis, as 
appropriate to interpret the peopling of America--
            (1) evaluate, identify, and designate new national historic 
        landmarks; and
            (2) evaluate, identify, and recommend to Congress sites for 
        which studies for potential inclusion in the National Park 
        System should be authorized.
    (f) Public Education and Research.--
            (1) Linkages.--
                    (A) Establishment.--On the basis of the theme 
                study, the Secretary may identify appropriate means for 
                establishing linkages--
                            (i) between--
                                    (I) regions, areas, districts, 
                                communities, sites, buildings, 
                                structures, objects, organizations, 
                                societies, and cultures identified 
                                under subsections (b) and (d); and
                                    (II) groups of people; and
                            (ii) between--
                                    (I) regions, areas, districts, 
                                communities, sites, buildings, 
                                structures, objects, organizations, 
                                societies, and cultures identified 
                                under subsection (b); and
                                    (II) units of the National Park 
                                System identified under subsection (d).
                    (B) Purpose.--The purpose of the linkages shall be 
                to maximize opportunities for public education and 
                scholarly research on the peopling of America.
            (2) Cooperative arrangements.--On the basis of the theme 
        study, the Secretary shall, subject to the availability of 
        funds, enter into cooperative arrangements with State and local 
        governments, educational institutions, local historical 
        organizations, communities, and other appropriate entities to 
        preserve and interpret key sites in the peopling of America.
            (3) Educational initiatives.--
                    (A) In general.--The documentation in the theme 
                study shall be used for broad educational initiatives 
                such as--
                            (i) popular publications;
                            (ii) curriculum material such as the 
                        Teaching with Historic Places program;
                            (iii) heritage tourism products such as the 
                        National Register of Historic Places Travel 
                        Itineraries program; and
                            (iv) oral history and ethnographic 
                        programs.
                    (B) Cooperative programs.--On the basis of the 
                theme study, the Secretary shall implement cooperative 
                programs to encourage the preservation and 
                interpretation of the peopling of America.

SEC. 5. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.

    The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with 
educational institutions, professional associations, or other entities 
knowledgeable about the peopling of America--
            (1) to prepare the theme study;
            (2) to ensure that the theme study is prepared in 
        accordance with generally accepted scholarly standards; and
            (3) to promote cooperative arrangements and programs 
        relating to the peopling of America.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
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