[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 441 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 441

 To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the 
 War of 1812 British invasion of Maryland and Washington, District of 
    Columbia, and the route of the American defense, for study for 
           potential addition to the national trails system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 23, 1999

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the 
 War of 1812 British invasion of Maryland and Washington, District of 
    Columbia, and the route of the American defense, for study for 
           potential addition to the national trails system.

    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 ``Star-Spangled Banner National 
Historic Trail Study Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the British invasion of Maryland and Washington, 
        District of Columbia, during the War of 1812 marks a defining 
        period in the history of our Nation, the only occasion on which 
        the United States of America has been invaded by a foreign 
        power;
            (2) the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail traces 
        the route of the British naval attack on the Chesapeake 
        Flotilla at St. Leonard's Creek, the landing of the British 
        forces at Benedict, Maryland, the American defeat at the Battle 
        of Bladensburg, the siege of the Nation's capital, Washington, 
        District of Columbia (including the burning of the United 
        States Capitol and the White House), the British expedition to 
        and subsequent skirmishes within the upper Chesapeake Bay, the 
        route of the American troops between Washington and Baltimore, 
        the Battle of North Point, and the ultimate victory of the 
        Americans at Fort McHenry, on September 14, 1814, where a 
        distinguished Maryland lawyer and poet, Francis Scott Key, 
        wrote the words that captured the essence of our national 
        struggle for independence, words that now serve as our national 
        anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner; and
            (3) the designation of this route as a national historic 
        trail--
                    (A) would serve as a reminder of the importance of 
                the concept of liberty to all who experience the Star-
                Spangled Banner National Historic Trail; and
                    (B) would give long overdue recognition to the 
                patriots whose determination to stand firm against 
                enemy invasion and bombardment preserved this liberty 
                for future generations of Americans.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF TRAIL FOR STUDY.

    Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (36) (as added by section 3 
        of the El Camino Real Para Los Texas Study Act of 1993 (107 
        Stat. 1497)) as paragraph (37);
            (2) by designating the paragraphs relating to the Old 
        Spanish Trail and the Great Western Scenic Trail as paragraphs 
        (38) and (39), respectively; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(40) Star-spangled banner national historic trail.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Star-Spangled Banner 
                National Historic Trail, tracing the War of 1812 route 
                of the British naval attack on the Chesapeake Flotilla 
                at St. Leonard's Creek, the landing of the British 
                forces at Benedict, Maryland, the American defeat at 
                the Battle of Bladensburg, the siege of the Nation's 
                capital, Washington, District of Columbia (including 
                the burning of the United States Capitol and the White 
                House), actions between the British and American forces 
                in the upper Chesapeake Bay, the route of the American 
                troops between Washington and Baltimore, the Battle of 
                North Point, and the ultimate victory of the Americans 
                at Fort McHenry, on September 14, 1814.
                    ``(B) Affected areas.--The trail crosses more than 
                6 Maryland counties, the city of Baltimore, and 
                Washington, District of Columbia.''.
                                 <all>