[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1363 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>





108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1363

   To prohibit the study or implementation of any plan to privatize, 
       divest, or transfer any part of the mission, function, or 
              responsibility of the National Park Service.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 26, 2003

   Mr. Reid introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To prohibit the study or implementation of any plan to privatize, 
       divest, or transfer any part of the mission, function, or 
              responsibility of the National Park Service.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PARK PROFESSIONALS PROTECTION.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Park Professionals 
Protection Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Park System is recognized throughout the 
        world as a model for the conservation and enjoyment of natural, 
        scenic, recreational, cultural, and historic resources.
            (2) The National Park System would never have achieved such 
        status, nor could the system maintain such status, without the 
        professionalism, dedication, and passion of the men and women 
        of the National Park Service.
            (3) Current plans to privatize thousands of jobs within the 
        National Park Service ignore the unique contributions made by 
        the men and women of the National Park Service and threaten to 
        undermine the entire National Park System.
            (4) Scarce park operations and maintenance resources are 
        being diverted to pay private consultants to study the current 
        privatization scheme. According to the National Park Service, 
        these studies cost approximately $3000 for each position 
        proposed to be privatized.
            (5) Despite the millions of taxpayer dollars diverted to 
        these studies, not a single report has been published 
        documenting any cost savings to be generated by the 
        privatization of park operations.
            (6) The current privatization scheme raises serious 
        questions regarding the ability of temporary workers, provided 
        by the lowest bidder, to adequately fulfill the 
        responsibilities of professional National Park Service 
        employees in the areas of conservation, interpretation, 
        emergency fire and rescue, and homeland security.
            (7) The current privatization scheme appears to affect 
        minority employees disproportionately, threatening to 
        significantly reduce the number of minority employees within 
        the National Park Service.
            (8) Pendency of the current privatization scheme is having 
        detrimental impacts on the morale of current employees and is 
        discouraging high quality candidates from applying for 
        positions within the National Park Service.
    (c) Prohibition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary is prohibited from studying or implementing any plan to 
privatize, divest, or transfer any part of what is, as of the date of 
the enactment of this section, the mission, function, or responsibility 
of the National Park Service.
    (d) Reallocation of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Secretary shall withhold any funds currently dedicated to the 
activities prohibited under subsection (c) and shall reallocate those 
funds to the operations and maintenance accounts within the National 
Park Service.
    (e) No Effect on Certain Plans.--Nothing in this section shall 
affect the authority, as of the date of the enactment of this section, 
of a National Park Service Superintendent to develop and implement 
concessions management plans and commercial services plans covering, in 
whole or in part, the area managed by that Superintendent.
    (f) Secretary Defined.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of the Interior and any person employed by the Secretary of the 
Interior in any capacity.