109 HR 1124 IH: National Park Centennial Act
U.S. House of Representatives
2005-03-03
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.This Act may be cited as the National Park Centennial Act
.
2.
(a)Congress finds the following:
(1)The National Park Service was established to conserve the national parks, their scenery, natural and historic objects, and wildlife for public enjoyment, in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
(2)The central purpose of the establishment of our national parks is being challenged by chronic funding shortfalls, which have created annual shortfalls in operational funding that exceed $600,000,000, and have amassed a maintenance backlog estimated by the General Accounting Office at between $4,080,000,000 and $6,800,000,000.
(3)Without providing the Park Service the resources necessary to operate and maintain our national parks, future generations will—
(A)receive diminished visitor services;
(B)experience a continually weakening system that is less and less able to fulfill its mission; and
(C)inherit a National Park System that has been left to them in worse condition than it was left to their ancestors.
(4)The annual Congressional appropriations process has proved insufficient to fully address the debilitating funding shortfalls of the national parks, making it necessary to supplement what the appropriations process is able to accomplish.
(5)It is necessary to ensure that fiscal resources devoted to the national parks are spent wisely and effectively, making strong congressional oversight over annual appropriations extremely important.
(6)Congress can enhance the resources available for national park operations and ensure adequate oversight over Park Service spending by removing from the appropriations process a series of funding responsibilities that are outside the core operating budgets for the national parks.
(b)The purpose of this Act is to eliminate the annual operating deficit and the maintenance backlog in the national parks by the centennial anniversary of the National Park System by enabling Congress to focus on overseeing and fully funding the core operations of the national parks in the annual appropriations process.
<enum>I</enum><header>Centennial Fund</header>
<section id="HE9FE11BE1DB348228B9BDE9D627F3462"><enum>101.</enum><header>Centennial fund for preserving america’s national parks</header>
<subsection id="HAB0EF76D52444B43A5CF8687B707C05E"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Establishment</header><text>There is established in the Treasury a fund which shall be known as the <quote>National Park Centennial Fund</quote>, hereinafter in this Act referred to as the <quote>Centennial Fund</quote>. In each fiscal year beginning in fiscal year 2006, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit into the Centennial Fund amounts set forth in subsection (b) sufficient to fund the programs identified in titles II, III, and IV.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H3D610989B5B34E54BBA78C4BA0962F28"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Appropriations</header><text>There are hereby appropriated to the Centennial Fund in each fiscal year, the following amounts:</text>
<paragraph id="HF1C14C174587474188BB087F38D1296D"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Amounts equivalent to the amounts designated in the taxable year ending in the fiscal year concerned under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/6097">section 6097</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HED164B2D20FE4A05B6BFF7DC9160000"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Any additional amounts necessary to make the total amounts deposited to the Centennial Fund each fiscal year equal to the total amount listed in section 103.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>
<section id="H8FB94C71CA6149CDA632798F2E578C59" display-inline="no-display-inline" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>102.</enum><header>Designation of overpayments and contributions for the benefit of units of the national park system</header>
<subsection id="H411B9EC0B947435EA2D4242C46D0FAC2"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Subchapter A of <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/26/61">chapter 61</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new part:</text>
<quoted-block style="OLC" id="H0C05A558A3894DA5AB82FF2EC58199CB" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<part id="HB025DCF90A7B4B9FBACBDBB313A91FB5"><enum>IX</enum><header>Designation of overpayments and contributions for the benefit of units of the National Park System</header>
<toc container-level="quoted-block-container" quoted-block="no-quoted-block" lowest-level="section" idref="H0C05A558A3894DA5AB82FF2EC58199CB" regeneration="yes-regeneration" lowest-bolded-level="division-lowest-bolded">
<toc-entry idref="HB025DCF90A7B4B9FBACBDBB313A91FB5" level="part">Part IX—Designation of Overpayments and Contributions for the Benefit of Units of the National Park System</toc-entry>
<toc-entry idref="H944B42E75BD9447B8300BFE3F336BA9" level="section">Sec. 6097. Designation</toc-entry> </toc>
<section id="H944B42E75BD9447B8300BFE3F336BA9"><enum>6097.</enum><header>Designation</header>
<subsection id="H4BC1EC8F415142BD92D5A29B16CAA50"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>In the case of an individual, with respect to each taxpayer’s return for the taxable year of the tax imposed by chapter 1, such taxpayer may designate that—</text>
<paragraph id="H39557165BC9B4F479EAE3FE2D9F2D16B"><enum>(1)</enum><text>a specified portion (but not less than $1) of any overpayment of tax for such taxable year, and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HAC3BDC551FDC4124BBB3F28C92E4929D"><enum>(2)</enum><text>any cash contribution which the taxpayer includes with such return, </text></paragraph><continuation-text continuation-text-level="subsection">shall be used for the benefit of units of the National Park System.</continuation-text></subsection>
<subsection id="HC370D43CCBFE4E57A3D3F8E5032B4E86"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Manner and time of designation</header><text>A designation under subsection (a) may be made with respect to any taxable year only at the time of filing the return of the tax imposed by chapter 1 for such taxable year. Such designation shall be made in such manner as the Secretary prescribes by regulations except that such designation shall be made either on the first page of the return or on the page bearing the taxpayer’s signature.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H46344802955641C8984DF0899689EEAB"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Overpayments treated as refunded</header><text>For purposes of this title, any portion of any overpayment of tax designated under subsection (a) shall be treated as being refunded to the taxpayer as of the last date prescribed for filing the return of tax imposed by chapter 1 (determined without regard to extensions) or, if later, the date the return is filed.</text></subsection></section></part><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection>
<subsection id="HE811FE02499B4AEB80503EDA4C74F7B"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text>The table of parts for subchapter A of chapter 61 of such Code is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new item:</text>
<quoted-block style="OLC" id="HFB9F4284783D49C6BD6305A65586B76" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<toc regeneration="no-regeneration">
<toc-entry level="section">Part IX. Designation of overpayments and contributions for the benefit of units of the National Park System</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection>
<subsection id="H5ECE93B8F1204E158B5676FB783BD1CB"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text>The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005.</text></subsection></section>
<section id="HF026C670544A4068821D849FB821C10"><enum>103.</enum><header>Program allocation</header>
<subsection id="HBFD7B63433A9459EA631761C89876808"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Annual deposits</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">There shall be deposited in the Centennial Fund from amounts designated under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/6097">section 6097</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (and from the General Fund of the Treasury to the extent the amounts so designated are less than the total amounts specified in this section for the fiscal year concerned), $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and, for each succeeding fiscal year through fiscal year 2016, an amount equal to 15 percent above the amount deposited the prior fiscal year. Such amounts shall, without further appropriation, be available to the Secretary of the Interior until expended.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H6FEE83D72CD544A9848239DCBD7DDFA"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Sunset</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Effective October 1, 2016, titles II, III, and V of this Act shall expire, after which time receipts generated from <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/6097">section 6097</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall be used to supplement annual appropriations for base operations of the individual national parks.</text></subsection></section>
<section id="H0CB57A6165224DA6BD7C20ABEA66439C"><enum>104.</enum><header>Patriots for national parks</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior such sums as necessary for a public awareness campaign about the existence of the Centennial Fund and the ability of taxpayers to contribute to it through the tax checkoff created in <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/6097">section 6097</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.</text></section>
<enum>II</enum><header>Eliminating the National Park Maintenance Backlog</header>
<section id="H50A1F4928CEB4112A6E9B43652F2887D"><enum>201.</enum><header>Backlog Elimination</header>
<subsection id="HB42B96E07180484A946E1CEAF94B7BA"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Sixty percent of the funds deposited into the Centennial Fund shall be used to eliminate the backlog of unmet needs in the national parks, as identified in the Facility Condition Index (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the <quote>FCI</quote>) of the National Park Service.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H174E88116D6342999E8432AC40B42E12"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Priorities</header>
<paragraph id="HA1CF8ABCBD044887B4DCB0717D2C92C0" display-inline="yes-display-inline"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare, as part of the annual budget proposal, a priority list of projects to be funded under this section. Moneys shall be made available from the Centennial Fund, without further appropriation, effective October 15 of each calendar year, for the projects identified on the priority list.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H59CFA920F04B4AB991F10012E5BBF2C0" indent="up1"><enum>(2)</enum><text>In preparing the list of projects to be funded under this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall give priority to projects that—</text>
<subparagraph id="HC5DF8113C8C1416EBABB7FD8C0DCDDF"><enum>(A)</enum><text>are identified in the general management plan of a national park;</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HF13AD0E0ED93402398A2646DC7F783C6"><enum>(B)</enum><text>are listed in the FCI;</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H4D9EE42EFB884B28953E3629B1373EE9"><enum>(C)</enum><text>are identified by the Secretary of the Interior as necessary to prevent immediate damage to the natural, cultural, or historic resources with a national park, with priority given to projects with the most significant benefit to conservation of resources or visitor education; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H8FC5F252108C484687709F13CB621901"><enum>(D)</enum><text>are identified as necessary to promote public health and safety.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H35C458232C1E48C6BE163760CE7274DF"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Overhead</header><text>National parks undertaking projects under this section may allocate not more than 8 percent of the funds for such projects for oversight of such projects and other associated overhead responsibilities.</text></subsection></section>
<enum>III</enum><header>Protecting Natural Wonders</header>
<section id="H3B46078B4ADB4362B9C4F56270BBE0C5"><enum>301.</enum><header>Natural resource challenge</header>
<subsection id="HD7E4BEC1754A4B0FA9C966387CBDC42D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Natural resource protection</header><text>Twenty percent of the funds deposited into the Centennial Fund shall be used to protect natural resources within national parks.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="HFB09CEE0DB1E48DB939F2B4E7263AD26"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Project description</header><text>The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare, as part of the annual budget proposal, a description of projects to be funded under this section. Moneys shall be made available from the Centennial Fund, without further appropriation, effective October 15 of each calendar year for projects that include each of the following:</text>
<paragraph id="HC0381CC1E7C5460198B34425A92B43E"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Natural resource inventories.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H418E66E6A3014BD3B145534C808B9B78"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Monitoring efforts including air and water quality monitoring.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HC92FF49C1DE942B58EB4CC65D06D6149"><enum>(3)</enum><text>Protection of native and endangered species and their habitats.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HA1C9853EF64F4688B1E7FDD9871063D2"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Control of nonnative species.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H70916DDCD3F24636AAC551E02F74F137"><enum>(5)</enum><text>Resource planning.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H5AD61125E37C477C94547C005FCC5A1"><enum>(6)</enum><text>Increased collaboration with scientists.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H55B7DEE1DC424102B900A421FACCFBF2"><enum>(7)</enum><text>Authorized environmental restoration projects.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H5711A0E3C238474593EC8F7D026FDB05"><enum>(8)</enum><text>Use of national parks for learning, including visitor education and interpretation.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H8F678BAFFBAB4892854FA8F240B5143"><enum>(9)</enum><text>Establishment of partnerships with nonpark entities for the purpose of leveraging Federal funds allocated to natural resource protection.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>
<enum>IV</enum><header>Protecting National Treasures</header>
<section id="H578BB7844434470381E5B01CBB03E354"><enum>401.</enum><header>Cultural resource challenge</header>
<subsection id="H3DA719B9435349D9A44CCB00EF52AC11"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Cultural resources</header><text>Twenty percent of the funds deposited into the Centennial Fund shall be used to protect cultural resources within national parks.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H78C4B060AAC5420BB6982C3BDED1B7C2"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Project description</header><text>The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare, as part of the annual budget proposal, a description of projects to be funded under this section. Moneys shall be made available from the Centennial Fund, without further appropriation, effective October 15 of each calendar year, for activities that include each of the following:</text>
<paragraph id="H2C5EC7378F9543BDBE00CF380974AF00"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Cultural or historic resources not listed on the FCI.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H8B6477AFD4434E7AB494298E8BE774E8"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Documenting and preserving archaeological sites.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H9542755800914E149E01EEFDB118FC58"><enum>(3)</enum><text>Preserving collections and archives.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H5C886EA73F0E42C9BF2C5CCC59D81662"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Ethnographic activities.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H06B16F23B5984BE4AC465670FDC4FA67"><enum>(5)</enum><text>Evaluating and protecting cultural landscapes.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HC565A63275134C9783918883485B3C94"><enum>(6)</enum><text>Use of national parks for learning, including visitor education and interpretation.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HD495BD1878744D96B9B1AEF62B5F4A"><enum>(7)</enum><text>Establishment of partnerships with non-park entities for the purpose of leveraging Federal funds allocated to cultural resource protection.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>
<enum>V</enum><header>Meeting Annual Operating Needs</header>
<section id="H9D18B4529A3B4687A4EAB324AABE6B"><enum>501.</enum><header>Progress on annual appropriations</header>
<subsection id="H36F9AA4BD59E4E16B0D3174ED3D6298"><enum>(a)</enum><header>GAO report</header><text>The General Accounting Office biennially shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Government Reform, and Committee on Resources of the United States House of Representatives and to the Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Government Affairs, and Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate a report that describes each of the following:</text>
<paragraph id="H9992DC5D8ADA46A3AB1879AF1237D0E3"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The progress of Congress in eliminating the annual operating fund deficit in the National Park System, defined as in excess of $600,000,000 based on a fiscal year 2002 estimate of then-complete national park business plans, and a projection of when such deficit will be eliminated, based on funding levels and trends.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H3D28993DEE1A4E19B7949E081504AD2E"><enum>(2)</enum><text>A comparison of business plan estimates of national park needs versus actual funds appropriated to such national parks.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H0B09F5C0EBB1462E80493105A1DC27A1"><enum>(3)</enum><text>Any differences in the National Park Service’s business plan methodology for the estimate in paragraph (2) of this subsection compared to that used in fiscal year 2003.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H72FB1FE32A4943BBA7765772CD0004A0"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Management improvement measures undertaken by individual park units and by the National Park Service as a whole, including actual realized savings and actual impact on visitor services and resource protection.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HCC1E7DB92915481CBDF64918133DBF07"><enum>(5)</enum><text>Adjustments in, and the total number of, full-time equivalent and actual positions dedicated to resource protection, visitor services, interpretation, and other employment categories.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H7F205B34831C4B61BC6FF4C84742FAC4"><enum>(6)</enum><text>Any adjustments made in service to the public, including but not limited to adjustments to visitor center hours and the number or quality of ranger-led tours.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H2B426BB864A44375A7391E4CADF6BF"><enum>(7)</enum><text>Any changes in the National Park Service’s level of effort due to partnership or other leveraged activities.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HDC61017076CF4B828C89EBC453E2A86F"><enum>(8)</enum><text>Any new requirements and assessments placed on the national parks for unbudgeted expenses, including, but not limited to, homeland security, natural disasters, and employee cost-of-living adjustments.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HAEE1BF5D777A4CC1904F2715004E9C20"><enum>(9)</enum><text>An assessment of the accuracy and completeness of the Facility Condition Index described in title I of this Act, including adjustments made to such Index on an annual basis.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="HA43E0206AB524F9EBE4179676C524B4D"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Business plan implementation demonstration program</header><text>In consultation with the Director of the National Park Service, at least 60 percent of the amounts provided under titles II, III, and IV shall be distributed to national parks that have completed comprehensive business plans under the Business Plan Initiative of the National Park Service.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="HC223E964DCB544A8A861C2484B839530"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Education and the national parks</header><text>The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized to provide grants to elementary and secondary schools to enter into cooperative agreements with the National Park Service for the purpose of distance learning and onsite education programs for the following purposes:</text>
<paragraph id="H34F42633513046638C11303D3C00D52C"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Connecting students to the history of our Nation through the national parks.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H7D8032F737CA4E8E8D3BEE4600134C82"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Using the national parks to facilitate scientific instruction.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="HD16B94F098F44355AF6771A914EB8F86"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Intent of Congress to supplement annual appropriations for National Park Service</header><text>Amounts made available by this Act are intended by the Congress to supplement, and not detract from, annual appropriations for the National Park Service.</text></subsection></section>