[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1430 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1430

 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study of the 
  feasibility of establishing the National Parks Institute in Central 
                              California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2005

 Mr. Radanovich (for himself and Mr. Cardoza) introduced the following 
         bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study of the 
  feasibility of establishing the National Parks Institute in Central 
                              California.

    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 ``National Parks Institute Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall 
apply:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Institute.--The term ``Institute'' means the entity to 
        be known as the National Parks Institute as described in 
        section 3(a).

SEC. 3. NATIONAL PARKS INSTITUTE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to conduct a study to 
determine the feasibility of establishing an academic institution, to 
be called the National Parks Institute and located in Central 
California, to promote management and stewardship excellence for the 
National Park System, and to help developing nations manage their 
natural and cultural resources.
    (b) Assessment of Need.--In evaluating the need for the Institute, 
the study shall assess--
            (1) the availability of opportunities for academic, 
        governmental, and nongovernmental sectors to pursue scientific 
        research and policy analysis on issues related to the 
        preservation and enjoyment of the natural and cultural 
        resources in the National Park System, including opportunities 
        for--
                    (A) forecasting emerging issues in management of 
                the National Park System and analyzing alternative 
                responses to those issues;
                    (B) generating and promoting ideas for improved 
                practices in the stewardship of the National Park 
                System, including environmentally sustainable resources 
                management practices; and
                    (C) recognizing and responding to evolving 
                interests among the public in natural and cultural 
                resource subjects;
            (2) the capability of existing National Park Service 
        training centers and programs to fulfill education and training 
        needs identified in the workforce plan developed by the 
        National Park Service on the basis of the Department of the 
        Interior's Strategic Human Capital Management Plan (September 
        2002);
            (3) the benefits of further promoting the national park 
        concept among developing nations and helping those nations 
        manage their natural and cultural resources; and
            (4) other factors the Secretary considers appropriate in 
        determining the need for the Institute.
    (c) Further Considerations.--If the Secretary determines that a 
need exists for the Institute as described in subsection (a), the study 
shall evaluate--
            (1) the costs associated with constructing, operating and 
        maintaining the Institute;
            (2) the feasibility of entering into a partnership with an 
        academic entity for purposes of establishing and operating the 
        Institute;
            (3) potential locations for the Institute or processes for 
        determining such locations;
            (4) the appropriateness and feasibility of broadening the 
        purposes of the Institute to include scientific research and 
        education relevant to other land management agencies; and
            (5) any other matters related to the feasibility of 
        establishing and operating the Institute that the Secretary 
        deems appropriate.
    (d) Recommendations.--Not later than 2 years after funding is made 
available for the study, the Secretary shall transmit the results of 
the study, including the Secretary's recommendations, if any, for 
establishing an Institute, to the Committee on Resources of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
the Senate.
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