[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3775 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3775

To provide for the update of the Cultural Heritage and Land Management 
 Plan for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 
  Corridor, to extend the authority of the John H. Chafee Blackstone 
  River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, to authorize a 
special resources study to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of 
   a national park unit within the Corridor, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 14, 2005

 Mr. McGovern (for himself, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Langevin, 
and Mr. Neal of Massachusetts) introduced the following bill; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the update of the Cultural Heritage and Land Management 
 Plan for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 
  Corridor, to extend the authority of the John H. Chafee Blackstone 
  River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, to authorize a 
special resources study to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of 
   a national park unit within the Corridor, 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 ``John H. Chafee Blackstone River 
Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. JOHN H. CHAFEE BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE 
              CORRIDOR.

    (a) Commission Membership.--Section 3(b) of Public Law 99-646 (16 
U.S.C. 461 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``nineteen members'' and inserting ``25 
        members'';
            (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``Massachusetts Department 
        of Environmental Management'' and inserting ``Massachusetts 
        Executive Office of Environmental Affairs'';
            (3) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``four representatives'' and 
                inserting ``5 representatives''; and
                    (B) by striking the ``; and'' and inserting a 
                semicolon;
            (4) in paragraph (4)--
                    (A) by striking ``2 individuals, nominated by the 
                Governor of Massachusetts and two individuals nominated 
                by the Governor of Rhode Island'' and inserting ``3 
                individuals, nominated by the Governor of Massachusetts 
                and 3 individuals nominated by the Governor of Rhode 
                Island''; and
                    (B) by striking the period and inserting ``; and''; 
                and
            (5) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) 1 individual from Massachusetts and 1 individual from 
        Rhode Island, each to be appointed by the Secretary to 
        represent non-governmental organizations, having expertise and 
        interest in on or more of the following fields: historic 
        preservation, conservation, outdoor recreation, cultural 
        conservation, traditional arts, community development, and 
        tourism.''.
    (b) Quorum.--Section 3(f) of Public Law 99-647 (16 U.S.C. 461 note) 
is amended by striking ``Ten members of the Commission'' and inserting 
``Thirteen members of the Commission''.
    (c) Update of Plan.--Section 6 of Public Law 99-647 (16 U.S.C. 461 
note) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Update of Plan.--(1) Not later than 2 years after the date of 
the enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall update the plan.
    ``(2) In updating the plan under paragraph (1), the Commission 
shall take into account the findings included in the Sustainability 
Study Report that was prepared for the Blackstone River Valley National 
Heritage Corridor Commission, and as a case study for the National Park 
System Advisory Board Partnership Committee on the future of National 
Heritage Areas in the National Park System.
    ``(3) The update shall include--
            ``(A) performance goals;
            ``(B) options for resource protection, interpretation, and 
        enhancements, including funding program; and
            ``(C) sustainable partnership strategies.
    ``(4) The Secretary shall approve or disapprove any changes (other 
than minor revisions) to the plan proposed in the update in accordance 
with subsection (b).''.
    (d) Extension of Commission.--Public Law 99-647 (16 U.S.C. 461 
note) is amending section 7 to read as follows:

``SEC. 7. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.

    ``The Commission shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after 
the date of the enactment of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley 
National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 2005.''.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 10 of Public Law 99-
647 (16 U.S.C. 461 note) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``650,00'' and inserting 
        ``1,000,000''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Development Funds.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 8(c) not more than $10,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2006 through 2016, to remain available until expended.''.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which 
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall 
complete a special resource study to evaluate--
            (1) the sites and associated landscape features that 
        contribute to the understanding of the Blackstone River Valley 
        as the Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution;
            (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating one or 
        more sites and landscapes features within the boundaries of the 
        John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 
        Corridor as a unit of the National Park System; and
            (3) opportunities to coordinate and complement actions by 
        the Commission, local governments, and State and Federal 
        agencies in the preservation and interpretation of significant 
        resources within the National Heritage Corridor.
    (b) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate the study 
conducted under this section with the John H. Chafee Blackstone River 
Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
study conducted under this section is completed, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a 
report that describes--
            (1) the findings of the study; and
            (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out the study required 
by this section.
                                 <all>