[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4376 Referred in Senate (RFS)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4376


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 2006

   Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To authorize the National Park Service to enter into a cooperative 
     agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of 
    Springfield Technical Community College, 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 ``Springfield Armory National Historic 
Site, Massachusetts Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The Site commemorates the role of the Springfield 
        Armory in the Nation's military history, a role that the Armory 
        served for almost 200 years.
            (2) The role of the Springfield Armory began in 1777, when 
        the site was selected as the location for a magazine and 
        laboratory for the development, production and storage of guns 
        and powder during the American Revolution.
            (3) Following the American Revolutionary War, in 1794 
        Congress officially established the Springfield Armory and for 
        much of the 19th century the Springfield Armory developed and 
        supplied most of the military small arms manufactured by the 
        United States for the United States Armed Services.
            (4) In addition to its historical role in the development 
        and manufacturing of small arms, the Springfield Armory was 
        also the site of Shay's Rebellion.
            (5) In 1968 the Armory was deactivated as a military 
        installation and in 1974 Congress established the Springfield 
        Armory National Historic Site. A portion of the Site is 
        administered by the National Park Service. The remainder of the 
        Springfield Armory National Historic Site, known as the 
        ``Preservation Control Area'', is owned and administered by the 
        Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of Springfield 
        Technical Community College.
            (6) The Preservation Control Area contains several historic 
        buildings that are in a state of disrepair. The deteriorating 
        condition of these historic buildings threatens to undermine 
        the character and integrity of the Springfield Armory National 
        Historic Site and their repair, renovation, maintenance and 
        rehabilitation is essential to the continued preservation of 
        the Site and its museum and collections.

SEC. 3. PRESERVATION CONTROL AREA DEFINED.

    For purposes of this Act, the term ``Preservation Control Area'' 
means that portion of the Site that is owned by the Commonwealth, as 
defined in the Memorandum of Understanding Between the United States 
and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts dated August 21, 1999.

SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE PRESERVATION CONTROL 
              AREA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
National Park Service, may enter into a cooperative agreement with the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of Springfield Technical 
Community College to provide financial assistance to that college for 
the purpose of maintaining, preserving, renovating, and rehabilitating 
any historic structures within the Springfield Armory National Historic 
Site, including historic structures located within the Preservation 
Control Area.
    (b) Fifty Percent Match.--The Federal share of the cost of 
activities carried out using any assistance or grant under this Act 
shall not exceed 50 percent.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 17, 2006.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.