1.This Act may be cited as the
Crossroads of the American Revolution
National Heritage Area Act of 2005
.
2.
(a)Congress
finds that—
(1)the State of New
Jersey was critically important during the American Revolution because of the
strategic location of the State between the British armies headquartered in New
York City, New York, and the Continental Congress in the city of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania;
(2)General George
Washington spent almost half of the period of the American Revolution
personally commanding troops of the Continental Army in the State of New
Jersey, including 2 severe winters spent in encampments in the area that is now
Morristown National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System;
(3)it was during the
10 crucial days of the American Revolution between December 25, 1776, and
January 3, 1777, that General Washington, after retreating across the State of
New Jersey from the State of New York to the State of Pennsylvania in the face
of total defeat, recrossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25,
1776, and went on to win crucial battles at Trenton and Princeton in the State
of New Jersey;
(4)Thomas Paine, who
accompanied the troops during the retreat, described the events during those
days as the times that try men’s souls
;
(5)the sites of 296
military engagements are located in the State of New Jersey, including—
(A)several important
battles of the American Revolution that were significant to—
(i)the
outcome of the American Revolution; and
(ii)the history of
the United States; and
(B)several national
historic landmarks, including Washington’s Crossing, the Old Trenton Barracks,
and Princeton, Monmouth, and Red Bank Battlefields;
(6)additional
national historic landmarks in the State of New Jersey include the homes
of—
(A)Richard Stockton,
Joseph Hewes, John Witherspoon, and Francis Hopkinson, signers of the
Declaration of Independence;
(B)Elias Boudinout,
President of the Continental Congress; and
(C)William
Livingston, patriot and Governor of the State of New Jersey from 1776 to
1790;
(7)portions of the
landscapes important to the strategies of the British and Continental armies,
including waterways, mountains, farms, wetlands, villages, and roadways—
(A)retain the
integrity of the period of the American Revolution; and
(B)offer outstanding
opportunities for conservation, education, and recreation;
(8)the National
Register of Historic Places lists 251 buildings and sites in the National Park
Service study area for the Crossroads of the American Revolution that are
associated with the period of the American Revolution;
(9)civilian
populations residing in the State of New Jersey during the American Revolution
suffered extreme hardships because of—
(A)the continuous
conflict in the State;
(B)foraging armies;
and
(C)marauding
contingents of loyalist Tories and rebel sympathizers;
(10)because of the
important role that the State of New Jersey played in the successful outcome of
the American Revolution, there is a Federal interest in developing a regional
framework to assist the State of New Jersey, local governments and
organizations, and private citizens in—
(A)preserving and
protecting cultural, historic, and natural resources of the period; and
(B)bringing
recognition to those resources for the educational and recreational benefit of
the present and future generations of citizens of the United States; and
(11)the National
Park Service has conducted a national heritage area feasibility study in the
State of New Jersey that demonstrates that there is a sufficient assemblage of
nationally distinctive cultural, historic, and natural resources necessary to
establish the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage
Area.
(b)The
purposes of this Act are—
(1)to assist
communities, organizations, and citizens in the State of New Jersey in
preserving—
(A)the special
historic identity of the State; and
(B)the importance of
the State to the United States;
(2)to foster a close
working relationship among all levels of government, the private sector, and
local communities in the State;
(3)to provide for
the management, preservation, protection, and interpretation of the cultural,
historic, and natural resources of the State for the educational and
inspirational benefit of future generations;
(4)to strengthen the
value of Morristown National Historical Park as an asset to the State
by—
(A)establishing a
network of related historic resources, protected landscapes, educational
opportunities, and events depicting the landscape of the State of New Jersey
during the American Revolution; and
(B)establishing
partnerships between Morristown National Historical Park and other public and
privately owned resources in the Heritage Area that represent the strategic
fulcrum of the American Revolution; and
(5)to authorize
Federal financial and technical assistance for the purposes described in
paragraphs (1) through (4).
3.In this Act:
(1)The
term Association means the Crossroads of the American Revolution
Association, Inc., a nonprofit corporation in the State.
(2)The term Heritage Area means the Crossroads of
the American Revolution National Heritage Area established by section
4(a).
(3)The term management entity means the
management entity for the Heritage Area designated by section 4(d).
(4)The term management plan means the management
plan for the Heritage Area developed under section 5.
(5)The
term map means the map entitled Crossroads of the American
Revolution National Heritage Area
, numbered CRREL80,000, and dated
April 2002.
(6)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(7)The
term State means the State of New Jersey.
4.Crossroads of
the American Revolution National Heritage Area
(a)There
is established in the State the Crossroads of the American Revolution National
Heritage Area.
(b)The
Heritage Area shall consist of the land and water within the boundaries of the
Heritage Area, as depicted on the map.
(c)The map shall be on file and available for public inspection
in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
(d)The Association shall be the management entity for the
Heritage Area.
5.
(a)Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are
first made available to carry out this Act, the management entity shall submit
to the Secretary for approval a management plan for the Heritage Area.
(b)The
management plan shall—
(1)include
comprehensive policies, strategies, and recommendations for conservation,
funding, management, and development of the Heritage Area;
(2)take into
consideration existing State, county, and local plans;
(3)describe actions
that units of local government, private organizations, and individuals have
agreed to take to protect the cultural, historic, and natural resources of the
Heritage Area;
(4)identify existing
and potential sources of funding for the protection, management, and
development of the Heritage Area during the first 5 years of implementation of
the management plan; and
(5)include—
(A)an inventory of
the cultural, educational, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic
resources of the Heritage Area relating to the themes of the Heritage Area that
should be restored, managed, or developed;
(B)recommendations
of policies and strategies for resource management that result in—
(i)application of
appropriate land and water management techniques; and
(ii)development of
intergovernmental and interagency cooperative agreements to protect the
cultural, educational, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic resources of
the Heritage Area;
(C)a program of
implementation of the management plan that includes for the first 5 years of
implementation—
(i)plans for
resource protection, restoration, construction; and
(ii)specific
commitments for implementation that have been made by the management entity or
any government, organization, or individual;
(D)an analysis of
and recommendations for ways in which Federal, State, and local programs,
including programs of the National Park Service, may be best coordinated to
promote the purposes of this Act; and
(E)an interpretive
plan for the Heritage Area.
(c)Approval or
disapproval of management plan
(1)Not later than 90 days after the date of receipt of the
management plan under subsection (a), the Secretary shall approve or disapprove
the management plan.
(2)In
determining whether to approve the management plan, the Secretary shall
consider whether—
(A)the Board of
Directors of the management entity is representative of the diverse interests
of the Heritage Area, including—
(i)governments;
(ii)natural and
historic resource protection organizations;
(iii)educational
institutions;
(iv)businesses;
and
(v)recreational
organizations;
(B)the management
entity provided adequate opportunity for public and governmental involvement in
the preparation of the management plan, including public hearings;
(C)the resource
protection and interpretation strategies in the management plan would
adequately protect the cultural, historic, and natural resources of the
Heritage Area; and
(D)the Secretary has
received adequate assurances from the appropriate State and local officials
whose support is needed to ensure the effective implementation of the State and
local aspects of the management plan.
(3)Action
following disapprovalIf the Secretary disapproves the management
plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
(A)advise the
management entity in writing of the reasons for the disapproval;
(B)make
recommendations for revisions to the management plan; and
(C)not later than 60
days after the receipt of any proposed revision of the management plan from the
management entity, approve or disapprove the proposed revision.
(d)
(1)The Secretary shall approve or disapprove each amendment
to the management plan that the Secretary determines may make a substantial
change to the management plan.
(2)Funds made available under this Act shall not be expended
by the management entity to implement an amendment described in paragraph (1)
until the Secretary approves the amendment.
(e)On
completion of the 3-year period described in subsection (a), any funding made
available under this Act shall be made available to the management entity only
for implementation of the approved management plan.
6.Authorities,
duties, and prohibitions applicable to the management entity
(a)For
purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan, the management
entity may use funds made available under this Act to—
(1)make grants to,
provide technical assistance to, and enter into cooperative agreements with,
the State (including a political subdivision), a nonprofit organization, or any
other person;
(2)hire and
compensate staff, including individuals with expertise in—
(A)cultural,
historic, or natural resource protection; or
(B)heritage
programming;
(3)obtain funds or
services from any source (including a Federal law or program);
(4)contract for
goods or services; and
(5)support any other
activity—
(A)that furthers the
purposes of the Heritage Area; and
(B)that is
consistent with the management plan.
(b)In
addition to developing the management plan, the management entity shall—
(1)assist units of
local government, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations
in implementing the approved management plan by—
(A)carrying out
programs and projects that recognize, protect, and enhance important resource
values in the Heritage Area;
(B)establishing and
maintaining interpretive exhibits and programs in the Heritage Area;
(C)developing
recreational and educational opportunities in the Heritage Area;
(D)increasing public
awareness of and appreciation for cultural, historic, and natural resources of
the Heritage Area;
(E)protecting and
restoring historic sites and buildings that are—
(i)located in the
Heritage Area; and
(ii)related to the
themes of the Heritage Area;
(F)ensuring that
clear, consistent, and appropriate signs identifying points of public access
and sites of interest are installed throughout the Heritage Area; and
(G)promoting a wide
range of partnerships among governments, organizations, and individuals to
further the purposes of the Heritage Area;
(2)in preparing and
implementing the management plan, consider the interests of diverse units of
government, businesses, organizations, and individuals in the Heritage
Area;
(3)conduct public
meetings at least semiannually regarding the development and implementation of
the management plan;
(4)for any fiscal
year for which Federal funds are received under this Act—
(A)submit to the
Secretary a report that describes for the year—
(i)the
accomplishments of the management entity;
(ii)the expenses and
income of the management entity; and
(iii)each entity to
which a grant was made;
(B)make available
for audit all information relating to the expenditure of the funds and any
matching funds; and
(C)require, for all
agreements authorizing expenditures of Federal funds by any entity, that the
receiving entity make available for audit all records and other information
relating to the expenditure of the funds;
(5)encourage, by
appropriate means, economic viability that is consistent with the purposes of
the Heritage Area; and
(6)maintain
headquarters for the management entity at Morristown National Historical Park
and in Mercer County.
(c)Prohibition on
the acquisition of real property
(1)The management entity shall not use Federal funds made
available under this Act to acquire real property or any interest in real
property.
(2)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the management entity may
acquire real property or an interest in real property using any other source of
funding, including other Federal funding.
7.Technical and
financial assistance; other Federal agencies
(a)Technical and
financial assistance
(1)On the request of the management entity, the Secretary
may provide technical and financial assistance to the Heritage Area for the
development and implementation of the management plan.
(2)In providing assistance under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall give priority to actions that assist in—
(A)conserving the
significant cultural, historic, natural, and scenic resources of the Heritage
Area; and
(B)providing
educational, interpretive, and recreational opportunities consistent with the
purposes of the Heritage Area.
(3)Subject to the availability of appropriations, the
Superintendent of Morristown National Historical Park may, on request, provide
to public and private organizations in the Heritage Area, including the
management entity, any operational assistance that is appropriate for the
purpose of supporting the implementation of the management plan.
(4)Preservation of
historic propertiesTo carry out the purposes of this Act, the
Secretary may provide assistance to a State or local government or nonprofit
organization to provide for the appropriate treatment of—
(A)historic objects;
or
(B)structures that
are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic
Places.
(5)The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements
with the management entity and other public or private entities to carry out
this subsection.
(b)Any Federal agency conducting or supporting an activity
that directly affects the Heritage Area shall—
(1)consult with the
Secretary and the management entity regarding the activity;
(2)(A)cooperate with the
Secretary and the management entity in carrying out the of the Federal agency
under this Act; and
(B)to the maximum extent practicable,
coordinate the activity with the carrying out of those duties; and
(3)to the maximum
extent practicable, conduct the activity to avoid adverse effects on the
Heritage Area.
8.Authorization of
appropriations
(a)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
Act $10,000,000, of which not more than $1,000,000 may be authorized to be
appropriated for any fiscal year.
(b)The Federal share of the cost of any activity
assisted under this Act shall be not more than 50 percent.
9.The authority of the
Secretary to provide assistance under this Act terminates on the date that is
15 years after the date of enactment of this Act.