[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 858 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 858

    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
    resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Colonel Charles Young Home in Xenia, Ohio, as a unit of 
           the National Park System, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 14, 2011

    Mr. Brown of Ohio (for himself and Mr. Portman) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
    resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Colonel Charles Young Home in Xenia, Ohio, as a unit of 
           the National Park System, 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 ``Colonel Charles Young Home Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Colonel Charles Young was--
                    (A) a distinguished African-American officer in the 
                United States Army;
                    (B) the third African-American to graduate from 
                West Point;
                    (C) a commander of troops in combat in--
                            (i) the Spanish-American War; and
                            (ii) the Mexican expedition against Pancho 
                        Villa;
                    (D) 1 of the first military attaches in the United 
                States; and
                    (E) a pioneer of techniques in military 
                intelligence;
            (2) the experience of Colonel Young in the Army between 
        1884 and 1922 illustrates the changing nature of race relations 
        in the United States during a period spanning from the end of 
        the Civil War to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement;
            (3) Colonel Young was a friend and associate of other 
        distinguished African-Americans of the period, including poet 
        Paul Laurence Dunbar from nearby Dayton, Ohio;
            (4) as the commander of an Army unit assigned to protect 
        and develop Sequoia National Park and General Grant National 
        Park in the State of California, Colonel Young is recognized as 
        the first African-American to be the Superintendent of a 
        National Park; and
            (5) the home of Colonel Young located near Xenia, Ohio, 
        is--
                    (A) a National Historic Landmark; and
                    (B) closely associated with--
                            (i) Wilberforce University, a historically 
                        Black university at which Colonel Young served 
                        as Professor of Military Science; and
                            (ii) Central State University, which is--
                                    (I) a historically Black 
                                university; and
                                    (II) the location of the National 
                                Afro-American Museum and Cultural 
                                Center.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act 
as the ``Secretary''), in consultation with the Secretary of the Army, 
shall conduct a special resource study of the Colonel Charles Young 
Home, a National Historic Landmark in Xenia, Ohio (referred to in this 
Act as the ``Home'').
    (b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) evaluate any architectural and archeological resources 
        of the Home;
            (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
        designating the Home as a unit of the National Park System;
            (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 
        protection, and interpretation of the Home by Federal, State, 
        or local governmental entities or private and nonprofit 
        organizations, including the use of shared management 
        agreements with the Dayton Aviation Heritage National 
        Historical Park or specific units of that Park, such as the 
        Paul Laurence Dunbar Home;
            (4) consult with the Ohio Historical Society, Central State 
        University, Wilberforce University, and other interested 
        Federal, State, or local governmental entities, private and 
        nonprofit organizations, or individuals; and
            (5) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, 
        development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance 
        associated with the alternatives considered under the study.
    (c) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
be conducted in accordance with section 8 of Public Law 91-383 (16 
U.S.C. 1a-5).
    (d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 
are first made available for the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report that contains--
            (1) the results of the study under subsection (a); and
            (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
    (e) Funding.--The study authorized under this section shall be 
carried out using existing funds of the National Park Service.
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