[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2525 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2525

 To establish the Steel Valley National Heritage Area in the States of 
             Pennsylvania and Ohio, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2019

  Mr. Ryan (for himself and Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the Steel Valley National Heritage Area in the States of 
             Pennsylvania and Ohio, 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 ``Steel Valley National Heritage Area 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Until the late 1970s, the Mahoning Valley Steelmaking 
        District was one of the five largest steelmaking areas in the 
        world, at times even larger than Pittsburgh, and its mills 
        produced the steel that built America's cities, supported its 
        infrastructure, and strengthened its war efforts.
            (2) Jobs in the steel industry attracted immigrants from 
        Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as 
        thousands of African Americans moving North as part of the 
        Great Migration. While these groups have interacted, become 
        neighbors, and intermarried over the decades, ethnic identities 
        remain strong in this area. This has produced both a strong 
        sense of community and divisions that reflect national patterns 
        of conflict over class, race, ethnicity, and religion.
            (3) The cultural legacy of the steel industry remains long 
        after many of the local mills shut down in the institutions 
        created by both working people and civic and business leaders, 
        ranging from ethnic churches to adult education programs aimed 
        at helping immigrants learn English and gain citizenship to the 
        Butler Institute of America Art, the Youngstown Symphony, 
        several museums focused on the history of the region, and a 
        large city park that offers programming in the arts, history, 
        and outdoor activities.
            (4) The Mahoning Valley Steelmaking District has a long 
        history of labor and community activism--
                    (A) helping to create the United Steelworkers of 
                America, which enabled many workers to achieve middle-
                class lives;
                    (B) organizing a significant community-wide effort 
                to keep the steel mills open after shutdowns were 
                announced in the late 1970s; and
                    (C) developing a nationally and internationally 
                recognized model for community-based planning in 
                response to the economic and social challenges of 
                deindustrialization, including the Youngstown 2010 Plan 
                and several on-going grassroots neighborhood 
                organizations that have led important efforts to 
                revitalize the community.
            (5) While many aspects of this community's history reflect 
        the unique mix of the people who came here and the history of 
        industries in this Valley, the story of the Mahoning Valley 
        Steelmaking District also reflects national patterns of 
        industrial growth and change, migration and immigration, and 
        cultural, civic, and labor organizing.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Local coordinating entity.--The term ``local 
        coordinating entity'' means the Steel Valley National Heritage 
        Area Commission established by section 5(a).
            (2) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means 
        the management plan for the National Heritage Area required 
        under section 6.
            (3) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Steel 
        Valley National Heritage Area'' created by the Congressional 
        Research Service.
            (4) National heritage area.--The term ``National Heritage 
        Area'' means the Steel Valley National Heritage Area 
        established by section 4(a).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (6) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Ohio or 
        the State of Pennsylvania, as appropriate.

SEC. 4. STEEL VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the State the Steel 
Valley National Heritage Area.
    (b) Boundaries.--
            (1) In general.--The National Heritage Area shall consist 
        of land located in the Counties of Trumbull and Mahoning in 
        Ohio, and Mercer and Lawrence Counties in Pennsylvania, as 
        generally depicted on the map.
            (2) Revision.--The boundaries of the National Heritage Area 
        established under paragraph (1) may be revised if the revision 
        is--
                    (A) proposed in the management plan;
                    (B) approved by the Secretary in accordance with 
                section 6; and
                    (C) placed on file in accordance with subsection 
                (c).
    (c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of--
            (1) the National Park Service; and
            (2) the local coordinating entity.
    (d) Local Coordinating Entity.--The Steel Valley National Heritage 
Area Commission shall be the local coordinating entity for the National 
Heritage Area.

SEC. 5. STEEL VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Steel Valley National 
Heritage Area Commission. The purpose of the local coordinating entity 
shall be--
            (1) to work with Federal, State, and local authorities to 
        develop and implement the management plan; and
            (2) to foster and enhance the integration of industrial 
        steel and manufacturing-related historical, cultural, 
        educational, natural, scenic, and recreational initiatives 
        within the National Heritage Area.
    (b) Authorities.--For purposes of implementing the management plan, 
the Secretary, acting through the local coordinating entity, may use 
amounts made available under section 10 to--
            (1) make grants to the State or a political subdivision of 
        the State, nonprofit organizations, and other persons;
            (2) assist others in developing educational, informational, 
        and interpretive programs and facilities;
            (3) enter into cooperative agreements with, or provide 
        technical assistance to, the State or a political subdivision 
        of the State, nonprofit organizations, and other interested 
        parties;
            (4) hire and compensate staff, which shall include 
        individuals with expertise in historic preservation and 
        restoration, cultural and natural resource management, 
        interpretive planning and museum services, heritage and 
        education programming, economic and community development, 
        labor and working-class studies, and tourism;
            (5) establish such advisory groups as deemed necessary;
            (6) obtain money or services from any source, including any 
        money or services that are provided under any other Federal law 
        or program;
            (7) contract for goods or services; and
            (8) undertake to be a catalyst for any other activity 
        that--
                    (A) furthers the purposes of the National Heritage 
                Area; and
                    (B) is consistent with the approved management 
                plan.
    (c) Duties.--The local coordinating entity shall--
            (1) in accordance with section 6, prepare and submit a 
        management plan to the Secretary;
            (2) assist units of local government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations in carrying out the 
        approved management plan by--
                    (A) carrying out programs and projects that 
                recognize, preserve, and enhance the remaining elements 
                of the original Mahoning Valley Steel District;
                    (B) establishing and maintaining visitor centers, 
                museums, and other interpretive exhibits and programs 
                in the National Heritage Area;
                    (C) developing recreational and educational 
                opportunities in the National Heritage Area;
                    (D) increasing public awareness of industrial steel 
                and manufacturing-related historical, cultural, 
                educational, natural, scenic, and recreational 
                resources and sites within the National Heritage Area;
                    (E) identifying and restoring any historic 
                building, site, or district consistent with National 
                Heritage Area themes;
                    (F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and 
                environmentally appropriate signs identifying points of 
                access and sites of interest are posted throughout the 
                National Heritage Area; and
                    (G) promoting a wide range of partnerships among 
                governments, organizations, communities, and 
                individuals to further the National Heritage Area;
            (3) consider the interests and perspectives of diverse 
        units of government, businesses, organizations, communities, 
        and individuals in the National Heritage Area in the 
        preparation and implementation of the management plan; and
            (4) encourage, by appropriate means, economic viability 
        that is consistent with the National Heritage Area.
    (d) Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The local 
coordinating entity shall not use Federal funds made available under 
section 10 to acquire real property or any interest in real property.
    (e) Membership.--The local coordinating entity shall be composed of 
23 members, as follows:
            (1) The Secretary of the Interior, ex officio, or the 
        Secretary's designee.
            (2) Ten members, appointed by the Secretary after 
        consideration of recommendations submitted by the Governor of 
        the State and other appropriate officials, with knowledge and 
        experience of the following agencies or those agencies' 
        successors: the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio Development 
        Services Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio 
        Office of Tourism, and the Ohio State Historic Preservation 
        Office, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania 
        Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Department 
        of Community and Economic Development, and the Pennsylvania 
        Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
            (3) The remaining 12 members who reside within the National 
        Heritage Area and are geographically dispersed throughout the 
        National Heritage Area shall be from government, institutions 
        of higher education, and public or private entities and 
        organizations with knowledge of historic preservation and 
        restoration, cultural and natural resource management, 
        interpretive planning and museum services, heritage and 
        education programming, economic and community development, 
        labor and working-class studies, and tourism. These members 
        will be appointed by the Secretary as follows:
                    (A) Four members based on a recommendation from 
                each Senator from the State of Ohio and the State of 
                Pennsylvania.
                    (B) Four members based on a recommendation from 
                each Member of the House of Representatives whose 
                district shall encompass the National Heritage Area.
                    (C) Four members who shall be residents of any 
                county constituting the National Heritage Area.
    (f) Appointments and Vacancies.--Members of the local coordinating 
entity other than ex officio members shall be appointed for terms of 3 
years. Of the original appointments, 5 shall be for a term of 1 year, 5 
shall be for a term of 2 years, and 5 shall be for a term of 3 years. 
Any member of the local coordinating entity appointed for a definite 
term may serve after expiration of the term until the successor of the 
member is appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve 
for the remainder of the term for which the predecessor was appointed. 
Any vacancy on the local coordinating entity shall be filled in the 
same manner in which the original appointment was made.
    (g) Compensation.--Members of the local coordinating entity shall 
receive no compensation for their service on the local coordinating 
entity. Members of the local coordinating entity, other than employees 
of the State, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
to perform services for the local coordinating entity, shall be allowed 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same 
manner as persons employed intermittently in Government service are 
allowed under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
    (h) Election of Offices.--The local coordinating entity shall elect 
the chairperson and the vice chairperson on an annual basis. The vice 
chairperson shall serve as the chairperson in the absence of the 
chairperson.
    (i) Meetings.--The local coordinating entity shall conduct meetings 
open to the public at least semiannually regarding the development and 
implementation of the management plan. The local coordinating entity 
shall meet at the call of the chairperson or 12 of its members. Notice 
of meetings and agendas for the meeting shall be published throughout 
the National Heritage Area.
    (j) Quorum and Voting.--Eleven members of the local coordinating 
entity shall constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings. 
Any member of the local coordinating entity may vote by means of a 
signed proxy exercised by another member of the local coordinating 
entity, however, any member voting by proxy shall not be considered 
present for purposes of establishing a quorum. For the transaction of 
any business or the exercise of any power of the local coordinating 
entity, the local coordinating entity shall have the power to act by a 
majority vote of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum 
is in attendance.
    (k) Annual Reports and Audits.--For any year for which Federal 
funds have been received under this section, the local coordinating 
entity shall--
            (1) submit to the Secretary an annual report that describes 
        the activities, expenses, and income of the local coordinating 
        entity (including grants from the local coordinating entity to 
        any other entities during the year that the report is made);
            (2) make available to the Secretary for audit all records 
        relating to the expenditure of the funds and any matching 
        funds; and
            (3) require, with respect to all agreements authorizing the 
        expenditure of Federal funds by other organizations, that the 
        organizations receiving the funds make available to the 
        Secretary for audit all records concerning the expenditure of 
        the funds.
    (l) Termination.--The local coordinating entity shall terminate on 
the day occurring 10 years after the date of enactment of this title.

SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the local coordinating entity shall submit to the 
Secretary for approval a proposed management plan for the National 
Heritage Area.
    (b) Requirements.--The management plan shall include--
            (1) an inventory of historic properties and resources 
        within the National Heritage Area that--
                    (A) are related to the themes of the National 
                Heritage Area; and
                    (B) should be preserved, restored, managed, 
                developed, or maintained because of their historical, 
                cultural, educational, natural, scenic, or recreational 
                significance;
            (2) comprehensive policies, strategies, and recommendations 
        for the preservation, funding, management, and development of 
        the National Heritage Area;
            (3) a program of implementation for the management plan by 
        the local coordinating entity that includes a description of--
                    (A) actions to facilitate ongoing collaboration 
                among identified partners to promote plans for site and 
                resource protection, restoration, enhancement, and 
                construction; and
                    (B) specific commitments that have been made by the 
                local coordinating entity or any government, 
                organization, or individual for the first 5 years of 
                operation of the National Heritage Area;
            (4) the identification of sources of funding for carrying 
        out the management plan;
            (5) analysis and recommendations for means by which 
        Federal, State, and local programs may best be integrated and 
        coordinated to carry out this section, including a description 
        of the role of the National Park Service in the National 
        Heritage Area; and
            (6) an interpretive plan that identifies, develops, 
        supports, and enhances education programs within the National 
        Heritage Area that includes--
                    (A) documentation of and methods to support the 
                perpetuation of music, art, poetry, literature, 
                folklore, and culture associated with the steel mills 
                and blast furnaces; and
                    (B) research related to--
                            (i) the construction and history of the 
                        steel mills and blast furnaces;
                            (ii) the cultural traditions of steel 
                        workers, their families, and communities;
                            (iii) the role and influence of organized 
                        labor;
                            (iv) the role and influence of organized 
                        crime;
                            (v) the history of racial, ethnic, and 
                        religious conflict;
                            (vi) the social and economic impacts of 
                        deindustrialization; and
                            (vii) the diaspora of urban industrial 
                        cities; and
            (7) recommended policies and strategies for resource 
        management that consider and detail the application of 
        appropriate land and water management techniques, including the 
        development of intergovernmental and interagency cooperative 
        agreements to protect the historical, cultural, educational, 
        natural, scenic, and recreational resources of the National 
        Heritage Area.
    (c) Deadline.--If a proposed management plan is not submitted to 
the Secretary by the date that is 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the local coordinating entity shall be ineligible to 
receive additional funding under this Act until the date on which the 
Secretary receives and approves the management plan.
    (d) Approval or Disapproval of Management Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        receipt of the management plan under subsection (a), the 
        Secretary, in consultation with the State, shall approve or 
        disapprove the management plan.
            (2) Criteria for approval.--In determining whether to 
        approve the management plan, the Secretary shall consider 
        whether--
                    (A) the local coordinating entity is representative 
                of the diverse interests and perspectives of the 
                National Heritage Area, including governments, 
                historical and cultural organizations, educational and 
                civic institutions, organized labor, and businesses;
                    (B) the local coordinating entity has afforded 
                adequate opportunities, including public hearings and 
                comment periods, for public and governmental 
                involvement in the preparation of the management plan; 
                and
                    (C) the resource protection and interpretation 
                strategies contained in the management plan, if 
                implemented, would adequately preserve the historical, 
                cultural, and natural resources of the National 
                Heritage Area.
            (3) Action following disapproval.--If the Secretary 
        disapproves the management plan under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) advise the local coordinating entity in writing 
                of the reasons for the disapproval;
                    (B) make recommendations for revisions to the 
                management plan; and
                    (C) not later than 180 days after the receipt of 
                any proposed revision of the management plan from the 
                local coordinating entity, approve or disapprove the 
                proposed revision.
            (4) Amendments.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall approve or 
                disapprove each amendment to the management plan that 
                makes a substantial change to the management plan, as 
                determined by the Secretary.
                    (B) Use of funds.--The local coordinating entity 
                shall not use Federal funds authorized by this section 
                to carry out any amendments to the management plan 
                until the date on which the Secretary has approved the 
                amendments.

SEC. 7. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) In General.--Nothing in this Act affects the authority of a 
Federal agency to provide technical or financial assistance under any 
other law.
    (b) Consultation and Coordination.--The head of any Federal agency 
planning to conduct activities that may have an impact on the National 
Heritage Area is encouraged to consult and coordinate the activities 
with the Secretary and the local coordinating entity, to the maximum 
extent practicable.
    (c) Other Federal Agencies.--Nothing in this Act--
            (1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regulation 
        authorizing a Federal agency to manage Federal land under the 
        jurisdiction of the Federal agency;
            (2) limits the discretion of a Federal land manager to 
        implement an approved land use plan within the boundaries of 
        the National Heritage Area; or
            (3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized use of 
        Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency.

SEC. 8. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTECTIONS.

    Nothing in this Act--
            (1) abridges the rights of any owner of public or private 
        property, including the right to refrain from participating in 
        any plan, project, program, or activity conducted within the 
        National Heritage Area;
            (2) requires any property owner--
                    (A) to permit public access (including access by 
                Federal, State, or local agencies) to the property of 
                the property owner; or
                    (B) to modify public access or use of property of 
                the property owner under any other Federal, State, or 
                local law;
            (3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, approved 
        land use plan, or other regulatory authority of any Federal, 
        State, Tribal, or local agency;
            (4) conveys any land use or other regulatory authority to 
        the local coordinating entity;
            (5) authorizes or implies the reservation or appropriation 
        of water or water rights;
            (6) diminishes the authority of the State to manage fish 
        and wildlife, including the regulation of fishing and hunting 
        within the National Heritage Area; or
            (7) creates any liability, or affects any liability under 
        any other law, of any private property owner with respect to 
        any person injured on the private property.

SEC. 9. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years before the date on which 
authority for Federal funding terminates for the National Heritage 
Area, the Secretary shall--
            (1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplishments of the 
        National Heritage Area; and
            (2) prepare a report in accordance with subsection (c).
    (b) Evaluation.--An evaluation conducted under subsection (a)(1) 
shall--
            (1) assess the progress of the local coordinating entity 
        with respect to--
                    (A) accomplishing the purposes of the National 
                Heritage Area; and
                    (B) achieving the goals and objectives of the 
                management plan;
            (2) analyze the investments of Federal, State, Tribal, and 
        local government and private entities in the National Heritage 
        Area to determine the impact of the investments; and
            (3) review the management structure, partnership 
        relationships, and funding of the National Heritage Area for 
        purposes of identifying the critical components for 
        sustainability of the National Heritage Area.
    (c) Report.--Based on the evaluation conducted under subsection 
(a)(1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives a report that includes recommendations 
for the future role of the National Park Service with respect to the 
National Heritage Area.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $10,000,000, of which not more than $1,000,000 may be made 
available in any fiscal year.
    (b) Availability.--Amounts made available under subsection (a) 
shall remain available until expended.
    (c) Cost-Sharing Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--The Federal share of the total cost of any 
        activity carried out under this Act shall be not more than 50 
        percent.
            (2) Form.--The non-Federal share of the total cost of any 
        activity carried out under this Act may be in the form of in-
        kind contributions of goods or services fairly valued.
    (d) Termination of Authority.--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.
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