[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2278 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2278

 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the September 
         11th National Memorial Trail, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 29, 2021

 Mr. Connolly (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Beyer) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the September 
         11th National Memorial Trail, 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. SEPTEMBER 11TH NATIONAL MEMORIAL TRAIL.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Flight 93 National 
        Memorial.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
        Park Service.
            (3) State.--The term ``States'' means Virginia, Maryland, 
        Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and the District 
        of Columbia.
            (4) Trail.--The term ``Trail'' means the September 11th 
        National Memorial Trail Route designated under subsection (b).
    (b) Establishment of Trail Route.--
            (1) Authority.--The Secretary, with concurrence of the 
        agency having jurisdiction over the relevant roads, may 
        designate a tour route, to be known as the ``September 11th 
        National Memorial Trail Route'', to link the National September 
        11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial 
        in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in 
        Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The September 11th National 
        Memorial Trail shall--
                    (A) provide for a tribute to the family members and 
                loved ones who were victims of the attack and the 
                heroes of September 11th, including the first 
                responders in the days, weeks, and months after the 
                attack;
                    (B) be a Trail of Remembrance to honor the fallen 
                in a tangible way that keeps their memories alive and 
                reaffirms the exceptionalism of our country; and
                    (C) be a celebration of our Nation's resilience and 
                perseverance since its founding as well as a promotion 
                of our cultural and industrial heritage.
            (2) Route.--The Trail shall form an unbroken triangular 
        trail of approximately 1,300 miles as follows:
                    (A) Starting at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, 
                Virginia, following the Mt. Vernon Trail;
                    (B) then extending north along the 184-mile 
                Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park where 
                it connects at Cumberland, Maryland, with the 150-mile 
                Great Allegheny Passage and follows to Garret in 
                Somerset County, Pennsylvania;
                    (C) turning northeast and continuing for 
                approximately 21 miles to the Flight 93 National 
                Memorial;
                    (D) continuing east through the communities and 
                historic sights of Pennsylvania, until arriving at New 
                Jersey's 130-mile Liberty Water Gap Trail, then follows 
                to New York City and continues to the National 
                September 11 Memorial and Museum;
                    (E) returning south following important sections of 
                the East Coast Greenway and connecting Pennsylvania's 
                9-11 Memorial Garden of Reflection to the Trail;
                    (F) continuing through New Jersey, Delaware, 
                Maryland, and the District of Columbia; and
                    (G) ending at the Pentagon Memorial.
    (c) Administration.--The Trail shall be administered by the 
Secretary through the Park.
    (d) Activities.--To facilitate the establishment of the Trail and 
the dissemination of information regarding the Trail, the Secretary 
shall--
            (1) produce and disseminate appropriate educational 
        materials regarding the Trail, such as handbooks, maps, 
        exhibits, signs, interpretive guides, and electronic 
        information;
            (2) coordinate the management, planning, and with 
        participating properties, other Federal agencies, State, and 
        local governments, and nonprofit entities;
            (3) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or device 
        to mark the Trail; and
            (4) issue guidelines for the use of the symbol or device 
        adopted under paragraph (3).
    (e) Elements of Trail Route.--Subject to the consent of the owner 
of the property, the Secretary may designate as an official stop on the 
Trail--
            (1) all units and programs of the Park relating to the 
        attacks of September 11th;
            (2) other Federal, State, local, and privately owned 
        properties that the Secretary determines have a verifiable 
        connection to the attacks of September 11th and our Nation's 
        sacrifices since its founding; and
            (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and 
        programs of an educational, commemorative, research, or 
        interpretive nature that the Secretary determines to be related 
        to the attacks of September 11th and our Nation's sacrifices 
        since its founding.
    (f) Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.--To 
facilitate the establishment of the Trail and to ensure effective 
coordination of the Federal and non-Federal properties designated as 
stops along the Trail, the Secretary may enter into cooperative 
agreements and memoranda of understanding with, and provide technical 
and financial assistance to, other Federal agencies, the State, 
localities, regional governmental bodies, and private entities.
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