[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 10232-10234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            SAINT FRANCIS DAM DISASTER NATIONAL MEMORIAL ACT

  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5244) to provide for the establishment of a national 
memorial and national monument to commemorate those killed by the 
collapse of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 1928, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5244

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

[[Page 10233]]



     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Saint Francis Dam Disaster 
     National Memorial Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) On March 12, 1928, the Saint Francis Dam located in the 
     northern portion of Los Angeles County, California, breached, 
     resulting in a devastating flood that caused the death of 
     approximately 425 individuals.
       (2) The residents of Santa Clarita Valley, San Francisquito 
     Canyon, Castaic Junction, Santa Clara River Valley, Piru, 
     Fillmore, Bardsdale, Saticoy, and Santa Paula were directly 
     impacted and suffered greatly from the worst flood in the 
     history of the State of California.
       (3) The disaster resulted in a tremendous loss of human 
     life, property, and the livelihood of local residents, and 
     was surpassed in the level of destruction in the 20th century 
     only by the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
       (4) The collapse of the dam may represent America's worst 
     civil engineering failure in the 20th century.
       (5) The site of the disaster is subject to the theft of 
     historic artifacts, graffiti, and other vandalism.
       (6) It is right to pay homage to the citizens who were 
     killed, injured, or dislocated due to the flood, and to 
     educate the public about this important historical event.
       (7) It is appropriate that the site of the Saint Francis 
     Dam and surrounding areas be specially designated and 
     protected to commemorate this tragic event.

     SEC. 3. SAINT FRANCIS DAM DISASTER NATIONAL MEMORIAL.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary is authorized to 
     establish a memorial at the Saint Francis Dam site in the 
     County of Los Angeles, California, for the purpose of 
     honoring the victims of the Saint Francis Dam disaster of 
     March 12, 1928.
       (b) Requirements.--The Memorial shall be--
       (1) known as the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National 
     Memorial; and
       (2) managed by the Forest Service.
       (c) Donations.--The Secretary is authorized to accept, 
     hold, administer, invest, and spend any gift, devise, or 
     bequest of real or personal property made to the Secretary 
     for purposes of developing, designing, constructing, and 
     managing the Memorial.

     SEC. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MEMORIAL.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress recommendations regarding--
       (1) the planning, design, construction, and long-term 
     management of the Memorial;
       (2) the proposed boundaries of the Memorial;
       (3) a visitor center and educational facilities at the 
     Memorial; and
       (4) ensuring public access to the Memorial.
       (b) Consultation.--In preparing the recommendations 
     required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult 
     with--
       (1) appropriate Federal agencies;
       (2) State, tribal, and local governments, including the 
     Santa Clarita City Council; and
       (3) the public.

     SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF SAINT FRANCIS DAM DISASTER NATIONAL 
                   MONUMENT.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established as a national 
     monument in the State, certain National Forest System land 
     administered by the Secretary in the County of Los Angeles 
     comprising approximately 440 acres, as generally depicted on 
     the map entitled ``Proposed Saint Francis Dam Disaster 
     National Monument'', created on June 14, 2016, to be known as 
     the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Monument is to conserve 
     and enhance for the benefit and enjoyment of the public the 
     cultural, archaeological, historical, watershed, educational, 
     and recreational resources and values of the Monument.

     SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY WITH RESPECT TO MONUMENT.

       (a) Management Plan.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a 
     management plan for the Monument.
       (2) Consultation.--The management plan shall be developed 
     in consultation with--
       (A) appropriate Federal agencies;
       (B) State, tribal, and local governments; and
       (C) the public.
       (3) Considerations.--In developing and implementing the 
     management plan, the Secretary shall, with respect to methods 
     of protecting and providing access to the Monument, consider 
     the recommendations of the Saint Francis Disaster National 
     Memorial Foundation, the Santa Clarita Valley Historical 
     Society, and the Community Hiking Club of Santa Clarita.
       (b) Management.--The Secretary shall manage the Monument--
       (1) in a manner that conserves and enhances the cultural 
     and historic resources of the Monument; and
       (2) in accordance with--
       (A) the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning 
     Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.) and the laws generally 
     applicable to the National Forest System;
       (B) this Act; and
       (C) any other applicable laws.
       (c) Uses.--
       (1) Use of motorized vehicles.--The use of motorized 
     vehicles within the Monument may be permitted only--
       (A) on roads designated for use by motorized vehicles in 
     the management plan required under subsection (a);
       (B) for administrative purposes; or
       (C) for emergency responses.
       (2) Grazing.--The Secretary shall permit grazing within the 
     Monument, where established before the date of the enactment 
     of this Act--
       (A) subject to all applicable laws (including regulations 
     and Executive orders); and
       (B) consistent with the purpose described in section 5(b).

     SEC. 7. CLARIFICATION ON FUNDING.

       No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
     requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried 
     out using amounts otherwise authorized.

     SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Memorial.--The term ``Memorial'' means the Saint 
     Frances Dam Disaster National Memorial authorized under 
     section 3(a).
       (2) Monument.--The term ``Monument'' means the Saint 
     Francis Dam Disaster National Monument established under 
     section 5(a).
       (3) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of 
     California.
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Agriculture.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wyoming.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Wyoming?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Knight), the author of this bill.
  Mr. KNIGHT. I thank the Speaker for letting us talk about such an 
important issue.
  Mr. Speaker, this issue has been bantered about in my district for 
many years, and we are finally getting recourse whereby we are going to 
have a memorial for the second largest disaster in California's 
history.
  It is interesting that this happened about 20 miles from my house, 
and many people will drive by and not know that the Saint Francis Dam 
is there. Yet the Saint Francis Dam was there in 1928, and it killed 
approximately 437 people, becoming the second largest disaster in 
California's history. Entire families were wiped out in the early hours 
of March 12, 1928, as nearly 12 billion gallons of water flowed down 
the San Francisquito Canyon, located in my district, all the way to the 
Pacific Ocean, which is 54 miles away.
  The dam was a project by the great William Mulholland, who was best 
known for creating the L.A. aqueduct system. However, this project of 
his ended in disaster, and it is one of the biggest civil engineering 
disasters in our Nation.
  Subsequently, the failure of the Saint Francis Dam changed the 
methods that were used to create new dams and to set new safety 
standards across the Nation, including the construction of the Hoover 
Dam. The dam site has remained unprotected and hidden for 88 years and 
needs to be protected. As well, there needs to be a memorial 
established for the victims and their families.
  My bill, H.R. 5244, seeks to memorialize these people who perished at 
the site of the Saint Francis Dam, and it creates a 440-acre national 
monument to preserve the site for educational purposes and to attract 
visitors.

                              {time}  2045

  The remains of the dam are of local and national historical 
significance and should be protected for the future of all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of this bill.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page 10234]]

  In one of the worst civil engineering failures of the 20th century, 
the breach of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 1928, tragically took 
the lives of over 400 Americans. To honor the memory of those who lost 
their lives on that fateful day, H.R. 5244 establishes a national 
memorial at the disaster site in California's Santa Clarita Valley. 
This memorial will provide a permanent place of remembrance and 
healing.
  In addition to the memorial, H.R. 5244 also establishes the Saint 
Francis Dam National Monument on 440 acres of public land that is 
currently managed by the Forest Service. The national monument 
designation authorizes the U.S. Forest Service, in consultation with a 
range of stakeholders, to develop educational programs to improve the 
health of these regional wetlands.
  I want to thank Congressman Knight and the Santa Clarita Valley 
Historical Society for bringing the legacy of the Saint Francis Dam 
disaster to the attention of the Congress. As we all have heard, those 
who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. So we need to 
ensure that we remember the lessons of history that are part of the 
Saint Francis story.
  I also want to thank Mr. Knight for his work with the Forest Service 
to address some of the concerns before the bill was marked up in 
committee.
  This is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support its 
adoption.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Knight) for his work and leadership on this legislation.
  I urge my colleagues to join me to honor the more than 400 
individuals who lost their lives nearly 90 years ago by supporting this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5244, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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