Northwest Territory of the Great Lakes National Heritage Area Act of 1999

Summary: Declares the Authority the Area's management entity, which shall: (1) develop a management plan; (2) help ensure the conservation, interpretation, and development of the historical, cultural, natural, and recreational resources related to the Northwest Territory of the Great Lakes during the period from 1785 through 1835; and (3) develop an Internet web site and other marketing programs, as well as visitor centers and interpretive facilities.
Subjects the plan to approval by the Governors of the States involved.
Authorizes appropriations, with a maximum 50 percent Federal match for the total cost of any assistance or grant provided or authorized.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Northwest Territory of the Great 
Lakes National Heritage Area Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The region which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 
        and Ohio was once known as the Northwest Territory. It was the 
        first frontier region of the new United States of America. Some 
        of the indigenous peoples of the area were the Delaware, 
        Kikapoo, Miami, Ottawa, Piankeshaw, Potowatami, Shawnee, Wea, 
        and Wyandotte Indians.
            (2) The distinctive landscape of this area was largely 
        defined by--
                    (A) the Ordinance of 1785, which established a 
                system of transferring land ownership from the Indians 
                to the United States Government and then to private 
                owners, and created the system of land surveyance and 
                township and county plats which remains today;
                    (B) the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which 
                established a process through which self-government in 
                this first frontier of the newly organized United 
                States could be established; and
                    (C) the Treaty of Greeneville of 1795, which 
                signaled the end of Indian resistance in the region.
            (3) The local environmental and topographical landscape of 
        the area was largely defined in commercial and strategic terms 
        by--
                    (A) the area river systems, including but not 
                limited to--
                            (i) the Fox River, the Illinois River, and 
                        the Kankakee River, in the State of Illinois;
                            (ii) the Eel River, the Elkhart River, the 
                        Kankakee River, the Maumee River, the St. 
                        Joseph River, the St. Mary's River, and the 
                        Wabash River in the State of Indiana;
                            (iii) the Detroit River, the St. Mary's 
                        River, and the St. Joseph River in the State of 
                        Michigan; and
                            (iv) the Great Miami River, the Maumee 
                        River, and the St. Mary's River in the State of 
                        Ohio;
                    (B) the Great Lakes;
                    (C) the River Portage Trails, including but not 
                limited to--
                            (i) the 3 mile portage from the St. Joseph 
                        River to the Little Wabash River in Fort Wayne, 
                        which was the only separation in the waterway 
                        from the upper Great Lakes to the Gulf of 
                        Mexico; and
                            (ii) from the Great Miami River to the St. 
                        Mary's and Wabash Rivers in Ohio;
                    (D) the 13 forts which developed in the region, 
                including but not limited to--
                            (i) Fort Dearborn, in Chicago, Illinois;
                            (ii) Fort Wayne, in Fort Wayne, Indiana;
                            (iii) Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, 
                        Michigan; and
                            (iv) Fort Defiance, in Defiance, Ohio; and
                    (E) the settlements, including Native American 
                villages, early trading posts, and territorial capitals 
                that developed in the region.
            (4) The military history of the region includes, but is not 
        limited to--
                    (A) LaBalme's Defeat in 1780;
                    (B) the defeat of General Harmar in 1790;
                    (C) the defeat of General St. Clair in 1791;
                    (D) the United States victory by General ``Mad'' 
                Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794; 
                and
                    (E) the Battle of Lake Erie in 1832.
            (5) The confederacy of Indian Nations was organized by 
        Tecumseh and ``The Prophet'' to stop American advancement. 
        General William Henry Harrison defeated The Prophet at the 
        Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. This was the last major battle 
        east of the Mississippi River with Indian Nations and led to 
        the famous slogan ``Tippecanoe and Tyler too'', which propelled 
        Harrison to the Presidency of the United States.
            (6) The War of 1812, during which the region might have 
        been lost to Canada without Commodore Perry's victory at Put-
        in-Bay on Lake Erie.
            (7) The rush of settlers to the region after the War of 
        1812 led to additional treaties and conflict with the Native 
        Americans. Most Indians were removed in a series of events 
        culminating with the so-called ``Black Hawk Wars'', which ended 
        in 1833.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act include the conservation, 
interpretation, and development of the historical, cultural, natural, 
and recreational resources related to the region historically referred 
to as the Northwest Territory of the Great Lakes during the period from 
1785 to 1835.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Authority'' means the Northwest Territory of 
        the Great Lakes National Heritage Area Authority;
            (2) the term ``Heritage Area'' means the Northwest 
        Territory of the Great Lakes National Heritage Area established 
        in section 4; and
            (3) the term ``Plan'' means the management plan required to 
        be developed for the Heritage Area pursuant to section 
        5(e)(1)(G).

SEC. 4. THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY OF THE GREAT LAKES NATIONAL HERITAGE 
              AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the Northwest 
Territory of the Great Lakes National Heritage Area.
    (b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall be comprised of 
historically significant areas, as defined by the Authority, within 
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio (as defined by the Northwest 
Ordinance of 1787), such as the following historically significant 
locations:
            (1) Fort Dearborn and Fort Clark in the State of Illinois.
            (2) In Indiana--
                    (A) Anthony Wayne, Chief Little Turtle, and Chief 
                Richardville sites (Fort Wayne);
                    (B) The Historic Forks of the Wabash Park and Chief 
                LaFontaine Home (Huntington);
                    (C) Kokomo Village (Kokomo);
                    (D) Deaf Man's Village (Peru);
                    (E) Munsee Town (Muncie);
                    (F) Chief Menominee Monument (Plymouth);
                    (G) Historic Vincennes (Vincennes);
                    (H) Prophetstown (Lafayette); and
                    (I) Historic Corydon (Corydon).
            (3) In Michigan--
                    (A) Fort Michilimackinac (Mackinaw City); and
                    (B) Fort Mackinac (Mackinac Island).
            (4) In Ohio--
                    (A) Fallen Timbers State Memorial (Maumee);
                    (B) Fort Defiance State Memorial (Defiance);
                    (C) Fort Adams/Ft. Amanda State Memorial 
                (Wapakoneta);
                    (D) Fort Recovery State Memorial (Fort Recovery);
                    (E) Fort Greeneville/Treaty of Greeneville Memorial 
                (Greeneville);
                    (F) Fort Jefferson State Memorial (Ft. Jefferson);
                    (G) Fort St. Clair State Memorial (Eaton);
                    (H) Fort Hamilton Monument (Hamilton);
                    (I) Fort Washington (Cincinnati); and
                    (J) Perry's Victory and International Peace 
                Memorial (Put-in-Bay).

SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT ENTITY AND DUTIES.

    (a) In General.--The management entity for the Heritage Area shall 
be the Northwest Territory of the Great Lakes National Heritage Area 
Authority.
    (b) Composition.--The Authority shall be composed of 18 members 
appointed as follows:
            (1) 3 members appointed by each of the following:
                    (A) The Governor of Illinois or the Governor's 
                designee.
                    (B) The Governor of Indiana or the Governor's 
                designee.
                    (C) The Governor of Michigan or the Governor's 
                designee.
                    (D) The Governor of Ohio or the Governor's 
                designee.
            (2) 1 member appointed by each of the following:
                    (A) The Historical Society of the State of 
                Illinois.
                    (B) The Historical Society of the State of Indiana.
                    (C) The Historical Society of the State of 
                Michigan.
                    (D) The Historical Society of the State of Ohio.
            (3) 2 members appointed by the Secretary of the Interior of 
        the United States or the Secretary's designee.
            (4) Of the 3 members appointed by each Governor of a State 
        under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) at least 1 member shall be a member of the 
                governing body of an Indian tribe located within the 
                State, or a designee of such a member; and
                    (B) at least 1 member shall be an elected official 
                of a unit of local government located within the State 
                which has 1 or more historic sites significant to the 
                Heritage Area.
    (c) Terms.--The term of office shall be 2 years. No member of the 
Authority shall serve more than 4 terms.
    (d) Compensation.--Compensation for members of the Authority shall 
be determined by the Authority as part of the Plan.
    (e) Duties and Powers.--
            (1) Duties.--The Authority shall--
                    (A) receive funds from various sources for the 
                implementation of this Act;
                    (B) disburse funds in accordance with this Act;
                    (C) make grants to and enter into cooperative 
                agreements with States and their political 
                subdivisions, private organizations, or other 
                individuals or entities as appropriate for the 
                execution of this Act;
                    (D) hire and compensate staff;
                    (E) enter into contracts for goods and services;
                    (F) develop a management plan for the Heritage 
                Area;
                    (G) help ensure the conservation, interpretation, 
                and development of the historical, cultural, natural, 
                and recreational resources related to the region 
                historically referred to as the Northwest Territory of 
                the Great Lakes during the period from 1785 through 
                1835;
                    (H) foster a close working relationship with all 
                levels of government, the private sector, philanthropic 
                and educational organizations, local communities, and 
                regional metroparks systems through a coalition 
                organization to both conserve the heritage of this 
                region and utilize its resources for tourism and 
                economic development;
                    (I) develop an Internet web site and other 
                marketing programs to further the purposes of this Act; 
                and
                    (J) in accordance with Federal, State, and local 
                laws, erect signs to promote the Heritage Area.
            (2) Powers.--The Authority may develop visitor centers and 
        interpretive facilities for the Heritage Area.
    (f) Plan.--The Plan shall--
            (1) present recommendations for the Heritage Area's 
        conservation, funding, management, and development, taking into 
        consideration existing State and local plans and the comments 
        of residents, public agencies, and private organizations 
        working in the Heritage Area;
            (2) not be final until it has been approved by the 
        Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio;
            (3) include--
                    (A) an inventory of the resources contained in the 
                Heritage Area, including a list of any property in the 
                Heritage Area that is related to the themes of the 
                Heritage Area and that should be preserved, restored, 
                managed, developed, or maintained because of its 
                natural, cultural, historical, or recreational 
                significance; and
                    (B) a program for the implementation of the 
                management plan by the Authority.
    (g) Specific Prohibitions.--The Authority--
            (1) shall not take any action which jeopardizes the 
        sovereignty of the United States; and
            (2) shall not infringe upon the private property rights of 
        individuals or other property owners.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not more 
than a total of $10,000,000 may be appropriated for the Heritage Area.
    (b) 50 Percent Match.--Federal funding provided under this Act may 
not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of any assistance or grant 
provided or authorized under this Act.