A bill to establish the Centennial Historic District in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Summary: Centennial District Authorization Act of 2008 - Establishes in the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Centennial Historic District (District).

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, state or local government agencies, nonprofit entities, and any leaseholders to administer the District. Directs the Secretary to: (1) prepare a plan for the development of historic, architectural, natural, cultural, recreational, and interpretive resources within the District; and (2) provide financial assistance for capital improvement projects in the District.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Centennial District Authorization 
Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Centennial District in the Commonwealth of 
        Pennsylvania was the site of an international exhibition to 
        celebrate the Centennial of the United States in 1876;
            (2) held only 11 years after the end of the Civil War, the 
        Centennial Exhibition was both a national celebration of unity 
        and a recognition by the world community that the United States 
        was emerging as the leading country in the world;
            (3) the Centennial Exhibition displayed 60,000 exhibits 
        from more than 28 countries around the world in 240 buildings 
        and hosted nearly 10,000,000 visitors, which is estimated to be 
        nearly 25 percent of the population of the United States at the 
        time of the Exhibition;
            (4) the Centennial Exhibition became the center of 
        cultural, technological, economic, and geopolitical development 
        in the United States by demonstrating groundbreaking 
        innovations, including root beer, the telephone, kindergarten, 
        the typewriter, the phonograph, and the monorail;
            (5) there are more than 100 United States companies that 
        displayed at the Centennial Exhibition that are still in 
        business today, including Bausch and Lomb, John Deere, 
        Campbell's, Heinz, and Wyeth;
            (6) the Centennial District is located in Fairmount Park, 
        which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places;
            (7) Memorial Hall, a centerpiece of the Centennial 
        celebration is--
                    (A) listed on the National Register of Historic 
                Places; and
                    (B) being renovated to join other cultural 
                institutions as an anchor for the Centennial District; 
                and
            (8) the Centennial District would commemorate the historic 
        significance of the Centennial celebration in the history of 
        the United States.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to preserve and interpret for the educational and 
        inspirational benefit of the public the contribution to the 
        heritage of the United States of certain historic and cultural 
        land in the Centennial Historic District, with an emphasis on 
        harnessing the unique urban environment of the District for the 
        educational and recreational values offered by the District; 
        and
            (2) to enhance economic and cultural redevelopment in the 
        District by preserving the history of the United States 
        Centennial Celebration.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) City.--The term ``City'' means the City of 
        Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
            (2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the 
        Fairmount Park Commission.
            (3) District.--The term ``District'' means the Centennial 
        Historic District established by section 4(a).
            (4) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means 
        the plan prepared under section 5(b).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior; or
                    (B) the head of any Federal agency to which funds 
                are appropriated to carry out this Act.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTENNIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the City the Centennial 
Historic District.
    (b) Boundaries.--The District shall be comprised of land in the 
City under the jurisdiction of the Commission, the boundaries of which 
are depicted on map ``A'' of the maps entitled ``Fairmount Park's 
Proposed Centennial Authorization Boundary'' and dated December 2007.

SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION OF CENTENNIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to, and enter into 
cooperative agreements with, any State or local government agencies, 
any nonprofit entities designated by the Secretary to operate the 
District, and any leaseholders for--
            (1) the preparation of the management plan; and
            (2) the implementation of projects approved by the 
        Secretary under the management plan.
    (b) Management Plan.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall prepare a plan for the 
        development of historic, architectural, natural, cultural, 
        recreational, and interpretive resources within the District.
            (2) Requirements.--The management plan shall include--
                    (A) an evaluation of--
                            (i) the condition of historic and 
                        architectural resources in the District; and
                            (ii) the environmental conditions in the 
                        District; and
                    (B) recommendations for--
                            (i) rehabilitating, reconstructing, and 
                        adaptively reusing the historic and 
                        architectural resources evaluated under 
                        subparagraph (A)(i);
                            (ii) preserving viewsheds, focal points, 
                        and streetscapes in the District;
                            (iii) establishing gateways to the 
                        District;
                            (iv) establishing and maintaining parks and 
                        public spaces in the District;
                            (v) developing public parking areas in the 
                        District;
                            (vi) improving pedestrian and vehicular 
                        circulation in the District; and
                            (vii) improving security in the District.
    (c) Restoration, Maintenance, and Interpretation.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
        agreements with the City, any agents of the City, and 
        designated partners within the District under which the 
        Secretary may mark, interpret, improve, restore, and provide 
        technical assistance with respect to the preservation and 
        interpretation of any property of historical or cultural 
        significance in the District, as identified in the management 
        plan.
            (2) Requirements.--A cooperative agreement entered into 
        under paragraph (1) shall contain provisions requiring that--
                    (A) the Secretary have the right of access at 
                reasonable times to public portions of the property for 
                interpretive and other purposes; and
                    (B) no changes or alterations be made to the 
                property unless the changes or alterations are approved 
                by all parties to the cooperative agreement.
    (d) Capital Projects.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide financial 
        assistance to projects for capital improvements in the District 
        in accordance with this subsection.
            (2) Application.--To be eligible for financial assistance 
        under paragraph (1), an entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application that includes a description of the manner in which 
        the proposed project would further the purposes of the 
        District.
            (3) Considerations.--In making amounts available under this 
        subsection, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) consider which proposed projects provide the 
                greatest leverage of Federal funds; and
                    (B) give priority consideration to projects 
                relating to--
                            (i) providing gateways to, and signage for, 
                        the District;
                            (ii) improving historical monuments in the 
                        District;
                            (iii) maintaining public parks and spaces 
                        in the District;
                            (iv) establishing a trail in the District;
                            (v) maintaining and improving the lake in 
                        the District;
                            (vi) providing streetscape and lighting for 
                        the Girard Gateway;
                            (vii) improving pedestrian and vehicular 
                        traffic circulation and parking at the western 
                        end of the Centennial Exhibition grounds; and
                            (viii) restoring Memorial Hall.
                    (C) Conditions.--Any amounts provided under this 
                subsection shall be subject to an agreement between the 
                Secretary and the recipient of the financial assistance 
                providing that if the project assisted is converted or 
                disposed of for purposes contrary to the purposes of 
                this Act, as determined by the Secretary, the United 
                States shall be entitled to compensation from the 
                recipient of the financial assistance in an amount that 
                is equal to the greater of--
                            (i) the amount of any funds made available 
                        to the project under this Act; or
                            (ii) the amount of the increased value of 
                        the project attributable to the funds made 
                        available to the project under this Act, as 
                        determined at the time of the conversion or 
                        disposal.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary--
            (1) $39,500,000 for capital projects under section 5(d); 
        and
            (2) $5,500,000 for planning and technical assistance.
    (b) Cost-Sharing Requirements.--Amounts made available for projects 
under subsection (a)(1) shall not exceed 80 percent of the total cost 
of the project provided financial assistance.
    (c) Termination of Authority.--The authority to expend amounts made 
available under this Act shall expire 5 years after the date on which 
the amounts are appropriated.