39–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 113–391 

COLTSVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ACT 

APRIL 1, 2014.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1259] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 1259) to establish Coltsville National Historical Park in 

the State of Connecticut, and for other purposes, having considered 

the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coltsville National Historical Park Act’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

For the purposes of this Act: 

(1) CITY.—The term ‘‘city’’ means the city of Hartford, Connecticut. 

(2) HISTORIC DISTRICT.—The term ‘‘Historic District’’ means the Coltsville Historic District. 

(3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map titled ‘‘Coltsville National Historical Park—Proposed Boundary’’, numbered T25/102087, and dated May 11, 

2010. 

(4) PARK.—The term ‘‘park’’ means the Coltsville National Historical Park in 

the State of Connecticut. 

(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior. 

(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State of Connecticut. 

SEC. 3. COLTSVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), there is established in the State 

a unit of the National Park System to be known as the ‘‘Coltsville National Historical Park’’. 

(2) CONDITIONS FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The park shall not be established until 

the date on which the Secretary determines that— 

(A) the Secretary has acquired by donation sufficient land or an interest 

in land within the boundary of the park to constitute a manageable unit; 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
2 

(B) the State, city, or private property owner, as appropriate, has entered 

into a written agreement with the Secretary to donate at least 10,000 

square feet of space in the East Armory which would include facilities for 

park administration and visitor services; 

(C) the Secretary has entered into a written agreement with the State, 

city, or other public entity, as appropriate, providing that and owned by the 

State, city, or other public entity within the Coltsville Historic District shall 

be managed consistent with this section; and 

(D) prior to accepting the donation referred to in subparagraph (B), the 

Secretary has reviewed the plans and financial resources of the developer 

of the East Armory to ensure the viability of the park based on those resources. 

(b) BOUNDARIES.—The park may include and provide appropriate interpretation 

and viewing of the following sites, as generally depicted on the map: 

(1) The East Armory. 

(2) The Church of the Good Shepherd. 

(3) The Caldwell/Colt Memorial Parish House. 

(4) Colt Park. 

(5) The Potsdam Cottages. 

(6) Armsmear. 

(7) The James Colt House. 

(c) WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE OWNER.—No non-Federal property may be included 

in the park without the written consent of the owner. 

(d) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

(e) NOTICE.—No later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary makes 

a determination under section 3(a)(2), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal 

Register notice of the establishment of the park. 

SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer the park in accordance with— 

(1) this Act; and 

(2) the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System, including— 

(A) the National Park Service Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 

(B) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.). 

(b) STATE AND LOCAL JURISDICTION.—Nothing in this Act enlarges, diminishes, or 

modifies any authority of the State, or any political subdivision of the State (including the city)— 

(1) to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction; or 

(2) to carry out State laws (including regulations) and rules on non-Federal 

land located within the boundary of the park. 

(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements to 

carry out this Act. 

(2) RIGHT OF ACCESS.—A cooperative agreement entered into under paragraph 

(1) shall provide that the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National 

Park Service, shall have the right of access at all reasonable times to all public 

portions of the property covered by the agreement for the purposes of— 

(A) conducting visitors through the properties; and 

(B) interpreting the properties for the public. 

(3) CHANGES OR ALTERATIONS.—No changes or alterations shall be made to 

any properties covered by a cooperative agreement entered into under paragraph (1) unless the Secretary and the other party to the agreement agree to 

the changes or alterations. 

(4) CONVERSION, USE, OR DISPOSAL.—Any payment by the Secretary under 

this subsection shall be subject to an agreement that the conversion, use, or disposal of a project for purposes contrary to the purposes of this section, as determined by the Secretary, shall entitle the United States to reimbursement in an 

amount equal to the greater of— 

(A) the amounts made available to the project by the United States; or 

(B) the portion of the increased value of the project attributable to the 

amounts made available under this subsection, as determined at the time 

of the conversion, use, or disposal. 

(5) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of the receipt of funds under this subsection, the Secretary shall require that any Federal funds made available 

under a cooperative agreement shall be matched on a 1-to-1 basis by nonFederal funds. 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
3 

(B) FORM.—With the approval of the Secretary, the non-Federal share required under subparagraph (A) may be in the form of donated property, 

goods, or services from a non-Federal source, fairly valued. 

(d) COLLECTIONS.—The Secretary may enter into a written agreement with the 

State of Connecticut State Library, Wadsworth Atheneum, the Colt Trust, or other 

public entities, as appropriate, to gain appropriate access to Colt-related artifacts 

for routine display in the East Armory or within other areas of the park to enhance 

the visitor experience. 

(e) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary is authorized to acquire land and interests in land by donation, purchase with donated funds, or exchange, except that 

land or interests in land owned by the State or any political subdivision of the State 

may be acquired only by donation. 

(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND PUBLIC INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may provide technical assistance and public interpretation of related historic and cultural 

resources within the boundary of the historic district. 

(g) NO USE OF CONDEMNATION.—The Secretary may not acquire by condemnation 

any land or interest in land under this Act or for the purposes of this Act. 

(h) NO BUFFER ZONE CREATED.—Nothing in this Act, the establishment of the 

park, or the management plan for the park shall be construed to create buffer zones 

outside of the park. That activities or uses can be seen, heard, or detected from 

areas within the park shall not preclude, limit, control, regulate or determine the 

conduct or management of activities or uses outside of the park. 

SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 fiscal years after the date on which funds are 

made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall complete a management 

plan for the park in accordance with— 

(1) section 12(b) of the National Park Service General Authorities Act; and 

(2) other applicable laws. 

(b) COST SHARE.—The management plan shall include provisions that identify 

costs to be shared by the Federal Government, the State, and the city, and other 

public or private entities or individuals for necessary capital improvements to, and 

maintenance and operations of, the park. 

(c) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On completion of the management plan, the Secretary shall submit the management plan to— 

(1) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; and 

(2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1259 is to establish Coltsville National Historical Park in the State of Connecticut. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 1259 will authorize the creation of the Coltsville National 

Historical Park in Hartford, Connecticut, and designate it as a unit 

of the National Park System. 

The Coltsville site is approximately 260 acres and holds structures and artifacts associated with the development of Colt Firearms, the Samuel Colt family and their place in American history. 

Included in these facilities are the Colt home, industrial buildings 

and a church. 

From before the Civil War through World War II, Colt produced 

a variety of armaments on this site that are universally recognized 

as representative of the American arms industry. The Colt factory 

produced such famous weapons as the Gatling Gun, the Colt .45 

‘‘Peacemaker,’’ the Colt Browning, .30 and .50 caliber machine 

guns, and the M16A4 rifle. The proposed park site would help trace 

the history of industrialized and mechanized arms manufacturing 

and relate the story of the workers involved in the process. 

In 2003, Congress authorized a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as unit 

of the National Park System. The study confirmed the site met the 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
4 

criteria of national significance and suitability for designation. 

However, Coltsville will not become unit of the Park System until 

such time as the Secretary of the Interior has received sufficient 

land and property donations to constitute a manageable unit. 

Additional private property rights protections are included in the 

legislation which prevents inclusion of any property in the park 

until written consent of the owners is provided. Condemnation is 

specifically forbidden. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1259 was introduced on March 19, 2013, by Congressman 

John B. Larson (D–CT). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On October 3, 

2013, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On February 

27, 2014, the Natural Resources Committee met to consider the 

bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob 

Bishop (R–UT) offered an amendment designated #1; the amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. The bill as amended was 

then adopted and ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that Rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 1259—Coltsville National Historical Park Act 

H.R. 1259 would establish the Coltsville National Historical Park 

in the state of Connecticut once the National Park Service (NPS) 

obtains sufficient property at the proposed site to constitute a manageable park unit. Assuming the conditions for establishment can 

be met and that the necessary amounts are appropriated, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1259 would cost about $9 million 

over the 2015–2019 period. Those amounts would be used to restore and develop sites, complete a management plan for the park 

unit, and begin operations. Based on information provided by the 

NPS, CBO estimates that operating costs for the new park unit 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING
5 

would be less than $1 million a year. Enacting H.R. 1259 would not 

affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

H.R. 1259 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von Gnechten. 

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required by 

clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 

this bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or 

tax expenditures. CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1259 

would cost about $9 million over the 2015–2019 period and that operating costs for the new park unit would be less than $1 million 

a year. Enacting H.R. 1259 would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill is to establish Coltsville National Historical Park in the 

State of Connecticut. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that this 

bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any specific 

rule-making proceedings. 

Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or 

reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95–220, 

as amended by Public Law 98–169) as relating to other programs. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with HEARING