117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2024 

AN ACT 

To establish the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southern Maryland 

3 National Heritage Area Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.—The term 

7 ‘‘National Heritage Area’’ means the Southern 

8 Maryland National Heritage Area established by sec9 tion 3(a). 

10 (2) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 

11 ‘‘Local Coordinating Entity’’ means the local coordi12 nating entity for the National Heritage Area des13 ignated by this Act. 

14 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage15 ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 

16 Heritage Area required under section 5(a). 

17 (4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en18 titled ‘‘Southern Maryland National Heritage Area 

19 Proposed Boundary’’, numbered 672/177,225, and 

20 dated August 2021. 

21 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

22 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

24 of Maryland. 
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1 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND NA2 TIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established the Southern 

4 Maryland National Heritage Area in the State of Mary5 land, to consist of land in St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles, 

6 and Prince George’s Counties in the State, as generally 

7 depicted on the map. 

8 (b) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The Tri-Coun9 ty Council for Southern Maryland shall serve as the local 

10 coordinating entity for the National Heritage Area des11 ignated by subsection (a). 

12 SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION. 

13 (a) AUTHORITIES.—For purposes of carrying out the 

14 management plan for the National Heritage Area, the Sec15 retary acting through the Local Coordinating Entity may 

16 use amounts made available under section 9— 

17 (1) to make grants to the State or a political 

18 subdivisions of the State, Indian Tribes, nonprofit 

19 organizations, and other persons; 

20 (2) to enter into cooperative agreements with, 

21 or provide technical assistance to, the State or a po22 litical subdivision of the State, Indian Tribes, non23 profit organizations, and other interested parties; 

24 (3) to hire and compensate staff, which shall in25 clude individuals with expertise in natural, cultural, 
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1 and historical resources protection and heritage pro2 gramming; 

3 (4) to obtain money or services from any 

4 source, including any money or services that are pro5 vided under any other Federal law or program, pro6 vided that any money specifically authorized for Na7 tional Heritage areas shall be subject to a 50 per8 cent cost-share requirement; 

9 (5) to contract for goods or services; and 

10 (6) to undertake or be a catalyst for any other 

11 activity that furthers the purposes of the National 

12 Heritage Area and is consistent with the approved 

13 management plan. 

14 (b) DUTIES.—The Local Coordinating Entity shall— 

15 (1) in accordance with section 5, prepare and 

16 submit a management plan for the National Herit17 age Area to the Secretary; 

18 (2) assist Federal agencies, the State or a polit19 ical subdivision of the State, Indian Tribes, regional 

20 planning organizations, nonprofit organizations, and 

21 other interested parties in carrying out the approved 

22 management plan by— 

23 (A) carrying out programs and projects 

24 that recognize, protect, and enhance important 

25 resource values in the National Heritage Area; 
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1 (B) establishing and maintaining interpre2 tive exhibits and programs in the National Her3 itage Area; 

4 (C) developing recreational, interpretive, 

5 and educational opportunities in the National 

6 Heritage Area; 

7 (D) increasing public awareness of, and 

8 appreciation for, natural, historical, scenic, and 

9 cultural resources of the National Heritage 

10 Area; 

11 (E) protecting and restoring historic sites 

12 and buildings in the National Heritage Area 

13 that are consistent with the themes of the Na14 tional Heritage Area; 

15 (F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and ap16 propriate signs identifying points of public ac17 cess and sites of interest are posted throughout 

18 the National Heritage Area; and 

19 (G) promoting a wide range of partner20 ships among the Federal Government, State, 

21 Tribal, and local governments, organizations, 

22 and individuals to further the purposes of the 

23 National Heritage Area; 

24 (3) consider the interests of diverse units of 

25 government, businesses, organizations, and individ-
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1 uals in the National Heritage Area in the prepara2 tion and implementation of the management plan; 

3 (4) conduct meetings open to the public not less 

4 frequently than semiannually regarding the develop5 ment and implementation of the management plan; 

6 and 

7 (5) for any year that Federal funds have been 

8 appropriated to carry out this Act— 

9 (A) submit to the Secretary an annual re10 port that describes the activities, expenses, and 

11 income of the Local Coordinating Entity (in12 cluding grants to any other entities during the 

13 year that the report is made); 

14 (B) make available to the Secretary for 

15 audit all records relating to the expenditure of 

16 the funds and any matching funds; and 

17 (C) encourage by appropriate means eco18 nomic viability that is consistent with the Na19 tional Heritage Area. 

20 (c) PROHIBITION ON THE ACQUISITION OF REAL

21 PROPERTY.—The Local Coordinating Entity shall not use 

22 Federal funds to acquire real property or any interest in 

23 real property. 
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1 SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Local Coordinating En4 tity shall submit to the Secretary for approval a proposed 

5 management plan for the National Heritage Area. 

6 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The management plan shall— 

7 (1) incorporate an integrated and cooperative 

8 approach for the protection, enhancement, and inter9 pretation of the natural, cultural, historic, scenic, 

10 and recreational resources of the National Heritage 

11 Area; 

12 (2) take into consideration Federal, State, local, 

13 and Tribal plans and treaty rights; 

14 (3) include— 

15 (A) an inventory of— 

16 (i) the resources located in the Na17 tional Heritage Area; and 

18 (ii) any other property in the National 

19 Heritage Area that— 

20 (I) is related to the themes of the 

21 National Heritage Area; and 

22 (II) should be preserved, re23 stored, managed, or maintained be24 cause of the significance of the prop25 erty; 
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1 (B) comprehensive policies, strategies, and 

2 recommendations for the conservation, funding, 

3 management, and development of the National 

4 Heritage Area; 

5 (C) a description of activities that the Fed6 eral Government, State, Tribal, and local gov7 ernments, private organizations, and individuals 

8 have agreed to carry out to protect the natural, 

9 historical, cultural, scenic, and recreational re10 sources of the National Heritage Area; 

11 (D) a program of implementation for the 

12 management plan by the Local Coordinating 

13 Entity that includes a description of— 

14 (i) actions to facilitate ongoing col15 laboration among partners to promote 

16 plans for resource protection, restoration, 

17 and construction; and 

18 (ii) specific commitments for imple19 mentation that have been made by the 

20 Local Coordinating Entity or any unit of 

21 government, organization, or individual for 

22 the first 5 years of operation; 

23 (E) the identification of sources of funding 

24 for carrying out the management plan; 
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1 (F) analysis and recommendations for 

2 means by which Federal, State, local, and Trib3 al programs, including the role of the National 

4 Park Service in the National Heritage Area, 

5 may best be coordinated to carry out this Act; 

6 and 

7 (G) an interpretive plan for the National 

8 Heritage Area; and 

9 (4) recommend policies and strategies for re10 source management that consider and detail the ap11 plication of appropriate land and water management 

12 techniques, including the development of intergov13 ernmental and interagency cooperative agreements 

14 to protect the natural, historical, cultural, edu15 cational, scenic, and recreational resources of the 

16 National Heritage Area. 

17 (c) DEADLINE.—If a proposed management plan is 

18 not submitted to the Secretary by the date that is 3 years 

19 after the date of enactment of the Act, the Local Coordi20 nating Entity shall be ineligible to receive additional fund21 ing under this Act until the date on which the Secretary 

22 approves the management plan. 

23 (d) APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT

24 PLAN.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of receipt of the management plan 

3 under this section, the Secretary, in consultation 

4 with State and Tribal governments, shall approve or 

5 disapprove the management plan. 

6 (2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In determining 

7 whether to approve the management plan, the Sec8 retary shall consider whether— 

9 (A) the Local Coordinating Entity is rep10 resentative of the diverse interests of the Na11 tional Heritage Area, including Federal, State, 

12 Tribal, and local governments, natural and his13 toric resource protection organizations, edu14 cational institutions, businesses, and rec15 reational organizations; 

16 (B) the Local Coordinating Entity has af17 forded adequate opportunity, including public 

18 hearings, for public and governmental involve19 ment in the preparation of the management 

20 plan; and 

21 (C) the resource protection and interpreta22 tion strategies contained in the management 

23 plan, if implemented, would adequately protect 

24 the natural, historical, and cultural resources of 

25 the National Heritage Area. 
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1 (3) ACTION FOLLOWING DISAPPROVAL.—If the 

2 Secretary disapproves the management plan under 

3 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 

4 (A) advise the Local Coordinating Entity 

5 in writing of the reasons for the disapproval; 

6 (B) make recommendations for revisions to 

7 the management plan; and 

8 (C) not later than 180 days after the re9 ceipt of any proposed revision of the manage10 ment plan from the Local Coordinating Entity, 

11 approve or disapprove the proposed revision. 

12 (4) AMENDMENTS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ap14 prove or disapprove each amendment of the 

15 management plan that the Secretary determines 

16 make a substantial change to the management 

17 plan. 

18 (B) USE OF FUNDS.—The Local Coordi19 nating Entity shall not use Federal funds au20 thorized by this Act to carry out any amend21 ment to the management plan until the Sec22 retary has approved the amendment. 
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1 SEC. 6. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act affects the au3 thority of a Federal agency to provide technical or finan4 cial assistance under any other law. 

5 (b) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—The head 

6 of any Federal agency planning to conduct activities that 

7 may have an impact on the National Heritage Area is en8 couraged to consult and coordinate the activities with the 

9 Secretary and the Local Coordinating Entity to the max10 imum extent practicable. 

11 (c) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Nothing in this 

12 Act— 

13 (1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regu14 lations authorizing a Federal agency to manage Fed15 eral land under the jurisdiction of the Federal agen16 cy; 

17 (2) limits the discretion of a Federal land man18 ager to implement an approved land use plan within 

19 the boundaries of the National Heritage Area; or 

20 (3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized 

21 use of Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Fed22 eral agency. 

23 SEC. 7. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTEC24 TIONS. 

25 Nothing in this Act— 
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1 (1) abridges the rights of any property owner 

2 (whether public or private), including the right to re3 frain from participating in any plan, project, pro4 gram, or activity conducted within the National Her5 itage Area; 

6 (2) requires any property owner— 

7 (A) to permit public access (including ac8 cess by Federal, State, or local agencies) to the 

9 property of the property owner; or 

10 (B) to modify public access or use of prop11 erty of the property owner under any other 

12 Federal, State, or local law; 

13 (3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, 

14 approved land use plan, or other regulatory author15 ity of any Federal, State, Tribal, or local agency; 

16 (4) conveys any land use or other regulatory 

17 authority to the Local Coordinating Entity; 

18 (5) authorizes or implies the reservation or ap19 propriation of water or water rights; 

20 (6) enlarges or diminishes the treaty rights of 

21 any Indian Tribe within the National Heritage Area; 

22 (7) diminishes— 

23 (A) the authority of the State to manage 

24 fish and wildlife, including the regulation of 
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1 fishing and hunting, within the National Herit2 age Area; or 

3 (B) the authority of Indian Tribes to regu4 late members of Indian Tribes with respect to 

5 fishing, hunting, and gathering in the exercise 

6 of treaty rights; or 

7 (8) creates any liability, or affects any liability 

8 under any other law, of any private property owner 

9 with respect to any person injured on the private 

10 property. 

11 SEC. 8. EVALUATION AND REPORT. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—For the National Heritage Area, 

13 not later than 3 years before the date specified under sec14 tion 9, the Secretary shall— 

15 (1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplish16 ments of the National Heritage Area; and 

17 (2) prepare a report in accordance with sub18 section (c). 

19 (b) EVALUATION.—An evaluation conducted under 

20 subsection (a)(1) shall— 

21 (1) assess the progress of the Local Coordi22 nating Entity with respect to— 

23 (A) accomplishing the purposes of the Na24 tional Heritage Area; and 
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1 (B) achieving the goals and objectives of 

2 the approved management plan for the National 

3 Heritage Area; 

4 (2) analyze the investments of the Federal Gov5 ernment, State, Tribal, and local governments, and 

6 private entities in the National Heritage Area to de7 termine the impact of the investments; and 

8 (3) review the management structure, partner9 ship relationships, and funding of the National Her10 itage Area for purposes of identifying the critical 

11 components for sustainability of the National Herit12 age Area. 

13 (c) REPORT.—Based on the evaluation conducted 

14 under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall submit to the 

15 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen16 ate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

17 of Representatives a report that includes recommendations 

18 for the future role of the National Park Service, if any, 

19 with respect to the National Heritage Area. 
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1 SEC. 9. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

2 The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance 

3 under this Act terminates on the date that is 15 years 

4 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 19, 2022. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2024 

AN ACT 

To establish the Southern Maryland National 

Heritage Area, and for other purposes.