II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2816

To provide the financial mechanisms, resource protections, and professional

skills necessary for high quality stewardship of the National Park System, to commemorate the heritage of people of the United States, to

create new opportunities for people of the United States to invest in

the legacy of the National Park System, and to recognize the importance

of high quality outdoor recreational opportunities on federally managed

land.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 29, 2000

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. L. CHAFEE, and Mr. MCCAIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To provide the financial mechanisms, resource protections,

and professional skills necessary for high quality stewardship of the National Park System, to commemorate the

heritage of people of the United States, to create new

opportunities for people of the United States to invest

in the legacy of the National Park System, and to recognize the importance of high quality outdoor recreational

opportunities on federally managed land.

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

3 ‘‘National Parks Stewardship Act’’.

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of

5 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

TITLE I—FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Sec. 101. Revenue bond program development.

Sec. 102. Recreational fee program.

Sec. 103. Challenge cost share projects.

TITLE II—PARK RESOURCE PRESERVATION

Sec. 201. Activities in units of the National Park System.

Sec. 202. Federal actions concerning units of the National Park System.

Sec. 203. Preservation of historical documents, records, and reports.

Sec. 204. Report on visitation and use.

Sec. 205. Assessment of outside threats to units of the National Park System.

TITLE III—NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM REPRESENTATION

Sec. 301. Findings.

Sec. 302. Ethnic and cultural representation.

Sec. 303. Ethnohistorical and anthropological interpretation of National Park

System.

TITLE IV—HUMAN RESOURCES FOR NATIONAL PARKS

Sec. 401. Establishment of pilot program.

Sec. 402. Identification of park management position requirements.

6 TITLE I—FINANCIAL

7 RESOURCES

8 SEC. 101. REVENUE BOND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.

9 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment

10 of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination

11 with the Secretary of the Interior, shall submit to Con12 gress a report that—

13 (1) describes a program that would enable the

14 Secretary of the Interior to issue revenue bonds to
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1 finance improvements at a national park,

2 including—

3 (A) large scale improvements and other

4 construction; and

5 (B) maintenance activities, including the

6 rehabilitation or replacement of facilities to—

7 (i) preserve and protect park re8 sources; and

9 (ii) facilitate visitation; and

10 (2) describes any changes to laws (including

11 regulations) that govern the Federal budget process

12 that are necessary to enable the Secretary of the In13 terior to issue revenue bonds under the program de14 scribed in the report.

15 SEC. 102. RECREATIONAL FEE PROGRAM.

16 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:

17 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means—

18 (A) the National Park Service;

19 (B) the United States Fish and Wildlife

20 Service;

21 (C) the Bureau of Land Management;

22 (D) the Bureau of Reclamation; and

23 (E) the Forest Service.

24 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’

25 means—
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1 (A) with respect to the Department of the

2 Interior, the Secretary of the Interior, acting

3 through—

4 (i) the Director of the National Park

5 Service;

6 (ii) the Director of the United States

7 Fish and Wildlife Service;

8 (iii) the Director of the Bureau of

9 Land Management; or

10 (iv) the Commissioner of Reclamation;

11 and

12 (B) with respect to the Department of Ag13 riculture, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting

14 through the Chief of the Forest Service.

15 (b) PROGRAM.—Notwithstanding section 4 of the

16 Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (16 U.S.C. 460l–

17 6a), effective beginning on October 1, 2001, the

18 Secretary—

19 (1) may establish, charge, and collect fees for—

20 (A) admission to an area, site, or project

21 on land under the jurisdiction of an agency; and

22 (B) the use of a recreation area, site, facil23 ity, visitor center, equipment, and service (in24 cluding a reservation) of an agency by an indi25 vidual or a group;
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1 (2) in establishing a fee under this section,

2 shall—

3 (A) ensure, to the maximum extent prac4 ticable, that the fee is fair and equitable, by

5 taking into consideration—

6 (i) the direct and indirect cost of the

7 fee to the Federal Government;

8 (ii) the revenue benefits to the Fed9 eral Government;

10 (iii) the benefits to the visitor derived

11 from fees;

12 (iv) the cumulative effect of fees

13 charged to the public;

14 (v) the public policy or management

15 objectives served by charging the fee;

16 (vi) the comparable recreation fees

17 charged by other public agencies;

18 (vii) the economic and administrative

19 feasibility of fee collection; and

20 (viii) other pertinent factors; and

21 (B) require that any implementation or al22 teration of a recreation fee shall be approved in

23 advance by a board of review, to be appointed

24 by the Secretary;
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1 (3) may enter into contracts, which may provide

2 for reasonable commissions or reimbursements, with

3 any public or private entity to provide fee collection

4 and processing services;

5 (4) may authorize the use of volunteers to col6 lect fees charged under paragraph (1);

7 (5) may sell and accept—

8 (A) Golden Eagle Passports, Golden Age

9 Passports, and Golden Access Passports, estab10 lished under paragraphs (1), (4), and (5), re11 spectively, of section 4(a) of the Land and

12 Water Conservation Fund Act (16 U.S.C. 460l–

13 6a); and

14 (B) National Park Passports established

15 under section 602 of the National Parks Omni16 bus Management Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C.

17 5992); and

18 (6) may develop, sell, and accept single or

19 multiagency passports.

20 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary

21 may enter into cooperative agreements with other Federal

22 agencies and State, local, and tribal governments to collect

23 fees at areas, sites, or projects located on land under the

24 jurisdiction of the Secretary or the other Federal agency,

25 State, local, or tribal government.
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1 (d) DISCOUNTED OR FREE ADMISSION OR USE.—In

2 establishing a fee under this section, the Secretary may

3 provide discounted or free admission or use, as determined

4 to be appropriate by the Secretary, for individuals or

5 groups including—

6 (1) persons 17 years of age or younger;

7 (2) volunteers;

8 (3) groups from schools or other bona fide edu9 cational institutions in cases in which admission or

10 use is for educational purposes; and

11 (4) other entities or individuals that the Sec12 retary determines to be appropriate.

13 (e) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary may promul14 gate such regulations as are necessary to carry out this

15 section.

16 (f) DISTRIBUTION OF RECEIPTS.—

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Fees collected under sub18 section (a) shall—

19 (A) be deposited in a special account in the

20 Treasury established for each agency that col21 lects fees under this section; and

22 (B) remain available to the Secretary with23 out further Act of appropriation until expended.

24 (2) DISTRIBUTION.—
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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not less than 80 per2 cent of amounts collected as fees at a specific

3 area, site, or project, as determined by the Sec4 retary, shall remain available for use at the spe5 cific area, site, or project at which the fees were

6 collected.

7 (B) USE OF FEES AT NONCOLLECTION

8 SITES.—

9 (i) IN GENERAL.—The amounts col10 lected as fees at a specific area, site, or

11 project that are not distributed in accord12 ance with subparagraph (A) shall remain

13 available for use by each agency that col14 lected the fees, on an agency-wide basis.

15 (ii) USE BY AGENCY.—Amounts under

16 clause (i) shall be distributed for use in ac17 cordance with subsection (g)(1) to units of

18 each agency having the greatest need for

19 funds, as determined by the Secretary.

20 (C) DISBURSEMENT UNDER COOPERATIVE

21 AGREEMENT.—

22 (i) IN GENERAL.—A cooperative

23 agreement described in subsection (c) may

24 provide for an initial disbursement of fees
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1 collected under the agreement to parties to

2 the agreement.

3 (ii) REMAINING AMOUNTS.—Fees col4 lected under clause (i) that are retained by

5 an agency shall be distributed under sub6 paragraphs (A) and (B).

7 (g) EXPENDITURES.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts available under

9 subsection (f)(2)(A) for expenditure at a specific

10 area, site, or project—

11 (A) shall be accounted for separately; and

12 (B) may be used for—

13 (i) repair, maintenance, facility en14 hancement, and infrastructure (including

15 projects relating to visitor enjoyment, vis16 itor health and safety, visitor access, and

17 environmental compliance);

18 (ii) interpretation, visitor information,

19 visitor services, and signage;

20 (iii) enhancement of habitat;

21 (iv) assessment, protection, preserva22 tion, and restoration of natural, cultural,

23 and historical resources;

24 (v) law enforcement relating to public

25 use; and
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1 (vi) direct operating or capital costs

2 associated with the fee system authorized

3 by this section, including—

4 (I) the costs of fee collections;

5 (II) the costs of notification of

6 fee requirements;

7 (III) the costs of direct infra8 structure;

9 (IV) fee management administra10 tive costs;

11 (V) the costs of the bonding of

12 volunteers;

13 (VI) start-up costs; and

14 (VII) the costs of analysis and

15 reporting of program accomplishments

16 and impacts.

17 (2) REMAINING AMOUNTS.—Amounts available

18 under subsection (f)(2)(B) for expenditure agency19 wide—

20 (A) shall be accounted for separately; and

21 (B) may be used for the purposes de22 scribed in paragraph (1) for areas, sites, or

23 projects selected by each agency.

24 (3) PRIORITIZATION OF PROJECTS.—In

25 prioritizing expenditures under this subsection for
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1 projects, an agency should give high priority to de2 ferred maintenance projects.

3 (h) SIGNAGE AND INFORMATION AT RECREATION

4 FEE PROJECT SITES.—

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop,

6 and require the display of, uniform signage at each

7 unit where work is being performed or services are

8 being provided using recreation fee revenues.

9 (2) USE.—Signs developed under paragraph (1)

10 shall—

11 (A) inform park visitors of examples of

12 their ‘‘recreation fees at work’’;

13 (B) include a contact number and an

14 Internet address where the public may access

15 additional information about the recreation fee

16 program; and

17 (C) be presented in such a way as to in18 form visitors that recreation fees—

19 (i) are used at the site from which

20 they are collected; and

21 (ii) are appreciated by the agency and

22 other visitors.

23 (i) ENFORCEMENT AND PROTECTION OF RE24 CEIPTS.—

25 (1) IN GENERAL.—
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1 (A) ENFORCEMENT.—The Secretary shall

2 enforce payment of the fees authorized by this

3 section.

4 (B) EVIDENCE OF NONPAYMENT.—If the

5 display of proof of payment of a fee, or the pay6 ment of a fee within a certain time period, is

7 required, failure to display the proof or pay

8 within the time specified shall be considered

9 prima facia evidence of nonpayment.

10 (C) VEHICULAR VIOLATIONS.—The reg11 istered owner and occupants of a vehicle

12 charged for a violation involving the vehicle

13 shall be jointly liable for penalties imposed

14 under this subsection, unless the owner can

15 show that the vehicle was used without the ex16 press or implied permission of the owner.

17 (2) FEE COLLECTION DEVICES.—It shall be un18 lawful for a person to—

19 (A) break into;

20 (B) tamper with; or

21 (C) attempt to break into;

22 with the intent to commit larceny, any device or

23 structure used, in whole or in part, to collect or

24 store fees under this section.

25 (3) PENALTY.—
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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—A violation relating to

2 a payment of a fee described in paragraph (1)

3 shall be punishable as a Class B misdemeanor.

4 (B) FEE COLLECTION DEVICES.—A viola5 tion of paragraph (2) shall be punishable—

6 (i) as a Class B misdemeanor, if the

7 violation results in a loss to the Federal

8 Government in an amount that is less than

9 $10,000; or

10 (ii) as a Class A misdemeanor, if the

11 violation results in a loss to the Federal

12 Government in an amount of $10,000 or

13 more.

14 (j) FUNDS FOR OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—

15 Income derived from fees collected under this Act shall

16 not be used to displace any funds requested in any budget

17 submission for—

18 (1) the National Park Service;

19 (2) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;

20 (3) the Bureau of Land Management; or

21 (4) the Bureau of Reclamation.

22 (k) NO ACCOUNTING AS REVENUE ALLOCATIONS.—

23 Amounts collected under this section shall not be taken

24 into account for purposes of—
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1 (1) section 33 of the Act of July 22, 1937

2 (commonly known as the ‘‘Bankhead-Jones Farm

3 Tenant Act’’) (7 U.S.C. 1012);

4 (2) the Act of May 23, 1908 (16 U.S.C. 500);

5 (3) section 13 of the Act of March 1, 1911

6 (commonly known as ‘‘Weeks Law’’) (16 U.S.C.

7 500);

8 (4) the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501

9 et seq.);

10 (5) section 401 of the Act of June 15, 1935 (16

11 U.S.C 715s);

12 (6) chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code;

13 (7) the Act of June 14, 1926 (43 U.S.C. 869–

14 4);

15 (8) section 6 of the Act of May 24, 1939 (43

16 U.S.C. 1181f et seq.);

17 (9) title II of the Act of August 8, 1937 (43

18 U.S.C. 1181f–1 et seq.); and

19 (10) any other provision of law relating to rev20 enue allocations.

21 SEC. 103. CHALLENGE COST SHARE PROJECTS.

22 Section 814(g) of Public Law 104–333 (16 U.S.C.

23 1f) is amended—
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1 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘in car2 rying out’’ and all that follows through ‘‘Trail.’’ and

3 inserting the following: ‘‘in carrying out—

4 ‘‘(i) any authorized function or re5 sponsibility of the Secretary of the Interior

6 with respect to any unit or program of the

7 National Park System (as defined in sec8 tion 2(a) of the Act of August 8, 1953 (16

9 U.S.C. 1c(a))), any affiliated area, or any

10 designated National Scenic or Historic

11 Trail; or

12 ‘‘(ii) any project related to a program

13 of the National Park Service that—

14 ‘‘(I) is mutually beneficial to the

15 Secretary and the cooperator; and

16 ‘‘(II) enhances 1 or more activi17 ties or services of the National Park

18 Service.’’;

19 (2) in paragraph (3)—

20 (A) by striking ‘‘in carrying out’’ and in21 serting the following:

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out’’; and

23 (B) by adding at the end the following:

24 ‘‘(B) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—
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1 ‘‘(i) FEDERAL SHARE.—Except as

2 provided in clause (iii), the Federal share

3 of the cost of carrying out a project under

4 this subsection shall be not more than 50

5 percent.

6 ‘‘(ii) NON-FEDERAL MATCH.—The

7 non-Federal share of the cost of carrying

8 out a project under this subsection may be

9 provided in cash or in kind, including real

10 or personal property or volunteer labor.

11 ‘‘(iii) FEDERAL AGENCY COOP12 ERATOR.—In a case in which a cooperator

13 in an agreement under this subsection is a

14 Federal agency—

15 ‘‘(I) the Federal share of the cost

16 of carrying out a project under this

17 subsection may be greater than 50

18 percent;

19 ‘‘(II) the Secretary may enter

20 into a cost-sharing agreement with the

21 Federal agency cooperator; and

22 ‘‘(III) the appropriated funds of

23 the Federal agency cooperator may be

24 used to pay the matching share re25 quired under this subparagraph.’’; and
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1 (3) by adding at the end the following:

2 ‘‘(4) FEDERAL AUTHORITY.—

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—This subsection shall

4 not apply to any project described in paragraph

5 (1)(A), the resources for which are provided

6 solely by a cooperator.

7 ‘‘(B) NO FEDERAL EMPLOYEE STATUS.—

8 Nothing in this subsection, and nothing under

9 any agreement under this subsection, shall con10 vey to any employee of a cooperator Federal

11 employee status for the purpose of liability cov12 erage.

13 ‘‘(5) PREFERENCE FOR PROJECTS.—In enter14 ing into an agreement for a project under this sub15 section, the Secretary shall give preference to agree16 ments for projects that—

17 ‘‘(A) preserve or restore the natural, cul18 tural, or historical resources of a unit of the

19 National Park System;

20 ‘‘(B) assist in the preservation or restora21 tion of nationally significant buildings, sites, or

22 objects that are not within the National Park

23 System; or

24 ‘‘(C) provide new or improved opportuni25 ties for people of the United States to enjoy, or
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1 learn about natural resources or cultural herit2 age through, programs of the National Park

3 Service.’’.

4 TITLE II—PARK RESOURCE

5 PRESERVATION

6 SEC. 201. ACTIVITIES IN UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK

7 SYSTEM.

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with the Act entitled

9 ‘‘An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for

10 other purposes’’, approved August 25, 1916 (16 U.S.C.

11 1 et seq.), and the purposes for which each National Park

12 unit is created, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to

13 in this title as the ‘‘Secretary’’), before authorizing the

14 use of any unit of the National Park System, shall prohibit

15 or limit, as appropriate, the conduct of any activity in the

16 unit that is incompatible with the conservation and preser17 vation of the natural, cultural, and historical resources of

18 the unit.

19 (b) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAW.—Nothing in

20 this section affects the applicability of any other provision

21 of law to the conduct of an activity in any unit of the

22 National Park System.

23 (c) VISITOR EDUCATION.—The Secretary, through

24 the superintendent of each unit of the National Park Sys25 tem, shall make available to visitors of the unit edu-
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1 cational materials or programs promoting conservation

2 and low impact recreation techniques and practices that

3 minimize the adverse recreation impacts to, and enhance

4 enjoyment of, the natural, cultural, and historical re5 sources of the unit.

6 SEC. 202. FEDERAL ACTIONS CONCERNING UNITS OF THE

7 NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.

8 (a) LAND UNDER JURISDICTION OF SECRETARY.—

9 The Secretary shall prohibit the conduct of any action that

10 degrades or destroys the natural, cultural, or historical re11 sources of a unit of the National Park System on land

12 that is—

13 (1) adjacent to or in the vicinity of, but outside

14 the boundary of, the unit; and

15 (2)(A) under the administrative jurisdiction of

16 the Secretary; and

17 (B) not under the administrative jurisdiction of

18 any other Federal agency.

19 (b) OTHER FEDERAL LAND.—

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other

21 provision of law, the head of any Federal agency

22 having jurisdiction over land that is adjacent to or

23 in the vicinity of, but outside the boundary of, a unit

24 of the National Park System, shall—
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1 (A) at the earliest practicable date, notify

2 the Secretary of the potential of the Federal

3 agency to undertake or allow an action on the

4 land that may degrade or destroy the natural,

5 cultural, or historical resources of the National

6 Park unit; and

7 (B) in consultation with the Secretary,

8 seek to minimize, to the maximum extent prac9 ticable, any significant effects of an action de10 scribed in subparagraph (A) on the unit.

11 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) does not

12 apply to—

13 (A) emergency actions that are essential to

14 protect—

15 (i) a life or property; and

16 (ii) public health and safety; and

17 (B) any action that is necessary to ensure

18 the military preparedness of the United States.

19 (c) INTERAGENCY REVIEW.—As soon as practicable

20 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in

21 cooperation with the heads of other appropriate Federal

22 agencies, shall—

23 (1) review management programs and plans for

24 Federal land adjacent to units of the National Park

25 System for potential impacts on those units; and
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1 (2) provide to the head of each appropriate

2 Federal agency recommendations on how the land

3 may be managed by the agency head to minimize

4 degradation or destruction of any natural, cultural,

5 or historical resources of any adjacent units of the

6 National Park System.

7 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary, at the

8 request of a Federal agency or unit of a State or local

9 government that manages land within or adjacent to a

10 unit of the National Park System, may provide technical

11 assistance to the Federal agency or unit of government

12 in the management of the land so that the management

13 does not result in the degradation or destruction of any

14 natural, cultural, or historical resource of the unit of the

15 National Park System.

16 SEC. 203. PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS,

17 RECORDS, AND REPORTS.

18 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that the documents,

19 records, and reports that are in the permanent possession

20 of the National Park Service for the purposes of ongoing

21 management and administration of the units of the Na22 tional Park System—

23 (1) are of great value to the people of the

24 United States; and
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1 (2) reveal the natural and human history of the

2 United States and the National Park System.

3 (b) PRESERVATION AND ORGANIZATION OF DOCU4 MENTS, RECORDS, AND REPORTS.—The Secretary shall

5 ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that each doc6 ument, record, and report described in subsection (a) is—

7 (1) housed, secured, and maintained by the Na8 tional Park Service in accordance with professional

9 archival standards to ensure the long-term preserva10 tion of the document, record, or report; and

11 (2) organized and made available by the Na12 tional Park Service to persons researching the nat13 ural and human history of the United States in ac14 cordance with professional archival standards, taking

15 into consideration—

16 (A) the condition of the document, record,

17 or report; and

18 (B) the potential effect that any use of the

19 document, record, or report may have on the

20 preservation of the document, record, or report.

21 SEC. 204. REPORT ON VISITATION AND USE.

22 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment

23 of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary

24 shall submit to Congress a report that describes—
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1 (1) any projected increases or decreases in visi2 tation and use of national parks (including park

3 services) through the later of—

4 (A) December 31, 2010; or

5 (B) the date that is 10 years after the date

6 of submission of the report; and

7 (2) any additional resources, including per8 sonnel and facilities, that would be required by the

9 National Park Service to accommodate any change

10 in visitation and use of national parks described in

11 paragraph (1).

12 SEC. 205. ASSESSMENT OF OUTSIDE THREATS TO UNITS OF

13 THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.

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

15 date of enactment of this act, the Secretary of the Interior

16 shall submit to Congress a report on the units of the Na17 tional Park System that face the most serious impacts on

18 resources of the units from proposed actions, factors, or

19 occurrences outside unit boundaries.

20 (b) CONTENTS.—The report under subsection (a)

21 shall—

22 (1) describe the nature of the impacts; and

23 (2) recommend corrective action that would re24 duce or eliminate the impact on unit resources.
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1 TITLE III—NATIONAL PARK

2 SYSTEM REPRESENTATION

3 SEC. 301. FINDINGS.

4 Congress finds that—

5 (1) the National Park System should reflect the

6 diverse heritage of all people of the United States;

7 (2) the history of the United States, as depicted

8 and preserved by units of the National Park System,

9 should include fair and accurate representations of

10 people with a diverse heritage that significantly in11 fluenced the history of the United States; and

12 (3) all people of the United States should be

13 able to trace the various explorations, migrations,

14 immigrations, and movements of people in the

15 United States through—

16 (A) significant natural, cultural, and his17 torical sites preserved in units of the National

18 Park System; and

19 (B) educational and interpretive programs

20 at those sites.

21 SEC. 302. ETHNIC AND CULTURAL REPRESENTATION.

22 As soon as practicable after the date of enactment

23 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in

24 this title as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall—
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1 (1) review the National Park System for ade2 quate representation of sites that are material to all

3 people significantly involved in the settlement and

4 development of the United States (including people

5 whose actual or ancestral presence in the geo6 graphical area of the United States predates the es7 tablishment of the United States);

8 (2) through the review under paragraph (1),

9 identify—

10 (A) deficiencies in the inclusion of sites de11 scribed in paragraph (1) in the National Park

12 System; and

13 (B) the nature and location of sites (in14 cluding trails) that should be studied for inclu15 sion in the National Park System to eliminate

16 those deficiencies;

17 (3) develop a system by which an ethnic or cul18 tural group of the United States may identify and

19 propose to the Secretary for inclusion in the Na20 tional Park System 1 or more sites described in

21 paragraph (2); and

22 (4) include on the list of areas recommended

23 for study for potential inclusion in the National

24 Park System under section 8(b) of the Act entitled

25 ‘‘An Act to improve the administration of the na-
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1 tional park system by the Secretary of the Interior,

2 and to clarify the authorities applicable to the sys3 tem, and for other purposes’’, approved August 18,

4 1970 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5(b)) such sites identified under

5 paragraph (3) as are appropriate to improve the de6 gree and manner of cultural and heritage represen7 tation of the National Park System.

8 SEC. 303. ETHNOHISTORICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL IN9 TERPRETATION OF NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after the

11 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure,

12 to the maximum extent practicable, that the complete and

13 accurate record of the establishment and settlement of the

14 United States (including the record of people whose actual

15 or ancestral presence in the geographical area of the

16 United States predates the establishment of the United

17 States) is appropriately portrayed at relevant units of the

18 National Park System without cultural, linguistic, or ra19 cial bias.

20 (b) INVOLVEMENT.—In carrying out subsection (a)

21 (including identifying cases in which the interpretation of

22 a unit of the National Park System should be reviewed

23 for modification to include or more accurately depict the

24 cultural record with respect to the people in an ethnic or

25 cultural group), the Secretary shall actively seek the in-
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1 volvement of ethnic and cultural groups that contributed

2 to the history of any site in the unit.

3 TITLE IV—HUMAN RESOURCES

4 FOR NATIONAL PARKS

5 SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.

6 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that the National

7 Park Service must be able to attract and retain profes8 sionals with the expertise necessary to address its core

9 missions of resource preservation and education, including

10 professionals with expertise in areas, such as business

11 management, who are not typically attracted to careers

12 in the National Park Service.

13 (b) PILOT PROGRAM.—

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after

15 the date of enactment of this Act, in coordination

16 with appropriate nonprofit organizations, the Sec17 retary shall establish a pilot program, to be known

18 as the ‘‘Professionals for Parks Program’’.

19 (2) GOALS.—The goals of the program under

20 paragraph (1) shall be to—

21 (A) increase outreach to prospective em22 ployees completing graduate-level public admin23 istration and business management programs;

24 and
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1 (B) establish a Federal intake program to

2 place qualified employee candidates in middle

3 and upper management positions on adminis4 trative staffs in the National Park Service.

5 (3) STUDENT LOAN PHASE-OUT.—To encourage

6 participation in the pilot program under paragraph

7 (1), the Secretary shall develop a student loan

8 phase-out program through which a student that

9 completes a graduate-level management program

10 and accepts an offer of employment with the Na11 tional Park Service may receive graduated assistance

12 in repaying student loan debt.

13 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date

14 of implementation of the program under subsection (b)(1),

15 the Secretary shall—

16 (1) review the program; and

17 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes

18 any recommendations for the continuance of the pro19 gram.

20 SEC. 402. IDENTIFICATION OF PARK MANAGEMENT POSI21 TION REQUIREMENTS.

22 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

23 (1) the duties of a superintendent of, and other

24 leadership positions in, a unit of the National Park
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1 System, including the exercise of decisionmaking au2 thority, have increased in scope and complexity; and

3 (2) the National Park Service faces challenges

4 in hiring individuals that possess qualities and quali5 fications, such as accountability and skills in deci6 sionmaking, that are required of National Park

7 managers.

8 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date

9 of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Per10 sonnel Management shall submit to Congress a report

11 that—

12 (1) identifies the core qualifications, including

13 any specific knowledge, skills, or abilities, that are

14 required of an individual to successfully carry out

15 the position of superintendent of, or other manage16 ment position in, a unit of the National Park Sys17 tem;

18 (2) recommends qualifications, including appro19 priate education, experience, and other factors, that

20 are appropriate for National Park superintendent

21 and other management positions; and

22 (3) describes any changes to Federal personnel

23 regulations that are necessary to improve the re24 cruitment, hiring, promotion, remuneration, and re-
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1 tention of qualified National Park superintendents

2 and other managers.

Æ