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106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 582

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement for

the construction and operation of the Gateway Visitor Center at Independence National Historical Park.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 10, 1999

Mr. SPECTER (for himself and Mr. SANTORUM) introduced the following bill;

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into

an agreement for the construction and operation of the

Gateway Visitor Center at Independence National Historical Park.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gateway Visitor Center

5 Authorization Act of 1999’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
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1 (1) in 1997, the National Park Service com2 pleted a general management plan for Independence

3 National Historical Park that establishes goals and

4 priorities for the future of the park;

5 (2) the plan calls for the revitalization of Inde6 pendence Mall and recommends as a critical compo7 nent of the revitalization the development of a new

8 visitor center to be known as the ‘‘Gateway Visitor

9 Center’’;

10 (3) such a visitor center would replace the exist11 ing park visitor center and serve as an orientation

12 center for visitors to the park and to city and re13 gional attractions;

14 (4) after completion of the general management

15 plan, the National Park Service completed a design

16 project and master plan for Independence Mall that

17 includes the Gateway Visitor Center;

18 (5) plans for the Gateway Visitor Center call

19 for the center to be developed and managed, in co20 operation with the Secretary of the Interior, by a

21 nonprofit organization that represents the various

22 public and civic interests of the Philadelphia metro23 politan area; and

24 (6) the Gateway Visitor Center Corporation, a

25 nonprofit organization, has been established to raise
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1 funds for and cooperate in a program to design, de2 velop, construct, and operate the Gateway Visitor

3 Center.

4 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to author5 ize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agree6 ment with the Gateway Visitor Center Corporation to con7 struct and operate a regional visitor center on Independ8 ence Mall in cooperation with the Secretary.

9 SEC. 3. GATEWAY VISITOR CENTER.

10 The Act of June 28, 1948 (16 U.S.C. 407m et seq.)

11 is amended by adding at the end the following:

12 ‘‘SEC. 8. REGIONAL GATEWAY VISITOR CENTER.

13 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:

14 ‘‘(1) CENTER.—The term ‘Center’ means the

15 Gateway Visitor Center authorized by subsection (b).

16 ‘‘(2) CORPORATION.—The term ‘Corporation’

17 means Gateway Visitor Center Corporation, a non18 profit organization.

19 ‘‘(b) AGREEMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior

20 may enter into an agreement under appropriate terms and

21 conditions with the Corporation to facilitate the construc22 tion and operation of the Gateway Visitor Center on Inde23 pendence Mall.

24 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The agreement

25 under subsection (b) shall—
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1 ‘‘(1) authorize the Corporation—

2 ‘‘(A) to operate the Center in cooperation

3 with the Secretary and provide at the Center

4 information, interpretation, facilities, and serv5 ices to visitors of Independence National His6 torical Park, its surrounding historic sites, the

7 city of Philadelphia, and the region, in order to

8 assist in the enjoyment of the historic, cultural,

9 educational, and recreational resources of the

10 Philadelphia metropolitan area; and

11 ‘‘(B) to engage in activities appropriate for

12 operation of a regional visitor center, which

13 may include selling food, charging fees, con14 ducting events, and selling merchandise and

15 tickets to visitors to the Center; and

16 ‘‘(2) authorize the Secretary to undertake at

17 the Center activities relating to the management of

18 Independence National Historical Park, including

19 provision of appropriate visitor information and in20 terpretive facilities and programs related to the

21 park.

22 ‘‘(d) REVENUES.—Revenues from the operation of

23 the Center’s facilities and services shall be used to pay

24 for expenses of operation.
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1 ‘‘(e) PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION.—Nothing in

2 this section authorizes the Secretary or the Corporation

3 to take any action in derogation of the preservation and

4 protection of the values and resources of Independence

5 National Historical Park.’’.

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