I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 928 

To establish the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and the Mississippi 

Hills National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2009 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi (for himself, Mr. CHILDERS, and Mr. HARPER) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area 

and the Mississippi Hills 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, 

3 SECTION 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 The table of contents is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—MISSISSIPPI DELTA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT OF 

2007 

Sec. 101. Short title. 

Sec. 102. Findings. 

Sec. 103. Definitions. 

Sec. 104. Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. 

Sec. 105. Designation of partnership as coordinating entity. 

Sec. 106. Authorities and duties of coordinating entity. 


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Sec. 107. Management plan. 

Sec. 108. Duties and authorities of Federal agencies. 

Sec. 109. Effect. 

TITLE II—MISSISSIPPI HILLS NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT OF 

2007 

Sec. 201. Short title. 

Sec. 202. Findings. 

Sec. 203. Definitions. 

Sec. 204. Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area. 

Sec. 205. Designation of Alliance as management entity. 

Sec. 206. Authorities and duties of Alliance. 

Sec. 207. Management of Heritage Area. 

Sec. 208. Duties and authorities of Federal agencies. 

Sec. 209. Effect of Act. 

Sec. 210. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 TITLE I—MISSISSIPPI DELTA NA2 TIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT 

3 OF 2009 

4 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Mississippi Delta Na6 tional Heritage Area Act of 2009’’. 

7 SEC. 102. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds that— 

9 (1) the historic, cultural, and natural heritage 

10 legacies of the Mississippi Delta are— 

11 (A) nationally significant; and 

12 (B) in need of greater recognition; 

13 (2) in the alluvial floodplain that comprises the 

14 Mississippi Delta there are a variety of diverse herit15 age resources that demonstrate— 


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1 (A) the labors and social activities of the 

2 earliest citizens of the United States, which are 

3 revealed in— 

4 (i) numerous residential and ceremo5 nial mound sites; and 

6 (ii) sites significant to the Quapaw, 

7 Tunica, Choctaw, and Chickasaw people 

8 and other Native Americans; 

9 (B) the clearing and settlement of one of 

10 the last wilderness frontiers in the 48 contig11 uous States; 

12 (C) the immigration of people of African, 

13 Asian, and European descent to the United 

14 States; 

15 (D) the labors and social activities of 

16 enslaved Africans who provided the bulk of the 

17 early labor force for the development of— 

18 (i) large-scale plantation agriculture 

19 based on cotton, which is one of the most 

20 important commodities ever produced in 

21 the United States; and 

22 (ii) the birth and subsequent perfec23 tion of the art form that is known as the 

24 ‘‘Mississippi Delta Blues’’; 

25 (E) the role of the Mississippi River as— 


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1 (i) the architect and sometimes un2 merciful tyrant of land; and 

3 (ii) an important transportation ar4 tery throughout the history of the United 

5 States; 

6 (F) the story of the Great Flood of 1927, 

7 which was a defining event in the history of the 

8 United States; 

9 (G) the struggles and triumphs of the Civil 

10 Rights Movement; and 

11 (H) the emergence of many local leaders 

12 from the Civil Rights Movement; 

13 (3) the Mississippi Delta is the ancestral home 

14 of hundreds of thousands of people of the United 

15 States who— 

16 (A) migrated north, east, and west during 

17 the Great Migration seeking employment and 

18 freedom and populating the cities of the United 

19 States in the process; 

20 (B) struggled for equal rights and equal 

21 opportunities; and 

22 (C) carried their culture, including their 

23 family life, faith, food, lifestyle, and music to 

24 the rest of the United States, which trans25 formed the United States in the process; 


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1 (4) the scenic and natural beauty of the alluvial 

2 floodplain known as the ‘‘Yazoo-Mississippi 

3 Delta’’— 

4 (A) is distinctive and integral to the herit5 age stories of the region; and 

6 (B) provides critical habitat for migrating 

7 birds passing through the Mississippi Flyway; 

8 (5) the agricultural heritage of the Delta, espe9 cially with regards to the cultivation of cotton, soy10 beans, rice, and catfish has contributed significantly 

11 to the story and economy of the United States; 

12 (6) many of the greatest leaders of the United 

13 States in literature, music, civil rights, politics, cul14 inary arts, poetry, society, and religion have come 

15 from the Mississippi Delta; 

16 (7) the small towns, inns, shops, restaurants, 

17 artist’s workshops, blues clubs, churches, landscape, 

18 and vernacular architecture make the Mississippi 

19 Delta unique; 

20 (8) the Mississippi Delta is known internation21 ally as the birthplace of the musical form known as 

22 the ‘‘Blues’’, which provided the basis for much of 

23 modern popular music; and 

24 (9) there is broad support from local govern25 ments and other interested individuals for the estabVerDate Nov 24 2008 21:02 Feb 10, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H928.IH H928

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1 lishment of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage 

2 Area to coordinate and assist in the preservation 

3 and interpretation of the resources of the region. 

4 SEC. 103. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this title: 

6 (1) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the 

7 Board of Directors of the coordinating entity estab8 lished under this title. 

9 (2) HERITAGE AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage 

10 Area’’ means the Mississippi Delta National Herit11 age Area established by this title. 

12 (3) COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term ‘‘co13 ordinating entity’’ means the coordinating entity for 

14 the Heritage Area designated by this title. 

15 (4) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage16 ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 

17 Heritage Area developed under this title. 

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

19 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

21 of Mississippi. 

22 SEC. 104. MISSISSIPPI DELTA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

24 State the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. 


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1 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The Heritage Area shall include 

2 all counties in the State that contain land located in the 

3 alluvial floodplain of the Mississippi Delta, including Boli4 var, Carroll, Coahoma, Desoto, Holmes, Humphreys, 

5 Issaquena, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, 

6 Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washington, and 

7 Yazoo Counties in the State. 

8 (c) MAP.— 

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

10 the date of enactment of this title, the Secretary 

11 shall prepare a map of the Heritage Area. 

12 (2) AVAILABILITY.—The map prepared under 

13 paragraph (1) shall be on file and available for pub14 lic inspection in the office of the Director of the Na15 tional Park Service. 

16 SEC. 105. DESIGNATION OF PARTNERSHIP AS COORDI17 NATING ENTITY. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Mississippi Delta National 

19 Heritage Area Partnership shall be the coordinating entity 

20 for the Heritage Area. 

21 (b) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.— 

22 (1) COMPOSITION.— 

23 (A) PARTNERSHIP.—The coordinating en24 tity shall be governed by a Board of Directors 

25 composed of 7 members, of whom— 


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1 (i) 1 member shall be appointed by 

2 Mississippi Valley State University; 

3 (ii) 1 member shall be appointed by 

4 Delta State University; 

5 (iii) 1 member shall be appointed by 

6 Alcorn State University; 

7 (iv) 1 member shall be appointed by 

8 the Delta Foundation; 

9 (v) 1 member shall be appointed by 

10 Delta Council; 

11 (vi) 1 member shall be appointed by 

12 the Mississippi Office of Tourism Develop13 ment; and 

14 (vii) 1 member shall be appointed by 

15 the Smith Robertson Museum. 

16 (B) RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS.—At least 

17 4 members of the Board shall reside in the 

18 Heritage Area. 

19 (2) OFFICERS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—At the initial meeting 

21 of the Board, the members of the Board shall 

22 appoint a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and 

23 Secretary/Treasurer. 

24 (B) DUTIES.— 


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1 (i) CHAIRPERSON.—The duties of the 

2 Chairperson shall include— 

3 (I) presiding over meetings of the 

4 Board; 

5 (II) executing documents of the 

6 Board; and 

7 (III) coordinating activities of the 

8 Heritage Area with Federal, State, 

9 local, and nongovernmental officials. 

10 (ii) VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The Vice 

11 Chairperson shall act as Chairperson in 

12 the absence or disability of the Chair13 person. 

14 (3) MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall— 

16 (i) exercise all corporate powers of the 

17 coordinating entity; 

18 (ii) manage the activities and affairs 

19 of the coordinating entity; and 

20 (iii) subject to any limitations in the 

21 articles and bylaws of the coordinating en22 tity, this title, and any other applicable 

23 Federal or State law, establish the policies 

24 of the coordinating entity. 


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1 (B) STAFF.—The Board shall have the au2 thority to employ any services and staff that 

3 are determined to be necessary by a majority 

4 vote of the Board. 

5 (4) BYLAWS.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Board may amend 

7 or repeal the bylaws of the coordinating entity 

8 at any meeting of the Board by a majority vote 

9 of the Board. 

10 (B) NOTICE.—The Board shall provide no11 tice of any meeting of the Board at which an 

12 amendment to the bylaws is to be considered 

13 that includes the text or a summary of the pro14 posed amendment. 

15 (5) MINUTES.—Not later than 60 days after a 

16 meeting of the Board, the Board shall distribute the 

17 minutes of the meeting among all Board members 

18 and the county supervisors in each county within the 

19 Heritage Area. 

20 SEC. 106. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF COORDINATING 

21 ENTITY. 

22 (a) AUTHORITIES.—For purposes of developing and 

23 implementing the management plan and otherwise car24 rying out this title, the coordinating entity may make 


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1 grants and provide technical assistance to tribal and local 

2 governments and other public and private entities. 

3 (b) DUTIES.—In carrying out this title, the coordi4 nating entity shall— 

5 (1) implement the management plan; 

6 (2) assist local and tribal governments and non7 profit organizations in— 

8 (A) establishing and maintaining interpre9 tive exhibits in the Heritage Area; 

10 (B) developing recreational resources in 

11 the Heritage Area; 

12 (C) increasing public awareness of, and ap13 preciation for, the Heritage Area; 

14 (D) restoring historic structures that relate 

15 to the Heritage Area; and 

16 (E) carrying out any other activity that 

17 the coordinating entity determines to be appro18 priate to carry out this title, consistent with the 

19 management plan; 

20 (3) conduct public meetings at least annually 

21 regarding the implementation of the management 

22 plan; and 

23 (4) for any fiscal year for which Federal funds 

24 are made available for the Heritage Area— 


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1 (A) submit to the Secretary a report that 

2 describes, for the fiscal year, the actions of the 

3 coordinating entity in carrying out this title; 

4 (B) make available to the Secretary for 

5 audit all records relating to the expenditure of 

6 funds by any matching funds; and 

7 (C) require, for all agreements authorizing 

8 the expenditure of Federal funds by any entity, 

9 that the receiving entity make available to the 

10 Secretary for audit all records relating to the 

11 expenditure of the funds. 

12 (c) PROHIBITION OF ACQUISITION OF REAL PROP13 ERTY.—The coordinating entity shall not use any Federal 

14 funds made available under this title to acquire real prop15 erty or any interest in real property. 

16 SEC. 107. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

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

18 date of enactment of this title, the coordinating entity 

19 shall develop and submit to the Secretary a management 

20 plan for the Heritage Area. 

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

22 (1) provide recommendations for the conserva23 tion, funding, management, interpretation, and de24 velopment of the cultural, historical, archaeological, 


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1 natural, and recreational resources of the Heritage 

2 Area; 

3 (2) identify sources of funding for the Heritage 

4 Area; 

5 (3) include— 

6 (A) an inventory of the cultural, historical, 

7 archeological, natural, and recreational re8 sources of the Heritage Area; and 

9 (B) an analysis of ways in which Federal, 

10 State, tribal, and local programs may best be 

11 coordinated to promote the purposes of this 

12 title; 

13 (4) provide recommendations for educational 

14 and interpretive programs to inform the public about 

15 the resources of the Heritage Area; and 

16 (5) involve residents of affected communities 

17 and tribal and local governments. 

18 (c) FAILURE TO SUBMIT.—If a management plan is 

19 not submitted to the Secretary by the date specified in 

20 subsection (a), the Secretary shall not provide any addi21 tional funding under this title until a management plan 

22 for the Heritage Area is submitted to the Secretary. 


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1 SEC. 108. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF FEDERAL AGEN2 CIES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—On the request of the coordi4 nating entity, the Secretary may provide technical and fi5 nancial assistance to the coordinating entity for use in the 

6 development and implementation of the management plan. 

7 (b) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.— 

8 The Secretary may not, as a condition of the provision 

9 of technical or financial assistance under this section, re10 quire any recipient of the assistance to impose or modify 

11 any land use restriction or zoning ordinance. 

12 SEC. 109. EFFECT. 

13 Nothing in this title— 

14 (1) affects or authorizes the coordinating entity 

15 to interfere with— 

16 (A) the right of any person with respect to 

17 private property; or 

18 (B) any local zoning ordinance or land use 

19 plan; 

20 (2) restricts an Indian tribe from protecting 

21 cultural or religious sites on tribal land; 

22 (3) modifies, enlarges, or diminishes the author23 ity of any State, tribal, or local government to regu24 late any use of land under any other law (including 

25 regulations); 


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1 (4) modifies, enlarges, or diminishes the author2 ity of the State to manage fish and wildlife in the 

3 Heritage Area, including the regulation of fishing 

4 and hunting; 

5 (5) authorizes the coordinating entity to assume 

6 any authority to manage fish and wildlife in the 

7 Heritage Area; or 

8 (6) diminishes the trust responsibilities or gov9 ernment-to-government obligations of the United 

10 States of any federally recognized Indian tribe. 

11 TITLE II—MISSISSIPPI HILLS NA12 TIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT 

13 OF 2007 

14 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

15 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Mississippi Hills Na16 tional Heritage Area Act of 2009’’. 

17 SEC. 202. FINDINGS. 

18 Congress finds that— 

19 (1) the area in northern Mississippi, and lo20 cated in the southern foothills of the Appalachian 

21 range, has a unique identity that is shaped by— 

22 (A) a diverse geological and geographical 

23 environment, including substantial portions 

24 of— 

25 (i) the Red Clay Hills; 


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1 (ii) the Flatwoods; 

2 (iii) the Pontotoc Ridge; 

3 (iv) the Black Prairie; and 

4 (v) the Northeastern Hills; and 

5 (B) diverse peoples who— 

6 (i) have settled in the area; and 

7 (ii) have been strongly influenced by 

8 the intersection of the distinctive cultures 

9 of Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta; 

10 (2) the area is rich with landmarks of diverse 

11 cultural and historical significance, including— 

12 (A) Native American settlements, particu13 larly those of the Chickasaw and Choctaw 

14 tribes; 

15 (B) the Natchez Trace Parkway; 

16 (C) sites of important battles and other 

17 significant actions of the Civil War, including— 

18 (i) the Battle of Corinth; 

19 (ii) the Battle of Brices Crossroads; 

20 (iii) the Battle of Tupelo; 

21 (iv) Van Dorns’ Raid; and 

22 (v) Grierson’s Raids; 

23 (D) the Contraband Camp in Corinth; 


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1 (E) the Mississippi University for Women, 

2 the first public college for women in the United 

3 States; 

4 (F) Rust College, founded before 1867, 

5 which stands as 1 of the 5 remaining histori6 cally black colleges in the United States; 

7 (G) birthplaces of literary and musical 

8 icons, including— 

9 (i) Elvis Aaron Presley, popularly 

10 known as the ‘‘King of Rock and Roll’’, 

11 born in Tupelo; 

12 (ii) Nobel-Laureate William Faulkner, 

13 born in New Albany; 

14 (iii) Tammy Wynette, popularly 

15 known as the ‘‘The First Lady of Country 

16 Music’’, born in Tremont; 

17 (iv) Tennessee Williams, 1 of the lead18 ing playwrights of the United States, born 

19 in Columbus; 

20 (v) Chester A. Burnett, otherwise 

21 known as the legendary bluesman ‘‘Howlin’ 

22 Wolf’’, born in White Station; 

23 (vi) opera diva Ruby Elzy, born in 

24 Pontotoc; and 


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1 (vii) Mississippi Hills blues musicians 

2 David ‘‘Junior’’ Kimbrough and R.L. 

3 Burnside, born in Marshall and Lafayette 

4 counties, respectively; 

5 (H) birthplaces of Civil Rights pioneers, 

6 including— 

7 (i) Ida B. Wells-Barnett, a formidable 

8 figure in the anti-lynching movement, born 

9 in Holly Springs; and 

10 (ii) James Meredith, who became the 

11 first African-American to enroll at the 

12 University of Mississippi, born in Kos13 ciusko; and 

14 (I) birthplaces or residences of other cul15 tural icons and historical figures, including— 

16 (i) barnstorming legend Roscoe Turn17 er, born in Corinth; 

18 (ii) railroad engineer Casey Jones, 

19 who lived in Water Valley; 

20 (iii) Civil War cavalryman Nathan 

21 Bedford Forrest, who lived in Salem; 

22 (iv) Hiram Revels, the first African23 American to serve in the Senate, who lived 

24 in Holly Springs; 


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1 (v) L.Q.C. Lamar, a Senator, Sec2 retary of the Interior, and Associate Jus3 tice of the Supreme Court of the United 

4 States, who lived in Oxford; 

5 (vi) author Eudora Welty, who at6 tended the Mississippi University for 

7 Women in Columbus; and 

8 (vii) Confederate General Stephen D. 

9 Lee, who lived in Columbus; 

10 (3) the area includes spectacular natural, sce11 nic, and recreational resources, including— 

12 (A) the Strawberry Plains State Audubon 

13 Center; 

14 (B) the Wolf River; 

15 (C) the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway; 

16 (D) the Holly Springs National Forest; 

17 (E) the Tombigbee National Forest; 

18 (F) the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge; 

19 (G) the Tishomingo State Park; and 

20 (H) the Sardis, Enid, and Grenada Lakes; 

21 (4) there is broad support from local govern22 ments and other interested individuals for the estab23 lishment of the Mississippi Hills National Heritage 

24 Area to coordinate and assist in the preservation 

25 and interpretation of those resources; 


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1 (5) the Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Concept 

2 Plan, coordinated by the Mississippi Hills Heritage 

3 Area Alliance is— 

4 (A) a collaborative effort between the Fed5 eral Government and State and local govern6 ments in the area; and 

7 (B) a natural foundation on which to es8 tablish the Mississippi Hills Heritage Area; and 

9 (6) the establishment of the Mississippi Hills 

10 Heritage Area would assist local communities and 

11 residents in preserving the unique cultural, histor12 ical, archaeological, natural, and recreational re13 sources of the area. 

14 SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this title: 

16 (1) ALLIANCE.—The term ‘‘Alliance’’ means 

17 the Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance, a non18 profit organization registered by the State, with the 

19 cooperation and support of the University of Mis20 sissippi. 

21 (2) HERITAGE AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage 

22 Area’’ means the Mississippi Hills National Heritage 

23 Area established by this title. 


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1 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage2 ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 

3 Heritage Area developed under this title. 

4 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

5 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

7 of Mississippi. 

8 SEC. 204. MISSISSIPPI HILLS NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

10 State the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area. 

11 (b) BOUNDARIES.— 

12 (1) AFFECTED COUNTIES.—The Heritage Area 

13 shall consist of all, or portions of, as specified by the 

14 boundary description in paragraph (2), Alcorn, 

15 Attala, Benton, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choc16 taw, Clay, DeSoto, Grenada, Holmes, Itawamba, La17 fayette, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Mont18 gomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, 

19 Prentiss, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Web20 ster, Winston, and Yalobusha Counties in the State. 

21 (2) BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION.—The Heritage 

22 Area shall have the following boundary description: 

23 (A) traveling counterclockwise, the Herit24 age Area shall be bounded to the west by U.S. 

25 Highway 51 from the Tennessee State line until 


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1 it intersects Interstate 55 (at Geeslin Corner 

2 approximately 0.5 miles due north of Highway 

3 Interchange 208); 

4 (B) from this point, Interstate 55 shall be 

5 the western boundary until it intersects with 

6 Mississippi Highway 12 at Highway Inter7 change 156, the intersection of which shall be 

8 the southwest terminus of the Heritage Area; 

9 (C) from the southwest terminus, the 

10 boundary shall— 

11 (i) extend east along Mississippi 

12 Highway 12 until it intersects U.S. High13 way 51; 

14 (ii) follow Highway 51 south until it 

15 is intersected again by Highway 12; 

16 (iii) extend along Highway 12 into 

17 downtown Kosciusko where it intersects 

18 Mississippi Highway 35; 

19 (iv) follow Highway 35 south until it 

20 is intersected by Mississippi Highway 14; 

21 and 

22 (v) extend along Highway 14 until it 

23 reaches the Alabama State line, the inter24 section of which shall be the southeast ter25 minus of the Heritage Area; 


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1 (D) from the southeast terminus, the 

2 boundary of the Heritage Area shall follow the 

3 Mississippi-Alabama State line until it reaches 

4 the Mississippi-Tennessee State line, the inter5 section of which shall be the northeast terminus 

6 of the Heritage Area; and 

7 (E) the boundary shall extend due west 

8 until it reaches U.S. Highway 51, the intersec9 tion of which shall be the northwest terminus of 

10 the Heritage Area. 

11 SEC. 205. DESIGNATION OF ALLIANCE AS MANAGEMENT 

12 ENTITY. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall be the coordi14 nating entity for the Heritage Area. 

15 (b) FEDERAL FUNDING.— 

16 (1) AUTHORIZATION TO RECEIVE FUNDS.—The 

17 Alliance may receive amounts made available to 

18 carry out this title. 

19 (2) DISQUALIFICATION.—If a management plan 

20 is not submitted to the Secretary as required under 

21 this title within the time period specified, the Alli22 ance may not receive Federal funding under this 

23 title until a management plan is submitted to the 

24 Secretary. 


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1 (c) USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—The Alliance may, 

2 for the purposes of developing and implementing the man3 agement plan, use Federal funds made available under 

4 this title— 

5 (1) to make grants and loans to the State, po6 litical subdivisions of the State, nonprofit organiza7 tions, and other persons; 

8 (2) to enter into cooperative agreements with, 

9 or provide technical assistance to, the State, political 

10 subdivisions of the State, nonprofit organizations, 

11 and other organizations; 

12 (3) to hire and compensate staff; 

13 (4) to obtain funds from any source, under any 

14 program or law, requiring the recipient of funds to 

15 make a contribution in order to receive the funds; 

16 and 

17 (5) to contract for goods and services. 

18 (d) PROHIBITION OF ACQUISITION OF REAL PROP19 ERTY.—The Alliance may not use Federal funds received 

20 under this title to acquire real property or any interest 

21 in real property. 

22 SEC. 206. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF ALLIANCE. 

23 (a) AUTHORITIES.—To develop and implement the 

24 management plan and otherwise carry out this title, the 

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1 ance to tribal and local governments and other public and 

2 private entities. 

3 (b) DUTIES.—In carrying out this title, the Alliance 

4 shall— 

5 (1) implement the management plan; 

6 (2) assist local and tribal governments and non7 profit organizations to— 

8 (A) establish and maintain interpretive ex9 hibits in the Heritage Area; 

10 (B) develop recreational resources in the 

11 Heritage Area; 

12 (C) increase public awareness of, and ap13 preciation for, the cultural, historical, archae14 ological, natural, and recreational resources of 

15 the Heritage Area; 

16 (D) restore historic resources that relate to 

17 the Heritage Area; and 

18 (E) carry out any other activity that the 

19 Alliance determines to be appropriate to carry 

20 out this title, consistent with the management 

21 plan; 

22 (3) on at least an annual basis, conduct public 

23 meetings relating to the implementation of the man24 agement plan; 


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1 (4) for any fiscal year for which Federal funds 

2 are made available under this title— 

3 (A) submit to the Secretary a report that 

4 describes, for the fiscal year, actions of the Alli5 ance in carrying out this title; 

6 (B) make available to the Secretary for 

7 audit all records relating to the expenditure of 

8 funds and any matching funds; and 

9 (C) require, for each agreement author10 izing the expenditure of Federal funds by any 

11 entity, that the receiving entity make available 

12 to the Secretary for audit all records relating to 

13 the expenditure of the funds; and 

14 (5) ensure that each county included in the 

15 Heritage Area is appropriately represented on any 

16 oversight advisory committee established pursuant to 

17 this title to coordinate the Heritage Area. 

18 SEC. 207. MANAGEMENT OF HERITAGE AREA. 

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

20 date of enactment of this title, the Alliance shall develop 

21 and submit to the Secretary a management plan for the 

22 Heritage Area. 

23 (b) CONTENTS.—The management plan shall— 

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1 ment, interpretation, development, and promotion of 

2 the cultural, historical, archaeological, natural, and 

3 recreational resources of the Heritage Area; 

4 (2) identify sources of funding for the Heritage 

5 Area; 

6 (3) include— 

7 (A) an inventory of the cultural, historical, 

8 archaeological, natural, and recreational re9 sources of the Heritage Area; and 

10 (B) an analysis of how Federal, State, 

11 tribal, and local programs may best be coordi12 nated to promote and carry out this title; 

13 (4) provide recommendations for educational 

14 and interpretive programs to inform the public about 

15 the resources of the Heritage Area; and 

16 (5) involve residents of affected communities 

17 and tribal and local governments. 

18 (c) APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT

19 PLAN.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

21 the date of receipt of the management plan, the Sec22 retary shall approve or disapprove the management 

23 plan. 


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1 (2) DISAPPROVAL AND REVISIONS.—If the Sec2 retary disapproves the management plan, the Sec3 retary shall— 

4 (A) advise the Alliance in writing of the 

5 reasons for disapproval; 

6 (B) make recommendations for revision of 

7 the management plan; and 

8 (C) allow the Alliance to submit to the 

9 Secretary revisions to the management plan. 

10 (d) REVISION.—After approval by the Secretary of 

11 the management plan, the Alliance shall periodically— 

12 (1) review the management plan; and 

13 (2) submit to the Secretary, for review and ap14 proval by the Secretary, any recommendations for 

15 revisions to the management plan. 

16 SEC. 208. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF FEDERAL AGEN17 CIES. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap19 propriations, the Secretary may provide technical assist20 ance and grants to the Alliance to pay the Federal share 

21 of the cost of developing and implementing the manage22 ment plan. 

23 (b) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.— 

24 The Secretary may not, as a condition of the award of 

25 technical assistance or grants under this section, require 


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1 any recipient of the technical assistance or a grant to 

2 enact or modify any land use restriction. 

3 SEC. 209. EFFECT OF ACT. 

4 (a) NO EFFECT ON LAND USE AUTHORITY.—Noth5 ing in this title modifies, enlarges, or diminishes the au6 thority of any State, tribal, or local government to regulate 

7 any use of land under any other law (including regula8 tions). 

9 (b) LOCAL AUTHORITY AND PRIVATE PROPERTY

10 NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing in this title affects or author11 izes the Alliance to interfere with— 

12 (1) the right of any person with respect to pri13 vate property; or 

14 (2) any local zoning ordinance or land use plan 

15 of the State or a political subdivision of the State. 

16 (c) NO EFFECT ON INDIAN TRIBES.—Nothing in this 

17 title— 

18 (1) restricts an Indian tribe from protecting 

19 cultural or religious sites on tribal land; or 

20 (2) diminishes the trust responsibilities or gov21 ernment-to-government obligations of the United 

22 States to any Indian tribe recognized by the Federal 

23 Government. 

24 (d) MANAGEMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE.—Noth25 ing in this title— 


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1 (1) modifies, enlarges, or diminishes the author2 ity of the State to manage fish and wildlife in the 

3 Heritage Area, including the regulation of fishing 

4 and hunting; and 

5 (2) authorizes the Alliance to assume any man6 agement authorities over such lands. 

7 SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro9 priated to carry out this title $10,000,000, of which not 

10 more than $1,000,000 may be made available for any fis11 cal year. 

12 (b) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 

13 of any activity carried out using funds made available 

14 under this title shall not exceed 50 percent. 

Æ 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS