IB 

Union Calendar No. 341 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5131 

[Report No. 111–596] 

To establish Coltsville National Historical Park in the State of Connecticut, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2010 

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Natural Resources 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 

Additional sponsors: Ms. DELAURO, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. HIMES, and Mr. 

MURPHY of Connecticut 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 22, 2010] 


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A BILL 

To establish Coltsville National Historical Park in the State 

of Connecticut, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Coltsville National His5 torical Park Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 For the purposes of this Act: 

8 (1) CITY.—The term ‘‘city’’ means the city of 

9 Hartford, Connecticut. 

10 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

11 means the Coltsville National Historical Park Advi12 sory Commission established by subsection 6(a). 

13 (3) HISTORIC DISTRICT.—The term ‘‘Historic 

14 District’’ means the Coltsville Historic District. 

15 (4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map ti16 tled ‘‘Coltsville National Historical Park—Proposed 

17 Boundary’’, numbered T25/102087, and dated May 

18 11, 2010. 

19 (5) PARK.—The term ‘‘park’’ means the 

20 Coltsville National Historical Park in the State of 

21 Connecticut. 

22 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of the Interior. 

24 (7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

25 of Connecticut. 


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1 SEC. 3. COLTSVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

4 there is established in the State a unit of the National 

5 Park System to be known as the ‘‘Coltsville National 

6 Historical Park’’. 

7 (2) CONDITIONS FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The 

8 park shall not be established until the date on which 

9 the Secretary determines that— 

10 (A) the Secretary has acquired by donation 

11 sufficient land or an interest in land within the 

12 boundary of the park to constitute a manageable 

13 unit; 

14 (B) the State, city, or private property 

15 owner, as appropriate, has entered into a writ16 ten agreement with the Secretary to donate at 

17 least 10,000 square feet of space in the East Ar18 mory which would include facilities for park ad19 ministration and visitor services; 

20 (C) the Secretary has entered into a written 

21 agreement with the State, city, or other public 

22 entity, as appropriate, providing that— 

23 (i) land owned by the State, city, or 

24 other public entity within the Coltsville 

25 Historic District shall be managed con26 sistent with this section; and 


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1 (ii) future uses of land within the his2 toric district shall be compatible with the 

3 designation of the park and the city’s pres4 ervation ordinance; and 

5 (D) the Secretary has reviewed the financial 

6 resources of the owners of private and public 

7 property within the boundary of the proposed 

8 park to ensure the viability of the park based on 

9 those resources. 

10 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The park shall include and provide 

11 appropriate interpretation and viewing of the following 

12 sites, as generally depicted on the map: 

13 (1) The East Armory. 

14 (2) The Church of the Good Shepherd. 

15 (3) The Caldwell/Colt Memorial Parish House. 

16 (4) Colt Park. 

17 (5) The Potsdam Cottages. 

18 (6) Armsmear. 

19 (7) The James Colt House. 

20 (c) COLLECTIONS.—The Secretary shall enter into a 

21 written agreement with the State of Connecticut State Li22 brary, Wadsworth Atheneum, and the Colt Trust, or other 

23 public entities, as appropriate, to gain appropriate access 

24 to Colt-related artifacts for the purposes of having items 

25 routinely on display in the East Armory or within the park 


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1 as determined by the Secretary as a major function of the 

2 visitor experience. 

3 SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer the 

5 park in accordance with— 

6 (1) this Act; and 

7 (2) the laws generally applicable to units of the 

8 National Park System, including— 

9 (A) the National Park Service Organic Act 

10 (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 

11 (B) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 

12 461 et seq.). 

13 (b) STATE AND LOCAL JURISDICTION.—Nothing in 

14 this Act enlarges, diminishes, or modifies any authority of 

15 the State, or any political subdivision of the State (includ16 ing the city)— 

17 (1) to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction; or 

18 (2) to carry out State laws (including regula19 tions) and rules on non-Federal land located within 

20 the boundary of the park. 

21 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—As the Secretary determines 

23 to be appropriate to carry out this Act, the Secretary 

24 may enter into cooperative agreements with the owner 

25 of any property within the Coltsville Historic District 


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1 or any nationally significant properties within the 

2 boundary of the park, under which the Secretary may 

3 identify, interpret, restore, rehabilitate, and provide 

4 technical assistance for the preservation of the prop5 erties. 

6 (2) RIGHT OF ACCESS.—A cooperative agreement 

7 entered into under paragraph (1) shall provide that 

8 the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Na9 tional Park Service, shall have the right of access at 

10 all reasonable times to all public portions of the prop11 erty covered by the agreement for the purposes of— 

12 (A) conducting visitors through the prop13 erties; and 

14 (B) interpreting the properties for the pub15 lic. 

16 (3) CHANGES OR ALTERATIONS.—No changes or 

17 alterations shall be made to any properties covered by 

18 a cooperative agreement entered into under para19 graph (1) unless the Secretary and the other party to 

20 the agreement agree to the changes or alterations. 

21 (4) CONVERSION, USE, OR DISPOSAL.—Any pay22 ment by the Secretary under this subsection shall be 

23 subject to an agreement that the conversion, use, or 

24 disposal of a project for purposes contrary to the pur25 poses of this section, as determined by the Secretary, 


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1 shall entitle the United States to reimbursement in an 

2 amount equal to the greater of— 

3 (A) the amounts made available to the 

4 project by the United States; or 

5 (B) the portion of the increased value of the 

6 project attributable to the amounts made avail7 able under this subsection, as determined at the 

8 time of the conversion, use, or disposal. 

9 (5) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of the re11 ceipt of funds under this subsection, the Sec12 retary shall require that any Federal funds made 

13 available under a cooperative agreement shall be 

14 matched on a 1-to-1 basis by non-Federal funds. 

15 (B) FORM.—With the approval of the Sec16 retary, the non-Federal share required under 

17 subparagraph (A) may be in the form of donated 

18 property, goods, or services from a non-Federal 

19 source, fairly valued. 

20 (d) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—Land or interests in land 

21 owned by the State or any political subdivision of the State 

22 may be acquired only by donation. 

23 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND PUBLIC INTERPRE24 TATION.—The Secretary may provide technical assistance 


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1 and public interpretation of related historic and cultural 

2 resources within the boundary of the historic district. 

3 SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 fiscal years after 

5 the date on which funds are made available to carry out 

6 this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Commis7 sion, shall complete a management plan for the park in 

8 accordance with— 

9 (1) section 12(b) of Public Law 91–383 (com10 monly known as the National Park Service General 

11 Authorities Act) (16 U.S.C. 1a–7(b)); and 

12 (2) other applicable laws. 

13 (b) COST SHARE.—The management plan shall in14 clude provisions that identify costs to be shared by the Fed15 eral Government, the State, and the city, and other public 

16 or private entities or individuals for necessary capital im17 provements to, and maintenance and operations of, the 

18 park. 

19 (c) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On completion of the 

20 management plan, the Secretary shall submit the manage21 ment plan to— 

22 (1) the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

23 House of Representatives; and 

24 (2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Re25 sources of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 6. COLTSVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ADVI2 SORY COMMISSION. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Commis4 sion to be known as the Coltsville National Historical Park 

5 Advisory Commission. 

6 (b) DUTY.—The Commission shall advise the Secretary 

7 in the development and implementation of the management 

8 plan. 

9 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

10 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

11 composed of 11 members, to be appointed by the Sec12 retary, of whom— 

13 (A) 2 members shall be appointed after con14 sideration of recommendations submitted by the 

15 Governor of the State; 

16 (B) 1 member shall be appointed after con17 sideration of recommendations submitted by the 

18 State Senate President; 

19 (C) 1 member shall be appointed after con20 sideration of recommendations submitted by the 

21 Speaker of the State House of Representatives; 

22 (D) 2 members shall be appointed after con23 sideration of recommendations submitted by the 

24 Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut; 


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1 (E) 2 members shall be appointed after con2 sideration of recommendations submitted by 

3 Connecticut’s 2 United States Senators; 

4 (F) 1 member shall be appointed after con5 sideration of recommendations submitted by 

6 Connecticut’s First Congressional District Rep7 resentative; 

8 (G) 2 members shall have experience with 

9 national parks and historic preservation; 

10 (H) all appointments must have significant 

11 experience with and knowledge of the Coltsville 

12 Historic District; and 

13 (I) 1 member of the Commission must live 

14 in the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood within 

15 the Coltsville Historic District. 

16 (2) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Secretary shall 

17 appoint the initial members of the Commission not 

18 later than the earlier of— 

19 (A) the date that is 30 days after the date 

20 on which the Secretary has received all of the 

21 recommendations for appointments under para22 graph (1); or 

23 (B) the date that is 30 days after the park 

24 is established. 

25 (d) TERM; VACANCIES.— 


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1 (1) TERM.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—A member shall be ap3 pointed for a term of 3 years. 

4 (B) REAPPOINTMENT.—A member may be 

5 reappointed for not more than 1 additional 

6 term. 

7 (2) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Commission 

8 shall be filled in the same manner as the original ap9 pointment was made. 

10 (e) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the call 

11 of— 

12 (1) the Chairperson; or 

13 (2) a majority of the members of the Commis14 sion. 

15 (f) QUORUM.—A majority of the Commission shall 

16 constitute a quorum. 

17 (g) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall select a 

19 Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the 

20 members of the Commission. 

21 (2) VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The Vice Chairperson 

22 shall serve as Chairperson in the absence of the Chair23 person. 


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1 (3) TERM.—A member may serve as Chairperson 

2 or Vice Chairperson for not more than 1 year in each 

3 office. 

4 (h) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

5 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Members of the Commis7 sion shall serve without compensation. 

8 (B) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the 

9 Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, in10 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 

11 authorized for an employee of an agency under 

12 subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 

13 States Code, while away from the home or reg14 ular place of business of the member in the per15 formance of the duty of the Commission. 

16 (2) STAFF.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall pro18 vide the Commission with any staff members 

19 and technical assistance that the Secretary, after 

20 consultation with the Commission, determines to 

21 be appropriate to enable the Commission to 

22 carry out the duty of the Commission. 

23 (B) DETAIL OF EMPLOYEES.—The Sec24 retary may accept the services of personnel deVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:12 Sep 16, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5131.RH H5131

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1 tailed from the State or any political subdivision 

2 of the State. 

3 (i) FACA NONAPPLICABILITY.—Section 14(b) of the 

4 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 

5 apply to the Commission. 

6 (j) TERMINATION.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Unless extended under para8 graph (2), the Commission shall terminate on the 

9 date that is 10 years after the date of the enactment 

10 of this Act. 

11 (2) EXTENSION.—Eight years after the date of 

12 the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall make 

13 a recommendation to the Secretary if a body of its 

14 nature is still necessary to advise on the development 

15 of the park. If, based on a recommendation under this 

16 paragraph, the Secretary determines that the Com17 mission is still necessary, the Secretary may extend 

18 the life of the Commission for not more than 10 years. 

19 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION. 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for 

21 the development of the park. 


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Union Calendar No. 341 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5131 

[Report No. 111–596] 

A BILL 

To establish Coltsville National Historical Park in 

the State of Connecticut, and for other purposes. 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS