I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5131 

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 

A BILL 

To establish Coltsville National Historical Park in the State 

of Connecticut, 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. 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. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 5131 IH

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

2 means the Coltsville National Historical Park Advi3 sory Commission established by subsection 6(a). 

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

5 District’’ means the Coltsville Historic District. 

6 (4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map ti7 tled ‘‘Coltsville National Historical Park—Proposed 

8 Boundary’’, numbered llll, and dated 

9 llll. 

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

11 Coltsville National Historical Park in the State of 

12 Connecticut. 

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

14 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

16 of Connecticut. 

17 SEC. 3. COLTSVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

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

20 there is established in the State a unit of the Na21 tional Park Service to be known as the ‘‘Coltsville 

22 National Historical Park’’. 

23 (2) CONDITIONS FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The 

24 park shall not be established until the date on which 

25 the Secretary determines that— 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (A) the Secretary has acquired by donation 

2 sufficient land or an interest in land within the 

3 boundary of the park to constitute a manage4 able unit; 

5 (B) the State, city, or property owner, as 

6 appropriate, has entered into a written agree7 ment with the Secretary to donate at least 

8 10,000 square feet of space in the East Armory 

9 which would include facilities for park adminis10 tration and visitor services; or 

11 (C) the Secretary has entered into a writ12 ten agreement with the State, city, or other 

13 public entity, as appropriate, providing that— 

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

15 other public entity within the Coltsville 

16 Historic District will be managed con17 sistent with this section; and 

18 (ii) future uses of land within the his19 toric district will be compatible with the 

20 designation of the park and the city’s pres21 ervation ordinance. 

22 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The park shall include and pro23 vide appropriate interpretation and viewing of the fol24 lowing sites, as generally depicted on the map: 

25 (1) The East Armory. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (2) The Church of the Good Shepherd. 

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

3 (4) Colt Park. 

4 (5) The Potsdam Cottages. 

5 (6) Armsmear. 

6 (7) The James Colt House. 

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

8 written agreement with the State of Connecticut State Li9 brary, Wadsworth Atheneum, and the Colt Trust, or other 

10 public entities, as appropriate, to gain appropriate access 

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

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

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

14 visitor experience. 

15 SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 

17 the park in accordance with— 

18 (1) this section; and 

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

20 National Park System, including— 

21 (A) the National Park Service Organic Act 

22 (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 

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

24 461 et seq.). 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 5131 IH

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

2 this section enlarges, diminishes, or modifies any authority 

3 of the State, or any political subdivision of the State (in4 cluding the city)— 

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

6 (2) to carry out State laws (including regula7 tions) and rules on non-Federal land located within 

8 the boundary of the park. 

9 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

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

11 to be appropriate to carry out this section, the Sec12 retary may enter into cooperative agreements with 

13 the owner of any property within the Coltsville His14 toric District or any nationally significant properties 

15 within the boundary of the park, under which the 

16 Secretary may identify, interpret, restore, rehabili17 tate, and provide technical assistance for the preser18 vation of the properties. 

19 (2) RIGHT OF ACCESS.—A cooperative agree20 ment entered into under paragraph (1) shall provide 

21 that the Secretary, acting through the Director of 

22 the National Park Service, shall have the right of 

23 access at all reasonable times to all public portions 

24 of the property covered by the agreement for the 

25 purposes of— 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (A) conducting visitors through the prop2 erties; and 

3 (B) interpreting the properties for the pub4 lic. 

5 (3) CHANGES OR ALTERATIONS.—No changes 

6 or alterations shall be made to any properties cov7 ered by a cooperative agreement entered into under 

8 paragraph (1) unless the Secretary and the other 

9 party to the agreement agree to the changes or al10 terations. 

11 (4) CONVERSION, USE, OR DISPOSAL.—Any 

12 payment by the Secretary under this subsection shall 

13 be subject to an agreement that the conversion, use, 

14 or disposal of a project for purposes contrary to the 

15 purposes of this section, as determined by the Sec16 retary, shall entitle the United States to reimburse17 ment in an amount equal to the greater of— 

18 (A) the amounts made available to the 

19 project by the United States; or 

20 (B) the portion of the increased value of 

21 the project attributable to the amounts made 

22 available under this subsection, as determined 

23 at the time of the conversion, use, or disposal. 

24 (5) MATCHING FUNDS.— 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (A) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of the 

2 receipt of funds under this subsection, the Sec3 retary shall require that any Federal funds 

4 made available under a cooperative agreement 

5 shall be matched on a 1-to-1 basis by non-Fed6 eral funds. 

7 (B) FORM.—With the approval of the Sec8 retary, the non-Federal share required under 

9 subparagraph (A) may be in the form of do10 nated property, goods, or services from a non11 Federal source. 

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

13 land owned by the State or any political subdivision of the 

14 State may be acquired only by donation. 

15 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND PUBLIC INTERPRE16 TATION.—The Secretary may provide technical assistance 

17 and public interpretation of related historic and cultural 

18 resources within the boundary of the historic district. 

19 SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

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

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

22 this subsection, the Secretary, in consultation with the 

23 Commission, shall complete a management plan for the 

24 park in accordance with— 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (1) section 12(b) of Public Law 91–383 (com2 monly known as the National Park Service General 

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

4 (2) other applicable laws. 

5 (b) COST SHARE.—The management plan shall in6 clude provisions that identify costs to be shared by the 

7 Federal Government, the State, and the city, and other 

8 public or private entities or individuals for necessary cap9 ital improvements to, and maintenance and operations of, 

10 the park. 

11 (c) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On completion of 

12 the management plan, the Secretary shall submit the man13 agement plan to— 

14 (1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Re15 sources of the Senate; and 

16 (2) the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

17 House of Representatives. 

18 SEC. 6. COLTSVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ADVI19 SORY COMMISSION. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Com21 mission to be known as the Coltsville National Historical 

22 Park Advisory Commission. 

23 (b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Commission shall be 

24 to advise the Secretary in the development and implemen25 tation of the management plan. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

2 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

3 composed of 11 members, to be appointed by the 

4 Secretary, of whom— 

5 (A) 2 members shall be appointed after 

6 consideration of recommendations submitted by 

7 the Governor of the State; 

8 (B) 1 member shall be appointed after con9 sideration of recommendations submitted by the 

10 State Senate President; 

11 (C) 1 member shall be appointed after con12 sideration of recommendations submitted by the 

13 Speaker of the State House of Representatives; 

14 (D) 2 members shall be appointed after 

15 consideration of recommendations submitted by 

16 the Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut; 

17 (E) 2 members shall be appointed after 

18 consideration of recommendations submitted by 

19 Connecticut’s 2 United States Senators; 

20 (F) 1 member shall be appointed after con21 sideration of recommendations submitted by 

22 Connecticut’s First Congressional District Rep23 resentative; 

24 (G) 2 members shall have experience with 

25 national parks and historic preservation; 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 5131 IH

1 (H) all appointments must have significant 

2 experience with and knowledge of the Coltsville 

3 Historic District; and 

4 (I) 1 member of the Commission must live 

5 in the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood with6 in the Coltsville Historic District. 

7 (2) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Secretary 

8 shall appoint the initial members of the Commission 

9 not later than the earlier of— 

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

11 on which the Secretary has received all of the 

12 recommendations for appointments under para13 graph (1); or 

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

15 is established. 

16 (d) TERM; VACANCIES.— 

17 (1) TERM.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—A member shall be ap19 pointed for a term of 3 years. 

20 (B) REAPPOINTMENT.—A member may be 

21 reappointed for not more than 1 additional 

22 term. 

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

24 shall be filled in the same manner as the original ap25 pointment was made. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 5131 IH

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

2 call of— 

3 (1) the Chairperson; or 

4 (2) a majority of the members of the Commis5 sion. 

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

7 constitute a quorum. 

8 (g) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall select 

10 a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the 

11 members of the Commission. 

12 (2) VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The Vice Chairperson 

13 shall serve as Chairperson in the absence of the 

14 Chairperson. 

15 (3) TERM.—A member may serve as Chair16 person or Vice Chairperson for not more than 1 year 

17 in each office. 

18 (h) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

19 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Members of the Com21 mission shall serve without compensation. 

22 (B) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the 

23 Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, in24 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 

25 authorized for an employee of an agency under 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 5131 IH

1 subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 

2 States Code, while away from the home or reg3 ular place of business of the member in the per4 formance of the duties of the Commission. 

5 (2) STAFF.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

7 provide the Commission with any staff members 

8 and technical assistance that the Secretary, 

9 after consultation with the Commission, deter10 mines to be appropriate to enable the Commis11 sion to carry out the duties of the Commission. 

12 (B) DETAIL OF EMPLOYEES.—The Sec13 retary may accept the services of personnel de14 tailed from the State or any political subdivi15 sion of the State. 

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

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

18 apply to the Commission. 

19 (j) TERMINATION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Unless extended under para21 graph (2), the Commission shall terminate on the 

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

23 of this Act. 

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

25 enactment of this Act, the Commission shall make a 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 5131 IH

1 recommendation to the Secretary if a governing body 

2 of its nature is still necessary to oversee the creation 

3 and development of the park. If, based on a rec4 ommendation under this paragraph, the Secretary 

5 determines that the Commission is still necessary, 

6 the Secretary may extend the life of this Commission 

7 for a time not to exceed 10 years. 

Æ 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS