I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5957 

To establish the Caddo Lake National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2018 

Mr. GOHMERT (for himself, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, and Mr. RATCLIFFE) 

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

Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Caddo Lake 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. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caddo Lake National 

5 Heritage Area Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) CADDO LAKE HERITAGE AREA COMMIS9 SION.—The term ‘‘Caddo Lake Heritage Area ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:31 Jun 01, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5957.IH H5957

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1 mission’’ means the management entity for the Her2 itage Area. 

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

4 Area’’ means the Caddo Lake National Heritage 

5 Area established by section 3(a). 

6 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage7 ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 

8 Heritage Area developed under section 4. 

9 (4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map 

10 prepared under section 3(b). 

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

12 the Secretary of the Interior. 

13 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

14 the States of— 

15 (A) Louisiana; and 

16 (B) Texas. 

17 SEC. 3. CADDO LAKE NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 

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

19 States the Caddo Lake National Heritage Area. 

20 (b) BOUNDARIES.—As soon as practicable after the 

21 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare 

22 a map depicting the boundaries of the Heritage Area. 

23 (c) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map shall be on file 

24 and available for public inspection in the appropriate of25 fices of— 


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1 (1) the National Park Service; and 

2 (2) the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission. 

3 (d) CADDO LAKE HERITAGE AREA COMMISSION.— 

4 The Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission shall— 

5 (1) serve as the management entity for the 

6 Heritage Area; 

7 (2) oversee the development of the management 

8 plan; and 

9 (3) be governed by a board of directors that 

10 shall— 

11 (A) include members that represent a geo12 graphic balance across the applicable counties 

13 and the States; 

14 (B) be composed of not fewer than 7, and 

15 not more than 15, members elected by the 

16 membership of the Caddo Lake Heritage Area 

17 Commission; 

18 (C) be selected to represent a balanced 

19 group of diverse interests, including— 

20 (i) the forest industry; 

21 (ii) the energy or mineral resources 

22 industry; 

23 (iii) environmental interests; 

24 (iv) cultural heritage interests; 

25 (v) tourism interests; and 


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1 (vi) regional agency partners; 

2 (D) exercise all corporate powers of the 

3 Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission; 

4 (E) manage the activities and affairs of 

5 the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission; 

6 and 

7 (F) subject to any limitations in the arti8 cles and bylaws of the Caddo Lake Heritage 

9 Area Commission, this Act, and any other ap10 plicable Federal or State law, establish the poli11 cies of the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commis12 sion. 

13 SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

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

15 date of enactment of this Act, the Caddo Lake Heritage 

16 Area Commission shall develop and submit to the Sec17 retary for approval a management plan for the Heritage 

18 Area. 

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

20 (1) describe comprehensive policies, goals, strat21 egies, and recommendations for— 

22 (A) presenting to the citizens of the United 

23 States the heritage of the region; and 

24 (B) encouraging the long-term resource 

25 conservation, enhancement, interpretation, 


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1 funding, management, and development of the 

2 Heritage Area; 

3 (2) take into consideration and coordinate Fed4 eral, State, and local plans to present a unified his5 toric preservation and interpretation plan for the 

6 Heritage Area; 

7 (3) involve residents, public agencies, and pri8 vate organizations of the Heritage Area; 

9 (4) describe actions that units of government, 

10 private organizations, and citizens recommend for 

11 the conservation, enhancement, interpretation, fund12 ing, management, and development of the resources 

13 of the Heritage Area; 

14 (5) identify— 

15 (A) existing and potential sources of fund16 ing for the conservation, enhancement, interpre17 tation, management, and development of the re18 sources of the Heritage Area; and 

19 (B) economic development strategies for 

20 the conservation, enhancement, interpretation, 

21 funding, management, and development of the 

22 resources of the Heritage Area; 

23 (6) include— 

24 (A) an inventory of the cultural, natural, 

25 historical, educational, scenic, and recreational 


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1 resources contained in the Heritage Area, in2 cluding a list of property that— 

3 (i) is related to the themes of the 

4 Heritage Area; and 

5 (ii) should be conserved, enhanced, 

6 managed, or developed; 

7 (B) a recommendation of policies and 

8 strategies for resource management and con9 servation, including the development of inter10 governmental cooperative agreements to man11 age and conserve the cultural, natural, histor12 ical, educational, scenic, and recreational re13 sources of the Heritage Area; 

14 (C) a program of strategies and actions to 

15 implement the management plan that in16 cludes— 

17 (i) performance goals; 

18 (ii) resource conservation plans; 

19 (iii) enhancement strategies; 

20 (iv) interpretation strategies; and 

21 (v) specific commitments for imple22 mentation that have been made by the 

23 Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission or 

24 any government, organization, business, or 

25 individual; 


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1 (D) an analysis of, and recommendations 

2 for, means by which Federal, State, and local 

3 programs may best be coordinated to further 

4 the purposes of this Act, including an analysis 

5 of the role of the National Park Service and 

6 other Federal agencies associated with the Her7 itage Area; 

8 (E) a business plan that— 

9 (i) describes the role, operation, fi10 nancing, and functions of— 

11 (I) the Caddo Lake Heritage 

12 Area Commission; and 

13 (II) each of the major activities 

14 included in the management plan; and 

15 (ii) provides adequate assurances that 

16 the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commis17 sion has the partnerships and financial and 

18 other resources necessary to implement the 

19 management plan; and 

20 (F) an interpretive plan for the Heritage 

21 Area; and 

22 (7) describe any revisions to the boundaries of 

23 the Heritage Area— 

24 (A) proposed by the Caddo Lake Heritage 

25 Area Commission; and 


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1 (B) requested by the affected local govern2 ment. 

3 (c) APPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

4 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after 

5 the date of receipt of the management plan under 

6 subsection (a), the Secretary shall review and ap7 prove or disapprove the management plan. 

8 (2) CRITERIA.—In determining whether to ap9 prove the management plan, the Secretary shall con10 sider whether— 

11 (A) the management plan meets all re12 quirements described in subsection (b); and 

13 (B) the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Com14 mission has afforded adequate opportunity, in15 cluding public hearings, for public and govern16 mental involvement in the preparation of the 

17 management plan. 

18 (d) ACTION FOLLOWING DISAPPROVAL.—If the Sec19 retary disapproves the management plan under subsection 

20 (c)(1), the Secretary shall— 

21 (1) advise the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Com22 mission in writing of the reasons for the disapproval; 

23 (2) make recommendations for revisions to the 

24 management plan; and 


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1 (3) not later than 180 days after the date of re2 ceipt of a proposed revision to the management plan, 

3 approve or disapprove the proposed revision. 

4 (e) AMENDMENTS.—The Secretary shall review and 

5 approve or disapprove each amendment to the manage6 ment plan that the Secretary determines may substantially 

7 alter the purposes of the Heritage Area. 

8 (f) EFFECT OF INACTION.—If the Secretary does not 

9 approve or disapprove a management plan or a revision 

10 or change to a management plan by the date that is 180 

11 days after the date on which the management plan or revi12 sion or change to the management plan is submitted, the 

13 management plan, revision, or change shall be considered 

14 to have been approved by the Secretary. 

15 SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE CADDO LAKE 

16 HERITAGE AREA COMMISSION. 

17 (a) AUTHORITIES.—For purposes of preparing and 

18 carrying out the management plan, the Caddo Lake Herit19 age Area Commission may— 

20 (1) make grants to— 

21 (A) political jurisdictions of the States; 

22 (B) nonprofit organizations; and 

23 (C) other persons or entities located in the 

24 Heritage Area; 


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1 (2) enter into cooperative agreements with, or 

2 provide technical assistance to— 

3 (A) political jurisdictions of the States; 

4 (B) nonprofit organizations; 

5 (C) the heads of Federal agencies; and 

6 (D) other interested persons or entities; 

7 (3) hire and compensate staff who have dem8 onstrated expertise in the fields of— 

9 (A) cultural, natural, and historical re10 sources conservation; 

11 (B) economic and community development; 

12 (C) forestry; or 

13 (D) heritage planning; 

14 (4) obtain money or services from any source, 

15 including any money or services provided under any 

16 other Federal program or law, in which case the 

17 Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out 

18 using Federal funds shall be not more than 50 per19 cent; 

20 (5) contract for goods or services; and 

21 (6) support activities of partners and any other 

22 activities that— 

23 (A) further the purposes of the Heritage 

24 Area; and 


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1 (B) are consistent with the management 

2 plan. 

3 (b) DUTIES.—In addition to developing the manage4 ment plan, the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission 

5 shall— 

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

7 have been expended for the Heritage Area by the 

8 Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission under this 

9 Act— 

10 (A) submit to the Secretary an annual re11 port that describes— 

12 (i) the specific performance goals and 

13 accomplishments of the Caddo Lake Herit14 age Area Commission; 

15 (ii) the expenses and income of the 

16 Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission; 

17 (iii) the amounts and sources of 

18 matching funds; 

19 (iv) the amounts leveraged with Fed20 eral funds and the sources of the 

21 leveraging; and 

22 (v) any grants made to any other enti23 ties during the fiscal year; and 

24 (B) make available for audit by Congress, 

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1 ment, all records pertaining to the expenditure 

2 of the funds and any matching funds; and 

3 (2) encourage, by appropriate means and con4 sistent with the purposes of the Heritage Area, the 

5 economic viability of the Heritage Area. 

6 (c) PROHIBITION ON THE ACQUISITION OF REAL

7 PROPERTY.—The Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission 

8 shall not use Federal funds to acquire real property or 

9 any interest in real property. 

10 SEC. 6. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

11 (a) TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—On 

12 request of the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission, the 

13 Secretary may provide technical and financial assistance, 

14 on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, to the Caddo 

15 Lake Heritage Area Commission for— 

16 (1) the development and implementation of the 

17 management plan; and 

18 (2) other initiatives of the Caddo Lake Heritage 

19 Area Commission. 

20 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this Act, the 

22 Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements 

23 with the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission and 

24 other public and private entities to provide assist25 ance under subsection (a). 


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1 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A cooperative agreement 

2 entered into under paragraph (1) shall, at a min3 imum— 

4 (A) establish the goals and objectives of 

5 the Heritage Area; and 

6 (B) include— 

7 (i) a proposal relating to the conserva8 tion and interpretation of the Heritage 

9 Area; and 

10 (ii) a general outline describing each 

11 measure agreed to by the Secretary and 

12 the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commis13 sion. 

14 SEC. 7. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act affects the au16 thority of any Federal official to provide technical or fi17 nancial assistance under any other law. 

18 (b) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—The head 

19 of any Federal agency planning to conduct an activity that 

20 may have an impact on the Heritage Area shall, to the 

21 maximum extent practicable— 

22 (1) consult with the Secretary and the Caddo 

23 Lake Heritage Area Commission regarding the ac24 tivity; and 


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1 (2) coordinate the activity with the Secretary 

2 and the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission. 

3 (c) EFFECT ON OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Noth4 ing in this Act— 

5 (1) modifies, alters, or amends any law (includ6 ing a regulation) authorizing a Federal agency to 

7 manage Federal land under the jurisdiction of the 

8 Federal agency; 

9 (2) limits the discretion of a Federal land man10 ager to implement an approved land use plan within 

11 the boundaries of the Heritage Area; or 

12 (3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized 

13 use of Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Fed14 eral agency. 

15 SEC. 8. PROPERTY OWNERS AND REGULATORY PROTEC16 TIONS. 

17 Nothing in this Act— 

18 (1) abridges the rights of any property owner, 

19 whether public or private, including the right to re20 frain from participating in any plan, project, pro21 gram, or activity conducted within the Heritage 

22 Area; 

23 (2) requires any property owner— 


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1 (A) to permit public access (including Fed2 eral, Tribal, State, or local government access) 

3 to the property of the property owner; or 

4 (B) to modify any provisions of Federal, 

5 Tribal, State, or local law with regard to public 

6 access or use of private land; 

7 (3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, 

8 any approved land use plan, or any other regulatory 

9 authority of any Federal, State, or local agency or 

10 Tribal government; 

11 (4) conveys any land use or other regulatory 

12 authority to the Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commis13 sion; 

14 (5) authorizes or implies the reservation or ap15 propriation of water or water rights; 

16 (6) diminishes the authority of the State to 

17 manage fish and wildlife, including the regulation of 

18 fishing and hunting within the Heritage Area; 

19 (7) creates any liability, or affects any liability 

20 under any other law, of any private property owner 

21 with respect to any person injured on the private 

22 property; 

23 (8) abridges, or authorizes the Secretary or the 

24 Caddo Lake Heritage Area Commission to abridge, 

25 valid rights to timber harvesting; or 


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1 (9) abridges, restricts, or alters the rights of 

2 any property owner with regard to the property of 

3 the property owner. 

4 SEC. 9. EVALUATION. 

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

6 date of the approval of the management plan under sec7 tion 4(c), the Secretary shall— 

8 (1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplish9 ments of the Heritage Area; and 

10 (2) prepare a report in accordance with sub11 section (c). 

12 (b) EVALUATION COMPONENTS.—An evaluation pre13 pared under subsection (a)(1) shall— 

14 (1) assess the progress of the Caddo Lake Her15 itage Area Commission with respect to— 

16 (A) accomplishing the purposes of the au17 thorizing legislation for the Heritage Area; and 

18 (B) achieving the goals and objectives of 

19 the approved management plan for the Heritage 

20 Area; 

21 (2) analyze the State, local, and private invest22 ments in the Heritage Area to determine the lever23 age and impact of the investments; and 

24 (3) review the management structure, partner25 ship relationships, and funding of the Heritage Area 


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1 for purposes of identifying the critical components 

2 for sustainability of the Heritage Area. 

3 (c) REPORT.—Based on the evaluation conducted 

4 under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall prepare and 

5 submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re6 sources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Re7 sources of the House of Representatives a report that in8 cludes recommendations for the future role of the National 

9 Park Service, if any, with respect to the Heritage Area. 

10 SEC. 10. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

11 The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance 

12 under this Act terminates on the date that is 15 years 

13 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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