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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2194 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2194

   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in 
  planning and developing a regional heritage center in Calais, Maine.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 7, 2000

Ms. Collins (for herself and Ms. Snowe) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in 
  planning and developing a regional heritage center in Calais, Maine.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Saint Croix Island Heritage Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) Saint Croix Island is located in the Saint Croix River, 
        a river that is the boundary between the State of Maine and 
        Canada;
            (2) the Island is the only international historic site in 
        the National Park System;
            (3) in 1604, French nobleman Pierre Dugua Sieur de Mons, 
        accompanied by a courageous group of adventurers that included 
        Samuel Champlain, landed on the Island and began the 
        construction of a settlement;
            (4) the French settlement on the Island in 1604 and 1605--
                    (A) was the initial site of the first permanent 
                European settlement in the New World; and
                    (B) set a precedent for early French claims in New 
                France;
            (5) many people view the expedition that settled on the 
        Island in 1604 as the beginning of the Acadian culture in North 
        America;
            (6) in October, 1998, the National Park Service completed a 
        general management plan to manage and interpret the Saint Croix 
        Island International Historic Site;
            (7) the plan addresses a variety of management 
        alternatives, and concludes that the best management strategy 
        entails developing an interpretive trail and ranger station at 
        Red Beach, Maine, and a regional heritage center in downtown 
        Calais, Maine, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local 
        agencies; and
            (8) only 4 years remain before the 400th anniversary of the 
        settlement at Saint Croix Island, an occasion that should be 
        appropriately commemorated.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to direct the Secretary of 
the Interior to take all necessary and appropriate steps to work with 
Federal, State, and local agencies, historical societies, and nonprofit 
organizations to facilitate the development of a regional heritage 
center in downtown Calais, Maine before the 400th anniversary of the 
settlement of Saint Croix Island.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Island.--The term ``Island'' means Saint Croix Island, 
        located in the Saint Croix River, between Canada and the State 
        of Maine.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
        Park Service.

SEC. 4. SAINT CROIX ISLAND REGIONAL HERITAGE CENTER.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide assistance in planning 
and developing (including leasing) a regional heritage center in 
downtown Calais, Maine, to facilitate the management and interpretation 
of the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site.
    (b) Cooperative Agreements.--To carry out subsection (a), the 
Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with State and local 
agencies and nonprofit organizations--
            (1) to provide exhibits, interpretive services (including 
        employing individuals to provide such services), and technical 
        assistance;
            (2) to conduct activities that facilitate the dissemination 
        of information relating to the Saint Croix Island International 
        Historic Site; and
            (3) to lease space in the regional heritage center.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$2,500,000.
                                 <all>
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