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[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 437 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 437

     To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of 
 Coltsville in the State of Connecticut for potential inclusion in the 
                         National Park System.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 29, 2003

  Mr. Larson of Connecticut (for himself, Ms. DeLauro, and Mr. Shays) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
     To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of 
 Coltsville in the State of Connecticut for potential inclusion in the 
                         National Park System.

    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 ``Coltsville Study Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     Congress finds that--
            (1) Hartford, Connecticut, home to Colt Manufacturing 
        Company (referred to in this Act as ``Colt''), played a major 
        role in the Industrial Revolution;
            (2) Samuel Colt, founder of Colt, and his wife, Elizabeth 
        Colt, inspired Coltsville, a community in the State of 
        Connecticut that flourished during the Industrial Revolution 
        and included Victorian mansions, an open green area, botanical 
        gardens, and a deer park;
            (3) the residence of Samuel and Elizabeth Colt in Hartford, 
        Connecticut, known as ``Armsmear'', is a national historic 
        landmark, and the distinctive Colt factory is a prominent 
        feature of the Hartford, Connecticut, skyline;
            (4) the Colt legacy is not only about firearms, but also 
        about industrial innovation and the development of technology 
        that would change the way of life in the United States, 
        including--
                    (A) the development of telegraph technology; and
                    (B) advancements in jet engine technology by 
                Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney, who served as 
                apprentices at Colt;
            (5) the influence of Colt extended beyond the United States 
        when Samuel Colt was the first resident of the United States to 
        open a manufacturing plant overseas;
            (6) Coltsville--
                    (A) set the standard for excellence during the 
                Industrial Revolution; and
                    (B) continues to prove significant--
                            (i) as a place in which people of the 
                        United States can learn about that important 
                        period in history; and
                            (ii) by reason of the close proximity of 
                        Coltsville to the Mark Twain House, Trinity 
                        College, Old North Cemetery, and many historic 
                        homesteads and architecturally renowned 
                        buildings;
            (7) in 1998, the National Park Service conducted a special 
        resource reconnaissance study of the Connecticut River Valley 
        to evaluate the significance of precision manufacturing sites; 
        and
            (8) the report on the study stated that--
                    (A) no other region of the United States contains 
                an equal concentration of resources relating to the 
                precision manufacturing theme that began with firearms 
                production;
                    (B) properties relating to precision manufacturing 
                encompass more than merely factories; and
                    (C) further study, which should be undertaken, may 
                recommend inclusion of churches and other social 
                institutions.

SEC. 3. STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than three years after the date on which 
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall complete 
a study of the site in the State of Connecticut commonly known as 
``Coltsville'' to evaluate--
            (1) the national significance of the site and surrounding 
        area;
            (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the site 
        and surrounding area as a unit of the National Park System; and
            (3) the importance of the site to the history of precision 
        manufacturing.
    (b) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
be conducted in accordance with Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et 
seq.).

SEC. 4. REPORT.

     Not later than 30 days after the date on which the study under 
section 3(a) is completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that describes--
            (1) the findings of the study; and
            (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

     There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
                                 <all>
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