I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5747 
To establish the St. Croix National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2020 
Ms. PLASKETT (for herself, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, Mrs. 
RADEWAGEN, and Mr. SAN NICOLAS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the St. Croix National Heritage Area, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘St. Croix National 
Heritage Area Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ST. CROIX NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) HERITAGE
AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage 
Area’’ means the St. Croix National Heritage Area 
established by subsection (b)(1). 
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(2) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 
‘‘local coordinating entity’’ means the local coordi-
nating entity for the Heritage Area designated by 
subsection (b)(4). 
(3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage-
ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 
Heritage Area required under subsection (d). 
(4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en-
titled ‘‘Proposed St. Croix National Heritage Area’’ 
and dated llllllll. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(6) ST. CROIX.—The term ‘‘St. Croix’’ means 
St. Croix, Virgin Islands of the United States. 
(7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the Vir-
gin Islands of the United States. 
(b) ST. CROIX NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the State the St. Croix National Heritage Area. 
(2) CONCEPTUAL BOUNDARIES.—The Heritage 
Area shall consist of the island of St. Croix. 
(3) MAP.—A map of the Heritage Area shall 
be— 
(A) included in the management plan; and 
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(B) on file and available for public inspec-
tion in the appropriate offices of the National 
Park Service. 
(4) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The local coordinating 
entity for the Heritage Area shall be the Virgin 
Islands State Historic Preservation Office. 
(B) CONSULTATION
REQUIREMENT.—The 
Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Of-
fice shall consult with a broad cross section of 
public, private, and nongovernmental sectors in-
cluding businesses, individuals, agencies, and 
organizations that were involved in the planning 
and development of the Heritage Area before 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) AUTHORITIES.—For purposes of carrying 
out the management plan, the Secretary, acting 
through the local coordinating entity, may use 
amounts made available under this section to— 
(A) make grants to the State or a subdivi-
sion of the State, nonprofit organizations, and 
other persons; 
(B) enter into cooperative agreements 
with, or provide technical assistance to, the 
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State or a subdivision of the State, nonprofit 
organizations, and other interested parties; 
(C) hire and compensate staff, which shall 
include individuals with expertise in natural, 
cultural, and historical resources protection, 
and heritage programming; 
(D) obtain money or services from any 
source including any that are provided under 
any other Federal law or program; 
(E) contract for goods or services; and 
(F) undertake to be a catalyst for any 
other activity that furthers the Heritage Area 
and is consistent with the approved manage-
ment plan. 
(2) DUTIES.—The local coordinating entity 
shall— 
(A) in accordance with subsection (d), pre-
pare and submit a management plan for the 
Heritage Area to the Secretary; 
(B) assist units of local government, re-
gional planning organizations, and nonprofit or-
ganizations in carrying out the approved man-
agement plan by— 
(i) carrying out programs and projects 
that recognize, protect, and enhance im-
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portant resource values in the Heritage 
Area; 
(ii) establishing and maintaining in-
terpretive exhibits and programs in the 
Heritage Area; 
(iii) developing recreational and edu-
cational opportunities in the Heritage 
Area; 
(iv) increasing public awareness of, 
and appreciation for, natural, historical, 
scenic, and cultural resources of the Herit-
age Area; 
(v) protecting and restoring historic 
sites and buildings in the Heritage Area 
that are consistent with Heritage Area 
themes; 
(vi) ensuring that clear, consistent, 
and appropriate signs identifying points of 
public access, and sites of interest are 
posted throughout the Heritage Area; and 
(vii) promoting a wide range of part-
nerships among governments, organiza-
tions, and individuals to further the Herit-
age Area; 
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(C) consider the interests of diverse units 
of government, businesses, organizations, and 
individuals in the Heritage Area in the prepara-
tion and implementation of the management 
plan; 
(D) conduct meetings open to the public at 
least semiannually regarding the development 
and implementation of the management plan; 
(E) for any year that Federal funds have 
been received under this section— 
(i) submit an annual report to the 
Secretary that describes the activities, ex-
penses, and income of the local coordi-
nating entity (including grants to any 
other entities during the year that the re-
port is made); 
(ii) make available to the Secretary 
for audit all records relating to the expend-
iture of the funds and any matching funds; 
and 
(iii) require, with respect to all agree-
ments authorizing expenditure of Federal 
funds by other organizations, that the or-
ganizations receiving the funds make avail-
able to the Secretary for audit all records 
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concerning the expenditure of the funds; 
and 
(F) encourage by appropriate means eco-
nomic viability that is consistent with the Herit-
age Area. 
(3) PROHIBITION
ON
THE
ACQUISITION
OF 
REAL
PROPERTY.—The local coordinating entity 
shall not use Federal funds made available under 
this section to acquire real property or any interest 
in real property. 
(d) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the local coordi-
nating entity shall submit to the Secretary for ap-
proval a proposed management plan for the Heritage 
Area. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The management plan 
shall— 
(A) incorporate an integrated and coopera-
tive approach for the protection, enhancement, 
and interpretation of the natural, cultural, his-
toric, scenic, and recreational resources of the 
Heritage Area; 
(B) take into consideration State plans; 
(C) include— 
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(i) an inventory of— 
(I) the resources located in the 
core area described in subsection 
(b)(2); and 
(II) any other property in the 
core area that— 
(aa) is related to the themes 
of the Heritage Area; and 
(bb) should be preserved, re-
stored, managed, or maintained 
because of the significance of the 
property; 
(ii) describe comprehensive policies, 
goals, strategies and recommendations for 
telling the story of the heritage of the area 
covered by the designation and encour-
aging long-term resource protection, en-
hancement, interpretation, funding, man-
agement, and development; 
(iii) a description of actions that gov-
ernments, private organizations, and indi-
viduals have agreed to take to protect the 
natural, historical and cultural resources of 
the Heritage Area; 
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agement plan and provides adequate assur-
ances that the local coordinating entity has 
the partnerships and financial and other 
resources necessary to implement the man-
agement plan for the National Heritage 
Area; and 
(D) recommend policies and strategies for 
resource management that consider and detail 
the application of appropriate land and water 
management techniques, including the develop-
ment of intergovernmental and interagency co-
operative agreements to protect the natural, 
historical, cultural, educational, scenic, and rec-
reational resources of the Heritage Area. 
(3) DEADLINE.—If a proposed management 
plan is not submitted to the Secretary by the date 
that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the local coordinating entity shall be ineligible 
to receive additional funding under this section until 
the date that the Secretary receives and approves 
the management plan. 
(4) APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF MANAGE-
MENT PLAN.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of receipt of the manage-
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ment plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary, 
in consultation with the State, shall approve or 
disapprove the management plan. 
(B) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In deter-
mining whether to approve the management 
plan, the Secretary shall consider whether— 
(i) the local coordinating entity is rep-
resentative of the diverse interests of the 
Heritage Area; 
(ii) the local coordinating entity has 
afforded adequate opportunity, including 
public hearings, for public and govern-
mental involvement in the preparation of 
the management plan; and 
(iii) the resource protection and inter-
pretation strategies contained in the man-
agement plan, if implemented, would ade-
quately protect the natural, historical, and 
cultural resources of the Heritage Area. 
(C) ACTION FOLLOWING DISAPPROVAL.—If 
the Secretary disapproves the management plan 
under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall— 
(i) advise the local coordinating entity 
in writing of the reasons for the dis-
approval; 
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(ii) make recommendations for revi-
sions to the management plan; and 
(iii) not later than 180 days after the 
receipt of any proposed revision of the 
management plan from the local coordi-
nating entity, approve or disapprove the 
proposed revision. 
(D) AMENDMENTS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
approve or disapprove each amendment to 
the management plan that the Secretary 
determines make a substantial change to 
the management plan. 
(ii) USE
OF
FUNDS.—The local co-
ordinating entity shall not use Federal 
funds authorized by this section to carry 
out any amendments to the management 
plan until the Secretary has approved the 
amendments. 
(e) RELATIONSHIP
TO OTHER FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this section af-
fects the authority of a Federal agency to provide 
technical or financial assistance under any other law. 
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(2) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—The 
head of any Federal agency planning to conduct ac-
tivities that may have an impact on the Heritage 
Area is encouraged to consult and coordinate the ac-
tivities with the Secretary and the local coordinating 
entity to the maximum extent practicable. 
(3) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Nothing in 
this section— 
(A) modifies, alters, or amends any law or 
regulation authorizing a Federal agency to 
manage Federal land under the jurisdiction of 
the Federal agency; 
(B) limits the discretion of a Federal land 
manager to implement an approved land use 
plan within the boundaries of the Heritage 
Area; or 
(C) modifies, alters, or amends any author-
ized use of Federal land under the jurisdiction 
of a Federal agency. 
(f) PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTEC-
TIONS.—Nothing in this section— 
(1) abridges the rights of any property owner 
(whether public or private), including the right to re-
frain from participating in any plan, project, pro-
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gram, or activity conducted within the Heritage 
Area; 
(2) requires any property owner to permit pub-
lic access (including access by Federal or State 
agencies) to the property of the property owner, or 
to modify public access or use of property of the 
property owner under any other Federal or State 
law; 
(3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, 
approved land use plan, or other regulatory author-
ity of any Federal or State agency, or conveys any 
land use or other regulatory authority to the local 
coordinating entity; 
(4) authorizes or implies the reservation or ap-
propriation of water or water rights; 
(5) diminishes the authority of the State to 
manage fish and wildlife, including the regulation of 
fishing and hunting within the Heritage Area; or 
(6) creates any liability, or affects any liability 
under any other law, of any private property owner 
with respect to any person injured on the private 
property. 
(g) EVALUATION; REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years be-
fore the date on which authority for Federal funding 
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terminates for the Heritage Area, the Secretary 
shall— 
(A) conduct an evaluation of the accom-
plishments of the Heritage Area; and 
(B) prepare a report in accordance with 
paragraph (3). 
(2) EVALUATION.—An evaluation conducted 
under paragraph (1)(A) shall— 
(A) assess the progress of the local coordi-
nating entity with respect to— 
(i) accomplishing the purposes of this 
section for the Heritage Area; and 
(ii) achieving the goals and objectives 
of the approved management plan for the 
Heritage Area; 
(B) analyze the Federal, State, and private 
investments in the Heritage Area to determine 
the leverage and impact of the investments; and 
(C) review the management structure, 
partnership relationships, and funding of the 
Heritage Area for purposes of identifying the 
critical components for sustainability of the 
Heritage Area. 
(3) REPORT.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—Based on the evalua-
tion conducted under paragraph (1)(A), the 
Secretary shall prepare a report that includes 
recommendations for the future role of the Na-
tional Park Service, if any, with respect to the 
Heritage Area. 
(B) REQUIRED ANALYSIS.—If the report 
prepared under subparagraph (A) recommends 
that Federal funding for the Heritage Area be 
reauthorized, the report shall include an anal-
ysis of— 
(i) ways in which Federal funding for 
the Heritage Area may be reduced or 
eliminated; and 
(ii) the appropriate time period nec-
essary to achieve the recommended reduc-
tion or elimination. 
(C) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On com-
pletion of the report, the Secretary shall submit 
the report to— 
(i) the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate; and 
(ii) the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives. 
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