I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4115
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to inventory,
evaluate, document, and assist efforts to preserve surviving United States
Life-Saving Service stations.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 9, 2002
Mr. PALLONE (for himself and Mr. LOBIONDO) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a
program to inventory, evaluate, document, and assist
efforts to preserve surviving United States Life-Saving
Service stations.
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 ‘‘United States Life-
Saving Service Heritage Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States Life-Saving Service was
organized by the Congress by enactment of the Act
entitled ‘‘An Act to organize the Life-Saving-Serv-
ice’’, approved June 18, 1878 (chapter 265; 20 Stat.
163 et seq.).
(2) These lifesaving stations were staffed by
brave volunteer and professional lifesavers, who
risked life and limb to rescue shipwrecked pas-
sengers and crews.
(3) Many surviving Life-Saving Service stations
are of rare architectural significance, yet these his-
toric stations are threatened by harsh coastal envi-
ronments, rapid economic development in the coastal
zone, neglect, and lack of resources for their preser-
vation.
(4) The heroic actions of Life-Saving Service
personnel deserve greater recognition, and their con-
tributions to America’s maritime history should be
celebrated through a comprehensive preservation
program and greater opportunities for the public’s
education about the heritage of the Life-Saving
Service.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to author-
ize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program
to inventory, evaluate, document, and assist efforts to pre-
serve surviving Life-Saving Service stations.
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES LIFE-SAVING SERVICE STATION
PRESERVATION PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior,
through the National Maritime Initiative of the National
Park Service, shall establish a program in accordance with
this section to inventory, evaluate, document, and assist
efforts to preserve surviving United States Life-Saving
Service stations.
(b) INVENTORY, DOCUMENTATION, AND EVALUA-
TION.—The Secretary, in cooperation with the U.S. Life-
Saving Service Heritage Association, shall—
(1) survey coastal regions of the United States
to identify and prepare an inventory of surviving his-
toric lifesaving stations;
(2) document the designs of significant existing
structures and lifesaving boats of historic lifesaving
stations, for inclusion in the Historic American En-
gineering Record Collection; and
(3) 
evaluate 
historic 
lifesaving 
stations,
including—
(A) assessing the historic significance, in-
tegrity, and condition of surviving historic life-
saving stations; and
(B) making recommendations for out-
standing examples of historic lifesaving stations
that should be designated as National Historic
Landmarks.
(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, EDUCATIONAL MATE-
RIALS, RESEARCH AIDS, AND OTHER INFORMATION.—
The Secretary shall—
(1) serve as a clearinghouse of information for
persons interested in preserving historic lifesaving
stations; and
(2) make available to the public, including
through the Internet, educational materials, research
aids, guides, bibliographies, and other information
regarding the Life-Saving Service and related orga-
nizations that provided humanitarian assistance to
shipwrecked mariners, including—
(A) information on the history and devel-
opment of the Life-Saving Service, predecessor
private and State lifesaving organizations, and
Coast Guard lifesaving stations;
(B) technical descriptions of lifesaving
boats, line-guns, life cars, and other lifesaving
gear;
(C) the inventory, documentation, and
evaluation prepared under subsection (b); and
(D) guidance and technical assistance in
the listing of historic lifesaving stations in the
National Register of Historic Places.
(d) GRANTS.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, subject to
the availability of appropriations, shall make grants
to coordinate and assist preservation of historic life-
saving stations.
(2) COST SHARE.—The Federal share of the
cost of an activity carried out with financial assist-
ance under this subsection shall not exceed 75 per-
cent of the total cost of the activity.
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) HISTORIC LIFESAVING STATION.—The term
‘‘historic lifesaving station’’ means any land, struc-
ture, equipment, or other physical artifact or facility
formerly under the jurisdiction or control of the
Life-Saving Service, including lifesaving stations,
sailor’s refuges, shipwreck survivors’ cache sites, and
lifeboats.
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Na-
tional Maritime Initiative of the National Park Serv-
ice.
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary—
(1) for use in making grants under subsection
(d), $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002
through 2006; and
(2) for carrying out the other provisions of this
section $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2002
through 2006.
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