I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5080
To establish the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage
Area in the State of New Jersey, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 9, 2002
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN (for himself, Mr. HOLT, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. FERGUSON,
Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr.
SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mrs. ROUKEMA,
and Mr. PAYNE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To establish the Crossroads of the American Revolution Na-
tional Heritage Area in the State of New Jersey, 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 ‘‘Crossroads of the
American Revolution National Heritage Area Act of
2002’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) New Jersey was of critical importance dur-
ing the American Revolution due to its strategic lo-
cation between the British armies headquartered in
New York City and the Continental Congress sitting
in the City of Philadelphia.
(2) General George Washington spent almost
half of the period of the American Revolution per-
sonally commanding troops of the Continental Army
in New Jersey including 2 severe winter encamp-
ments at what is now Morristown National Histor-
ical Park, a unit of the National Park System.
(3) It was during the 10 crucial days of the
American Revolution between December 25, 1776,
and January 3, 1777, when General Washington,
after retreating across New Jersey from New York
City to Pennsylvania in the face of total defeat for
the Nation’s cause, recrossed the Delaware River on
Christmas night, 1776, and won crucial battles at
Trenton and Princeton. Thomas Paine, who accom-
panied the troops during the retreat, described the
events as, ‘‘the times that try men’s souls’’.
(4) There are situated in the State of New Jer-
sey the sites of 296 engagements including several
important battles of the American Revolution, which
collectively are of significant importance to the out-
come of the overall conflict and the history of the
United States. Among these are National Historic
Landmarks including Washington’s Crossing, the
Old Trenton Barracks, and Princeton, Monmouth
and Red Bank Battlefields.
(5) Additional national Historic Landmarks in-
clude the homes of Richard Stockton, Joseph Hewes,
John Witherspoon, and Francis Hopkinson, all sign-
ers of the Declaration of Independence, Elias
Boudinout, President of the Continental Congress
and William Livingston, patriot and Governor of
New Jersey from 1776 to 1790.
(6) Portions of the landscapes important to the
strategies of both armies including waterways,
mountains, farms, wetlands, villages and roadways
retain integrity of the period of the American Revo-
lution and offer outstanding opportunities for con-
servation, education, and recreation.
(7) The National Register of Historic Places
lists 251 buildings and sites in the National Park
Service study area for Crossroads of the American
Revolution associated with the period of the Amer-
ican Revolution.
(8) Civilian populations residing in New Jersey
suffered extreme hardships during the American
Revolution due to the continuous conflict within its
borders, foraging armies, and marauding contingents
of loyalist Tories and rebel sympathizers.
(9) Because of the important role that New
Jersey played in the successful outcome of the
American Revolution there is a Federal interest for
the development of a regional framework to assist
the State of New Jersey, other local organizations
and governments, and private citizens to preserve
and protect natural, cultural, and historic resources
of the period and to bring recognition to this impor-
tant heritage for the educational and recreational
benefit of this and future generations of Americans.
(10) The National Park Service has conducted
a National Heritage Feasibility Study in the State
of New Jersey that demonstrates the sufficient as-
semblage of nationally distinctive natural, cultural,
and historic resources necessary to establish the
Crossroads of the American Revolution National
Heritage Area.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol-
lows:
(1) To build the capacity of communities, orga-
nizations, and citizens in New Jersey to preserve the
special historic identity of the region and its impor-
tance to the Nation.
(2) To foster a close working relationship with
all levels of government, the private sector, and the
local communities in New Jersey.
(3) To provide for the management, preserva-
tion, protection, and interpretation of the natural,
historic, and cultural resources of the region for the
educational and inspirational benefit of future gen-
erations.
(4) To strengthen the value of Morristown Na-
tional Historical Park as an asset to the region by
establishing a network of related historic resources,
protected landscapes, educational opportunities, and
events depicting the revolutionary landscape of New
Jersey.
(5) To strengthen partnerships among Morris-
town National Historical Park and other public and
privately owned resources in the heritage area, that
together represent the strategic fulcrum of the
American Revolution, as assets in the quality of life
in the region.
(6) To authorize Federal financial and technical
assistance to serve these purposes.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Act:
(1) ASSOCIATION.—The term ‘‘Association’’
means the Crossroads of the American Revolution
Association, Inc., a nonprofit corporation in the
State of New Jersey.
(2) BOUNDARIES.—The term ‘‘boundaries’’
means the boundaries of the heritage area specified
in section 4.
(3) HERITAGE
AREA.—The term ‘‘heritage
area’’ means the Crossroads of the American Revo-
lution National Heritage Area as established in sec-
tion 4.
(4) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage-
ment plan’’ means the management plan submitted
under section 5.
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 4. CROSSROADS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION NA-
TIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the
State of New Jersey the Crossroads of the American Revo-
lution National Heritage Area.
(b) BOUNDARIES.—The boundaries of the heritage
area shall include all those lands and waters depicted on
a map entitled ‘‘Crossroads of the American Revolution
National Heritage Area’’, numbered CRRE\80,000 and
dated April 2002. The map shall be on file in the appro-
priate offices of the National Park Service.
(c) MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The management entity
for the heritage area shall be the Association.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES, PROHIBITIONS, AND DUTIES OF THE
ASSOCIATION.
(a) DUTIES OF THE ASSOCIATION.—To further the
purposes of the of the heritage area, the Association
shall—
(1) prepare and submit a management plan for
the heritage area to the Secretary in accordance
with section 6 of this Act;
(2) assist units of local government, regional
planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations
in implementing the approved management plan
by—
(A) carrying out programs and projects
that recognize, protect and enhance important
resource values within the heritage area;
(B) establishing and maintaining interpre-
tive exhibits and programs within the heritage
area;
(C) developing recreational and educational
opportunities in the heritage area;
(D) increasing public awareness of and ap-
preciation for natural, historic, and cultural re-
sources of the heritage area;
(E) protecting and restoring historic sites
and buildings in the heritage area that are con-
sistent with heritage area themes;
(F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and ap-
propriate signs identifying points of public ac-
cess and sites of interest are posted throughout
the heritage area; and
(G) promoting a wide range of partner-
ships among governments, organizations and in-
dividuals to further the purposes of the heritage
area;
(3) consider the interests of diverse units of
government, businesses, organizations, and individ-
uals in the heritage area in the preparation and im-
plementation of the management plan;
(4) conduct Association meetings open to the
public at least semiannually regarding the develop-
ment and implementation of the management plan;
(5) submit an annual report to the Secretary
for any fiscal year in which the Association receives
Federal funds under this Act, setting forth its ac-
complishments, expenses, and income, including
grants to any other entities during the year for
which the report is made;
(6) make available for audit for any fiscal year
in which it receives Federal funds under this Act, all
information pertaining to the expenditure of such
funds and any matching funds, and require in all
agreements authorizing expenditures of Federal
funds by other organizations, that the receiving or-
ganizations make available for such audit all records
and other information pertaining to the expenditure
of such funds;
(7) encourage by appropriate means economic
viability that is consistent with the purposes of the
heritage area; and
(8) maintain its headquarters at Morristown
National Historical Park and in Mercer County.
(b) AUTHORITIES.—The Association may, for the
purposes of preparing and implementing the management
plan for the heritage area, use Federal funds made avail-
able through this Act to—
(1) make grants to the State of New Jersey, its
political subdivisions, nonprofit organizations and
other persons;
(2) enter into cooperative agreements with or
provide technical assistance to the State of New Jer-
sey, its political jurisdictions, nonprofit organiza-
tions, and other interested parties;
(3) hire and compensate staff which shall in-
clude individuals with expertise in natural, cultural,
historic resources protection, and heritage program-
ming;
(4) obtain money or services from any source,
including any that are provided under any other
Federal law or program;
(5) contract for goods or services; and
(6) undertake to be a catalyst for any other ac-
tivity that furthers the purposes of the heritage area
and is consistent with the approved management
plan.
(c) PROHIBITIONS ON THE ACQUISITION OF REAL
PROPERTY.—The Association may not use Federal funds
received under this Act to acquire real property, but may
use any other source of funding, including other Federal
funding, intended for the acquisition of real property.
SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The management plan for the
heritage area shall—
(1) include comprehensive polices, strategies
and recommendations for conservation, funding,
management, and development of the heritage area;
(2) take into consideration existing State, coun-
ty, and local plans in the development of the man-
agement plan and its implementation;
(3) include a description of actions that govern-
ments, private organizations, and individuals have
agreed to take to protect the natural, historic, and
cultural resources of the heritage area;
(4) specify the existing and potential sources of
funding to protect, manage, and develop the heritage
area in the first 5 years of implementation;
(5) include an inventory of the natural, histor-
ical, cultural, educational, scenic and recreational re-
sources of the heritage area related to the themes of
the heritage area that should be preserved, restored,
managed, developed, or maintained;
(6) recommend policies and strategies for re-
source management which consider and detail the
application of appropriate land and water manage-
ment techniques including, but not limited to, the
development of intergovernmental and interagency
cooperative agreements to protect the heritage area’s
natural, historical, cultural, educational, scenic and
recreational resources;
(7) describe a program of implementation for
the management plan including plans for resource
protection, restoration, construction, and specific
commitments for implementation that have been
made by the Association or any government, organi-
zation, or individual for the first 5 years of imple-
mentation;
(8) include an analysis and recommendations
for ways in which local, State, and Federal pro-
grams, including the role of the National Park Serv-
ice in the heritage area, may best be coordinated to
further the purposes of this Act; and
(9) include an interpretive plan for the heritage
area.
(b) DEADLINE AND TERMINATION OF FUNDING.—
(1) DEADLINE.—The Association shall submit
the management plan to the Secretary for approval
within 3 years after funds are made available for
this Act.
(2) TERMINATION OF FUNDING.—Upon comple-
tion of the 3-year period in this subsection, further
funding pursuant to this Act shall only be made
available to the Association for the implementation
of the management plan upon approval by the Sec-
retary as provided in Section 7 of this Act.
SEC. 7. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF THE SECRETARY.
(a) TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may, upon
the request of the Association provide technical as-
sistance on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis
and financial assistance to the heritage area to de-
velop and implement the approved management
plan. The Secretary is authorized to enter into coop-
erative agreements with the Association and other
public or private entities for this purpose. In assist-
ing the heritage area, the Secretary shall give pri-
ority to actions that in general assist in—
(A) conserving the significant natural, his-
toric, cultural, and scenic resources of the herit-
age area; and
(B) providing educational, interpretive, and
recreational opportunities consistent with the
purposes of the heritage area.
(2) OTHER
ASSISTANCE.—Upon request, the
Superintendent of Morristown National Historical
Park may provide to public and private organiza-
tions within the heritage area, including the Associa-
tion, such operational assistance as appropriate to
support the implementation of the management plan
for the heritage area, subject to the availability of
appropriated funds. The Secretary is authorized to
enter into cooperative agreements with public and
private organizations for the purpose of imple-
menting this subsection.
(3) 
PRESERVATION
OF
HISTORIC
PROP-
ERTIES.—The Secretary may provide assistance to
State or local government or nonprofit organizations
for appropriate treatment of historic objects or
structures listed or eligible for listing on the Na-
tional Register of Historic Places to further the pur-
poses of this Act.
(b) APPROVAL AND DISAPPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT
PLAN.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall approve
or disapprove the management plan not later than
90 days after receiving the management plan.
(2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In determining
to approve the management plan, the Secretary shall
consider whether—
(A) the Board of Directors of the Associa-
tion is representative of the diverse interests of
the heritage area including governments, nat-
ural and historic resource protection organiza-
tions, education, business, and recreation;
(B) the Association has afforded adequate
opportunity, including public hearings, for pub-
lic and governmental involvement in the prepa-
ration of the management plan;
(C) the resource protection and interpreta-
tion strategies contained in the management
plan, if implemented, would adequately protect
the natural, historic, and cultural resources of
the heritage area; and
(D) the Secretary has received adequate
assurances from the appropriate State and local
officials whose support is needed to ensure the
effective implementation of the State and local
aspects of the management plan.
(3) ACTION FOLLOWING DISAPPROVAL.—If the
Secretary disapproves the management plan, the
Secretary shall advise the Association in writing of
the reasons therefore and shall make recommenda-
tions for revisions to the management plan. The Sec-
retary shall approve or disapprove a proposed revi-
sion within 60 days after the date it is submitted.
(4) APPROVAL OF AMENDMENTS.—Substantial
amendments to the management plan shall be re-
viewed by the Secretary and approved in the same
manner as provided for the original management
plan. The Association shall not use Federal funds
authorized by this Act to implement any amend-
ments until the Secretary has approved the amend-
ments.
SEC. 8. DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
Any Federal agency conducting or supporting activi-
ties directly affecting the heritage area shall—
(1) consult with the Secretary and the Associa-
tion with respect to such activities;
(2) cooperate with the Secretary and the Asso-
ciation in carrying out their duties under this Act
and, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate
such activities with the carrying out of such duties;
and,
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, conduct
or support such activities in a manner which the as-
sociation determines will not have an adverse effect
on the heritage area.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated for the purposes of this Act not more than
$1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not more than a total of
$10,000,000 may be appropriated for the Association
under this Act.
(b) MATCHING FUNDS.—Federal funding provided
under this Act may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost
of any assistance or grant provided or authorized under
this Act.
SEC. 10. SUNSET.
The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance
under this Act shall terminate on the day occurring 15
years after the date of enactment of the Act.
Æ