IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1049 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
DECEMBER 7, 2020 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources 
AN ACT 
To authorize a National Heritage Area Program, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘National Heritage Area Act of 2020’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
Sec. 3. National Heritage Area System. 
Sec. 4. National Heritage Area System management. 
Sec. 5. Study areas. 
Sec. 6. Local coordinating entities. 
Sec. 7. Property owners and regulatory protections. 
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 9. Statutory Clarification. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The term ‘‘feasibility 
study’’ means a study conducted by the Secretary, 
or conducted by one or more other interested parties 
and reviewed and approved by the Secretary, in ac-
cordance with the criteria and processes required by 
section 5, to determine whether a study area meets 
the criteria to be designated by Federal statute as 
a National Heritage Area. 
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
means any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, na-
tion, pueblo, village, or other community the name 
of which is included on the list most recently pub-
lished by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to 
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section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian 
Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 
(3) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 
‘‘local coordinating entity’’ means the entity des-
ignated by Federal statute to— 
(A) carry out, in partnership with other in-
dividuals and entities, the management plan for 
a National Heritage Area; and 
(B) operate a National Heritage Area, in-
cluding through the implementation of projects 
and programs among diverse partners in a Na-
tional Heritage Area. 
(4) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage-
ment plan’’ means the management plan for a Na-
tional Heritage Area required under this Act. 
(5) NATIONAL
HERITAGE
AREA.—The term 
‘‘National Heritage Area’’ means— 
(A) each National Heritage Area, National 
Heritage Corridor, Natural Preservation Com-
mission, National Heritage Canalway, National 
Heritage Route, Heritage Corridor, Cultural 
Heritage Corridor, Heritage Partnership, and 
National Heritage Partnership, the Shenandoah 
Valley Battlefields National Historic District, 
or other area designated by Federal statute 
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with the explicit purpose of establishing a na-
tional heritage area designated by Congress be-
fore or on the date of enactment of this Act; 
and 
(B) each National Heritage Area des-
ignated by Federal statute after the date of en-
actment of this Act, unless the law designating 
the area exempts that area from the National 
Heritage Area System by specific reference to 
this Act. 
(6) NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA SYSTEM.—The 
term ‘‘National Heritage Area System’’ means the 
system of National Heritage Areas established by 
this Act. 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(8) STUDY
AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 
means a specific geographic area that is the subject 
of a feasibility study under section 5. 
(9) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 
government’’ means the governing body of an Indian 
Tribe. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to recognize certain 
areas of the United States that tell nationally significant 
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stories and to conserve, enhance, and interpret the areas’ 
natural, historic, scenic, and cultural resources that to-
gether illustrate significant aspects of our country’s herit-
age, there is established a National Heritage Area System 
through which the Secretary may provide technical and 
financial assistance to local coordinating entities to sup-
port the establishment, development, and continuity of 
National Heritage Areas. 
(b) NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA SYSTEM.—The Na-
tional Heritage Area System shall be composed of all Na-
tional Heritage Areas. 
(c) RELATIONSHIP TO THE NATIONAL PARK SYS-
TEM.— 
(1) 
RELATIONSHIP
TO
NATIONAL
PARK 
UNITS.—The Secretary shall encourage participation 
and assistance by any unit of the National Park 
System located near or encompassed by any Na-
tional Heritage Area in local initiatives for that Na-
tional Heritage Area that conserve and interpret re-
sources consistent with an approved management 
plan for the National Heritage Area. 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—National Herit-
age Areas shall not be— 
(A) considered to be units of the National 
Park System; or 
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(B) subject to the authorities applicable to 
units of the National Park System. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA SYSTEM MANAGEMENT. 
(a) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 
a National Heritage Area is included in the National 
Heritage Area System outlined by this Act, the local 
coordinating entity of the National Heritage Area 
shall submit to the Secretary for approval a manage-
ment plan for the National 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 
National Heritage Area; 
(B) be developed using a comprehensive 
planning approach that includes— 
(i) opportunities for stakeholders, in-
cluding community members, local and re-
gional governments, Tribal governments, 
businesses, nonprofit organizations, and 
other interested parties— 
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(I) to be involved in the planning 
process; and 
(II) to review and comment on 
draft management plans; and 
(ii) documentation of the planning 
and public participation processes, includ-
ing a description of— 
(I) the means by which the man-
agement plan was prepared; 
(II) the stakeholders involved in 
the process; and 
(III) the timing and method of 
stakeholder involvement; 
(C) include— 
(i) an inventory of— 
(I) the resources located in the 
National Heritage Area; and 
(II) any other property in the 
National Heritage Area that— 
(aa) is related to the themes 
of the National Heritage Area; 
and 
(bb) should be preserved, re-
stored, managed, or maintained 
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because of the significance of the 
property; 
(ii) comprehensive policies, strategies 
and recommendations for the conservation, 
funding, management, and development of 
the National Heritage Area; 
(iii) a description of actions that the 
Federal, Tribal, State, and local govern-
ments, private organizations, and individ-
uals have agreed to take to protect the 
natural, historical, cultural, scenic, and 
recreational resources of the National Her-
itage Area; 
(iv) a program of implementation for 
the management plan by the local coordi-
nating entity that includes a description 
of— 
(I) actions to facilitate ongoing 
collaboration among partners to pro-
mote plans for resource protection, 
restoration, and construction; and 
(II) specific commitments for im-
plementation that have been made by 
the local coordinating entity or any 
government, organization, or indi-
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vidual for the first 5 years of oper-
ation; 
(v) the identification of sources of 
funding for carrying out the management 
plan; 
(vi) analysis and recommendations for 
means by which Federal, Tribal, State, 
and local programs, including the role of 
the National Park Service in the National 
Heritage Area, may best be coordinated to 
carry out this subsection; and 
(vii) an interpretive plan for the Na-
tional 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 National Heritage 
Area. 
(3) EXCEPTIONS.—The requirements in para-
graph (2) shall not apply to management plans in 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
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(b) EVALUATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year before 
the authorization for Federal funding expires for a 
National Heritage Area, the Secretary shall— 
(A) conduct an evaluation of the accom-
plishments of that National Heritage Area; and 
(B) prepare and submit a report detailing 
the evaluation required by subparagraph (A) 
to— 
(i) the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives; 
and 
(ii) the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate. 
(2) EVALUATION COMPONENTS.—An evaluation 
prepared under paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) assess the progress of the local coordi-
nating entity with respect to— 
(i) accomplishing the purposes of the 
authorizing legislation for the National 
Heritage Area; and 
(ii) achieving the goals and objectives 
of the approved management plan for the 
National Heritage Area; 
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(B) analyze the Federal, Tribal, State, 
local, and private investments in the National 
Heritage Area to assess the impact of the in-
vestments; and 
(C) review the management structure, 
partnership relationships, and funding of the 
National Heritage Area. 
(3) RESULTS
OF
EVALUATION.—Based upon 
the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall prepare a report with recommendations for the 
National Park Service’s continued role, if any, with 
respect to the National Heritage Area. If the report 
recommends that Federal funding for the National 
Heritage Area be— 
(A) continued, the report shall include an 
analysis of— 
(i) ways in which Federal funding for 
the National Heritage Area may be re-
duced or eliminated over time; 
(ii) the appropriate time period nec-
essary to achieve the recommended reduc-
tion or elimination; and 
(iii) justification for the continued 
funding in light of other National Park 
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