I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1581 
To establish the Fort Monroe National Historical Park in the Commonwealth 
of Virginia, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2025 
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia (for himself, Mr. WITTMAN, Ms. MCCLELLAN, and 
Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the Fort Monroe National Historical Park in 
the Commonwealth of Virginia, 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 ‘‘Fort Monroe National 
Historical Park Establishment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMONWEALTH.—The term ‘‘Common-
wealth’’ means the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
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(2) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map ti-
tled ‘‘Fort Monroe National Historical Park Pro-
posed Boundary’’, numbered 250/193734, and dated 
June 2024. 
(3) HISTORICAL PARK.—The term ‘‘Historical 
Park’’ means the Fort Monroe National Historical 
Park established by section (3)(a). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF FORT MONROE NATIONAL HIS-
TORICAL PARK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established the Fort 
Monroe National Historical Park in the Commonwealth to 
preserve the historic, natural, and recreational resources 
of Fort Monroe and interpret for the benefit of present 
and future generations— 
(1) Old Point Comfort, its relationship to the 
voyages of Captain John Smith, its location as the 
first entry place of captive Africans into English 
North America, its use for successive fortifications, 
and its role in the War of 1812; 
(2) the development and use of Fort Monroe as 
a coastal defense facility and artillery training cen-
ter, including its military and community life; 
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(3) the fort’s role in the Civil War, including 
the 1861 Contraband Decision providing a pathway 
to freedom for those escaping enslavement during 
that war, and the formation and service of United 
States Colored Troop units stationed at Fort Mon-
roe; 
(4) persons and events associated with the fort, 
which contributed to its and the Nation’s history, 
and their relevance to modern society; and 
(5) the natural and recreational resource values 
associated with Fort Monroe. 
(b) ABOLISHMENT OF NATIONAL MONUMENT.—The 
Fort Monroe National Monument, established by Presi-
dential Proclamation 8750 of November 1, 2011 (54 
U.S.C. 320301 note), is abolished and all land or interests 
in land therein are incorporated into, and shall be consid-
ered to be part of, the Historical Park. 
(c) AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS.—Any unobligated 
funds available for purposes of the Fort Monroe National 
Monument shall be available for purposes of the Historical 
Park. 
(d) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, regula-
tion, document, record, map, or other paper of the United 
States to Fort Monroe National Monument shall be 
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deemed to be a reference to ‘‘Fort Monroe National His-
torical Park’’. 
SEC. 4. BOUNDARY; ACQUISITION OF LAND. 
(a) BOUNDARY.—The boundary of the Historical 
Park shall be as generally depicted on the Map. 
(b) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The Map shall be on file 
and available for public inspection in the appropriate of-
fices of the National Park Service. 
(c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary may ac-
quire land, including interests in land, within the bound-
aries of the Historical Park by donation, transfer, ex-
change, or purchase from a willing seller using donated 
or appropriated funds. 
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 
the Historical Park in accordance with— 
(1) this Act; and 
(2) the laws generally applicable to units of the 
National Park System, including— 
(A) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and 
sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753 and 
102101 of title 54, United States Code; and 
(B) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States 
Code. 
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complies with the Secretary’s Standards for the Treat-
ment of Historic Properties, and section 306108 of title 
54, United States Code (formerly section 106 of the Na-
tional Historic Preservation Act), as applicable. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF
EX-OFFICIO
APPOINT-
MENTS.—The Superintendent of the Historical Park is au-
thorized to serve as an ex-officio member of such boards 
or committees affecting Fort Monroe that the Secretary 
considers beneficial to the preservation of Historical Park 
resources and which further the interpretive or edu-
cational purposes of the Historical Park. 
(e) COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 
may enter into cooperative agreements with the Common-
wealth or other public or private entities to identify, inter-
pret, and provide financial and technical assistance for the 
preservation of non-Federal resources within the boundary 
of the Historical Park and outside of the boundary in close 
proximity to the Historical Park provided that— 
(1) any cooperative agreement entered into to 
provide assistance to non-Federal land shall provide 
for reasonable public access to the non-Federal land; 
(2) no changes or alterations shall be made to 
the exterior of the properties except by mutual 
agreement of the other parties to the agreements; 
and 
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(3) the Federal share of the total cost of any 
activity carried out under the agreement shall be not 
more than 50 percent, with in-kind contributions or 
goods or services fairly valued authorized, as appro-
priate, for the non-Federal share. 
(f) ADAPTIVE REUSE.—Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed to inhibit the Commonwealth from providing for 
the adaptive reuse of the interior of any non-federally 
owned historic resource in accordance with the Secretary’s 
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. 
Æ 
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