I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4122 
To amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real 
de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 1, 2004 
Mr. RODRIGUEZ (for himself, Mr. SANDLIN, Mr. TURNER of Texas, Mr. 
ORTIZ, Mr. FROST, Mr. GREEN of Texas, and Mr. DOGGETT) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the National Trails System Act to designate El 
Camino Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail. 
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 ‘‘El Camino Real de 
los Tejas National Historic Trail Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION. 
Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 
U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(23) EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), El Camino Real de los Tejas (The 
Royal Road of historic Tejas) National Historic 
Trail, a combination of historic routes totaling 
2,580 miles in length from the Rio Grande near 
Eagle Pass and Laredo, Texas, to Natchitoches, 
Louisiana, and including the Old San Antonio 
Road, as generally depicted on the maps enti-
tled ‘El Camino Real de los Tejas’, contained in 
the report prepared pursuant to subsection (b) 
entitled ‘National Historic Trail Feasibility 
Study and Environmental Assessment: El Ca-
mino Real de los Tejas, Texas-Louisiana’, dated 
July 1998. The National Park Service is au-
thorized to administer designated portions of 
this trail system as a national historic trail as 
set forth in this paragraph. 
‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(i) PUBLICLY OWNED LANDS.—Con-
gress authorizes the establishment of El 
Camino Real de los Tejas national historic 
trail and the respective administration on 
those portions of the historic trail routes 
and related historic sites within publicly 
owned lands when such trail related re-
sources meet the purposes of this Act or 
certification criteria set by the Secretary of 
the Interior per section 3(a)(3) of this Act. 
‘‘(ii) PRIVATELY
OWNED
LANDS.— 
Congress authorizes the establishment of 
El Camino Real de los Tejas national his-
toric trail and the respective administra-
tion on those portions of the historic trail 
routes and related historic sites within pri-
vately owned lands only through the vol-
untary and expressed consent of the owner 
and when such trails and sites qualify for 
certification as officially established compo-
nents of the national historic trail. The 
owner’s approval of a certification agree-
ment satisfies the consent requirement. 
Certification agreements are not legally 
binding and may be terminated at any 
time. Should land ownership change at a 
certified site, the certification will cease to 
be valid unless the new owner consents to 
a new agreement. 
‘‘(C) PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS PROTEC-
TION.—Nothing in this Act or in the establish-
ment of any portion of the national historic
trail authorizes any person to enter private 
property without the consent of the owner. 
Nothing in this Act or in the establishment of 
any portion of the national historic trail will au-
thorize the Federal Government to restrict pri-
vate property owner’s use or enjoyment of their 
property subject to other laws or regulations. 
Authorization of El Camino Real de los Tejas 
National Historic Trail under this Act does not 
itself confer any additional authority to apply 
other Federal laws and regulations on non-Fed-
eral lands along the trail. Laws or regulations 
requiring public entities and agencies to take 
into consideration a national historic trail shall 
continue to apply notwithstanding the fore-
going. Notwithstanding section 7(g) of this Act, 
the United States is authorized to acquire pri-
vately owned real property or an interest in 
such property for purposes of the national his-
toric trail only with the consent of the owner of 
such property and shall have no authority to 
condemn or otherwise appropriate privately 
owned real property or an interest in such prop-
erty for the purposes of El Camino Real de los 
Tejas National Historic Trail.
‘‘(D) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—The 
Secretary of the Interior may coordinate with 
United States and Mexican public and non-
governmental organizations, academic institu-
tions, and, in consultation with the Secretary of 
State, the Government of Mexico and its polit-
ical subdivisions, for the purpose of exchanging 
trail information and research, fostering trail 
preservation and educational programs, pro-
viding technical assistance, and working to es-
tablish an international historic trail with com-
plementary preservation and education pro-
grams in each nation. 
‘‘(E) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of 
the Interior shall consult with appropriate State 
agencies in the the planning, development, and 
maintenance of El Camino Real de los Tejas 
National Historic Trail.’’. 
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