Title: African American Civil Rights Network Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
African American Civil Rights Network Act
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the National Park Service (NPS) an African American Civil Rights Network that encompasses: (1) all NPS units and programs that relate to the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968; (2) other federal, state, local, and privately owned properties that relate to the African American civil rights movement and that are included in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to such movement.
In carrying out the network, Interior must: (1) review civil rights movement studies and reports that may already be underway or completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study; (2) produce and disseminate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information; (3) provide technical assistance; and (4) adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the network and issue regulations for the symbol's use.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 857 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 857

To amend title 54, United States Code, to establish within the National 
 Park Service the African American Civil Rights Network, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2017

  Mr. Brown (for himself and Mr. Alexander) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 54, United States Code, to establish within the National 
 Park Service the African American Civil Rights Network, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``African American Civil Rights 
Network Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to recognize--
                    (A) the importance of the African American civil 
                rights movement; and
                    (B) the sacrifices made by the people who fought 
                against discrimination and segregation; and
            (2) to authorize the National Park Service to coordinate 
        and facilitate Federal and non-Federal activities to 
        commemorate, honor, and interpret--
                    (A) the history of the African American civil 
                rights movement;
                    (B) the significance of the civil rights movement 
                as a crucial element in the evolution of the Civil 
                Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq.); and
                    (C) the relevance of the African American civil 
                rights movement in fostering the spirit of social 
                justice and national reconciliation.

SEC. 3. AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS NETWORK PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subdivision 1 of division B of subtitle III of 
title 54, United States Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 
3083 the following:

         ``CHAPTER 3084--AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS NETWORK

``Sec.
``308401. Definition of Network.
``308402. African American Civil Rights Network.
``308403. Cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding.
``Sec. 308401. Definition of Network
    ``In this chapter, the term `Network' means the African American 
Civil Rights Network established under section 308402(a).
``Sec. 308402. African American Civil Rights Network
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish, within the 
Service, a program to be known as the `African American Civil Rights 
Network'.
    ``(b) Duties of Secretary.--In carrying out the Network, the 
Secretary shall--
            ``(1) review studies and reports to complement and not 
        duplicate studies of the historical importance of the African 
        American civil rights movement that may be underway or 
        completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study;
            ``(2) produce and disseminate appropriate educational 
        materials relating to the African American civil rights 
        movement, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or 
        electronic information;
            ``(3) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and 
        memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance 
        under subsection (c); and
            ``(4)(A) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or 
        device for the Network; and
            ``(B) issue regulations for the use of the symbol or device 
        adopted under subparagraph (A).
    ``(c) Elements.--The Network shall encompass the following 
elements:
            ``(1) All units and programs of the Service that are 
        determined by the Secretary to relate to the African American 
        civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968.
            ``(2) Other Federal, State, local, and privately owned 
        properties that--
                    ``(A) relate to the African American civil rights 
                movement;
                    ``(B) have a verifiable connection to the African 
                American civil rights movement; and
                    ``(C) are included in, or determined by the 
                Secretary to be eligible for inclusion in, the National 
                Register of Historic Places.
            ``(3) Other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and 
        programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature 
        that are directly related to the African American civil rights 
        movement.
``Sec. 308403. Cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding
    ``To achieve the purposes of this chapter and to ensure effective 
coordination of the Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network 
described in section 308402(c) with System units and programs of the 
Service, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements and 
memoranda of understanding with, and provide technical assistance to 
the heads of other Federal agencies, States, units of local government, 
regional governmental bodies, and private entities.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters for subdivision 1 of 
division B of subtitle III of title 54, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to chapter 3083 the following:

``3084. African American Civil Rights Network...............  308401''.
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