Title: Long Island Aviation History Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Long Island Aviation History Act
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of Long Island, New York, with a particular focus on the Hempstead Plains, the areas surrounding Suffolk County Air Force Base, the hamlet of Bethpage, the hamlet of Port Washington, and the village of Farmingdale. Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the area based on an assessment of the aviation history of Long Island and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the area as a unit of the National Park System in commemoration of Long Island's aviation history.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2369 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2369

   To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of 
    alternatives for commemorating Long Island's aviation history, 
    including a determination of the suitability and feasibility of 
  designating parts of the study area as a unit of the National Park 
                    System, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2019

 Miss Rice of New York (for herself, Ms. Meng, Mr. Zeldin, Mr. Suozzi, 
  Mr. King of New York, and Mr. Meeks) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of 
    alternatives for commemorating Long Island's aviation history, 
    including a determination of the suitability and feasibility of 
  designating parts of the study area as a unit of the National Park 
                    System, 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 ``Long Island Aviation History Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Long Island has played an indispensable role in the 
        development of the aviation industry in the United States. In 
        particular, the Hempstead Plains, Suffolk County Air Force 
        Base, and parts of Bethpage, Port Washington, and Farmingdale 
        contain notable landmarks of aviation history.
            (2) The Hempstead Plains encompass approximately 950 acres 
        east of Clinton Road and south of Old Country Road in Garden 
        City, New York, and have been called the ``Cradle of 
        Aviation''.
            (3) In the early 20th century, the Hempstead Plains had 3 
        major airfields, all of great historical significance: 
        Roosevelt Field, Curtiss Field, and Mitchel Field.
            (4) During World War I, the airfields of Hempstead Plains 
        were an important training center for United States military 
        pilots, as well as a major hub for military aircraft research, 
        development, and production.
            (5) The first transatlantic flight, carried out by the U.S. 
        Navy Curtiss NC-4 in 1919, took off from Rockaway, New York, 
        and cemented the United States leading role in aviation 
        innovation. This aircraft was built at the Curtiss factory in 
        Garden City--a building which still stands.
            (6) Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York, was the point 
        of departure for Charles Lindbergh's famous transatlantic 
        flight aboard the Spirit of St. Louis completed on May 20, 
        1927.
            (7) In 1929, Amelia Earhart and other pioneering women 
        pilots founded the International Organization of Women Pilots, 
        or the Ninety-Nines, at Curtiss Field.
            (8) Curtiss Field also served as the terminus for 
        transcontinental airmail from 1918-1929.
            (9) In the 1930s, Roosevelt Field was the busiest civilian 
        airfield in the United States, and played a role in many other 
        historic transcontinental, transatlantic, and record-setting 
        flights.
            (10) Port Washington, New York, once known as the 
        ``Plymouth Rock'' of American aviation, was Pan American World 
        Airways' trans-Atlantic hub on Manhasset Isle from 1934 to 
        1940.
            (11) During World War II, Long Island was a crucial center 
        of military aircraft production. These aircraft, produced in 
        huge numbers for the Army, Navy, and foreign governments, were 
        of excellent quality and had a major impact on the course of 
        the war in all theaters.
            (12) Most notably, the Grumman Aircraft Company, based in 
        Bethpage, New York, and the Republic Aviation Corporation, 
        based in Farmingdale, New York, manufactured innovative planes 
        that proved highly valuable to the U.S. military such as 
        Grumman's F6F-3 Hellcat and Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt.
            (13) Mitchel Air Force Base, located on the Hempstead 
        Plains, served as the original location of the Air Defense 
        Command upon its inception in 1940, and was integral to the 
        defense of the mainland United States during World War II and 
        thereafter.
            (14) In 1951, the Suffolk County Air Force Base, located in 
        Westhampton, New York, became the prime Air Defense Command 
        base responsible for defending the New York City metropolitan 
        area from all air attacks.
            (15) In 1962, Grumman won the contract to build the Lunar 
        Module as part of the Apollo Program, and in 1969 the first men 
        traveled to the moon aboard a spacecraft built with the 
        expertise of Long Island's aviation industry.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special 
resource study of the study area.
    (b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) evaluate the national significance of the study area 
        based on an assessment of Long Island's aviation history;
            (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
        designating parts of the study area as a unit of the National 
        Park System commemorating Long Island's aviation history;
            (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 
        protection, and interpretation of the study area by Federal, 
        State, or local governmental entities, or private and nonprofit 
        organizations;
            (4) identify properties related to Long Island's aviation 
        history that could meet criteria for listing in the National 
        Register of Historic Places or criteria for designation as 
        National Historic Landmarks;
            (5) consult with interested Federal, State, or local 
        governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations, or 
        any other interested individuals;
            (6) consider the appropriate management options needed to 
        ensure the protection, preservation, and interpretation of the 
        study area;
            (7) evaluate appropriate ways to enhance historical 
        research, education, interpretation, and public awareness of 
        Long Island's aviation history; and
            (8) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, 
        development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance 
        associated with the alternatives.
    (c) Study Area.--The term ``study area'' means Long Island with a 
particular focus on the Hempstead Plains, the areas surrounding Suffolk 
County Air Force Base, the hamlet of Bethpage, the hamlet of Port 
Washington, and the village of Farmingdale.
    (d) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of title 54, United 
States Code.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 
are first made available for the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report containing the results of the study 
and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
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