zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Pullman National Historical Park Act - Establishes the Pullman National Historical Park in Illinois as a unit of the National Park System to: (1) preserve and interpret for the benefit of future generations the significant labor, industrial, civil rights, and social history of the Park, the significant architectural structures in the Park, and the role of the Pullman community in the creation of the first national Labor Day holiday in the world; (2) coordinate preservation, protection, and interpretation efforts of the Park by the federal government, the state of Illinois, units of local government, and private and nonprofit organizations; and (3) coordinate appropriate management options necessary to ensure the protection, preservation, and interpretation of the many significant aspects of the Park.

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to complete a general management plan for the Park.

Date: 2014-01-27
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Commission on the Structure of the Army Act of 2014 - Establishes the National Commission on the Structure of the Army to undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of the Army to determine: (1) the proper force mixture of the active component and reserve component, and (2) how the structure should be modified to best fulfill mission requirements in a manner consistent with available resources.

Directs the Commission to give particular consideration to evaluating a structure that: (1) meets current and anticipated requirements of the combatant commands; (3) achieves a cost-efficiency balance between the regular and reserve components, with a focus on fully burdened and lifecycle cost of Army personnel; (3) ensures that the regular and reserve components have the capacity needed to support homeland defense and disaster assistance missions in the United States; (4) provides for sufficient numbers of regular members of the Army to provide a base of trained personnel from which the personnel of the reserve components could be recruited; (5) maintains a peacetime rotation force to support operational tempo goals of 1:2 for regular members and 1:5 for members of the reserve components; and (6) maximizes and appropriately balances affordability, efficiency, effectiveness, capability, and readiness.

Prohibits the use of any funds made available for FY2015 for the Army to: (1) divest, retire, or transfer, or prepare to divest, retire, or transfer, any aircraft of the Army assigned to units of the Army National Guard as of January 15, 2014; or (2) reduce personnel below the authorized end strength levels of 350,000 for the Army National Guard as of September 30, 2014.

Date: 2014-01-27
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act - Redesignates the Civil War defenses of Washington, which were constructed at the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 as a ring of fortifications in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and northern Virginia to protect the nation's Capital, as the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park.

Includes in the Park all areas associated with the Civil War defenses of Washington that are currently owned by the federal government and under the administration of the National Park Service (NPS), including Battleground National Cemetery.

Allows certain eligible sites and certain additional sites associated with the Civil War defenses of Washington to become affiliated with the Park pursuant to a cooperative agreement under this Act.

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study and consider creative and cost-effective ways to facilitate how the storied history of the Civil War for both the North and the South, including the history of the defenses of Washington and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, can be assembled, arrayed, and conveyed for the benefit of the public.

Date: 2014-02-05
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act - Adjusts the boundary of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin to include the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light Addition at the end of the breakwater on Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin.

Declares that Congress does not intend for the designation of that property to create a protective perimeter or buffer zone around its boundary. Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to operate, maintain, keep, locate, inspect, repair, and replace any federal aid to navigation located at the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light for as long as it is needed for navigational purposes.

Permits the Secretary to enter, at any time, the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light or any federal aid to navigation at the Breakwater Light, for as long as such aid is needed for navigational purposes, without notice to the extent that it is not possible to provide advance notice.

Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with the city of Ashland and the County of Bayfield, Wisconsin, for the purpose of cooperative law enforcement and emergency services within the boundaries of the Lakeshore.

Date: 2014-02-11
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act - Establishes the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission to study activities that may be carried out by the federal government to honor Frederick Douglass on the bicentennial anniversary of his birth.

Includes among the possible activities: (1) the issuance of a postage stamp, (2) the convening of a joint meeting or joint session of Congress for ceremonies and activities relating to Frederick Douglass, (3) a rededication of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and (4) the acquisition and preservation of related artifacts.

Directs the Commission to recommend appropriate activities in a final report to Congress within three years of the formation of such Commission or by December 1, 2017, whichever is sooner.

Terminates such Commission 120 days after it submits its final report to Congress.

Date: 2014-02-11
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church located at 775 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia, and the block on which the Church is located.

Requires the Secretary to

 evaluate the national significance of the site; determine the suitability and feasibility of designating such area as a unit of the National Park System; consider alternatives for the preservation, protection, and interpretation of the site; consider the effect of the designation of the study area as a unit of the National Park System on existing commercial and recreational activities, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting, and on the authorization, construction, operation, maintenance, or improvement of energy production and transmission infrastructure, and the authority of state and local governments to manage those activities; identify any authorities, including condemnation, that will compel or permit the Secretary to influence or participate in local land use decisions (such as zoning) or place restrictions on non-federal lands if the study area is designated as a unit of the National Park System. Requires owners of private property adjacent to the study area to be notified of the study's commencement and scope.

Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report containing the results of the study and any conclusions and recommendations.

Date: 2014-02-28
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Amends the National Law Enforcement Museum Act to extend by three years the authority to construct the National Law Enforcement Museum.

Date: 2014-02-28
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Adds the preservation of historical recreational activities as a purpose of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri.

Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from designating management zones in the Riverways, including but not limited to, "Developed," "Resource-based Recreation," "Natural," "Primitive," "Mixed-use River," "Seasonal Mixed-Use River," and "Nonmotorized River" zones.

Requires the Secretary to manage the Riverways in a manner that allows the public to engage in recreational horseback riding in areas of the park traditionally used for that purpose.

Requires the Secretary to manage the Riverways in a manner that: (1) allows maximum public access points to the riverways within the park for traditional recreational activities such as fishing, canoeing, kayaking, boating, swimming, gigging, and floating; (2) does not require a permit for a river baptism; (3) does not include the Riverways as part of a "National Blueway," or other similar program; and (4) does not manage lands within the Riverways as though they were specifically designated as wilderness without such a designation.

Directs the Secretary to manage the Riverways to allow the use of motorized vessels in a manner that is not more restrictive than the use restrictions in effect on November 21, 2013. Allows use of motorized vessels in a manner less restrictive than those restrictions.

Denies the eligibility of any area within the Riverways for congressional wilderness designation under the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Directs the Secretary to manage the Riverways in a manner that is not more restrictive than the provisions of the general management plan for it in effect on November 21, 2013. Allows management of the Riverways in a manner less restrictive than the plan.

Date: 2014-03-06
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act - Amends the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to extend through FY2030 the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to make grants or provide assistance for the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.

Date: 2014-03-12
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on July 17, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to the Salmon River in Idaho, to authorize or continue to authorize maintenance or replacement of the facilities and structures listed in this Act for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch.

Date: 2014-03-21
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Requires the Joint Committee on the Library to: (1) accept from the District of Columbia the donation of a statue depicting Pierre L'Enfant, subject to appropriate terms and conditions; and (2) place the statue in a suitable permanent location in the U.S.Capitol.

Date: 2014-03-27
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Congress
MotorCities National Heritage Area Extension Act - Amends the Automobile National Heritage Area Act to extend through FY2030 the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to make grants or provide assistance for the Automobile National Heritage Area in Michigan.

Date: 2014-04-08
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
World War I Memorial Act of 2014 - Designates the Liberty Memorial of Kansas City at America's National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

Redesignates Pershing Park in the District of Columbia as the World War I Memorial (Memorial).

Authorizes the World War I Centennial Commission (Commission) to plan, develop, and execute ceremonies to recognize the above designation and redesignation and to enhance the General Pershing Commemorative Work by constructing appropriate sculptural and other elements on the Memorial.

Amends the World War I Centennial Commission Act to: (1) allow for completion of construction at the Memorial after termination of the Commission, and (2) revise provisions concerning Commission members and pay rates. Prohibits any federal funds from being obligated or expended for the designation, establishment, or enhancement of a memorial or commemorative work by the Commission.

Date: 2014-04-28
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Declares that specified lands in Acadia National Park in Maine, which were conveyed by the National Park Service to the town of Tremont, Maine, for school purposes, shall no longer be required to be used exclusively and perpetually for such purposes, and upon their discontinuance of such a use, shall no longer be required to revert to the United States.

Date: 2014-04-30
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire up to five acres of land and interests in land, and improvements on it, outside the boundaries of Joshua Tree National Park in California, in the unincorporated village of Joshua Tree, California, for the purpose of operating a visitor center.

Instructs the Secretary to modify the boundary of the Park to include the acquired land as a noncontiguous parcel.

Allows the lands and facilities acquired under this Act to: (1) include the property currently owned by the Joshua Tree National Park Association and commonly referred to as the "Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center"; (2) be administered as part of the Park; and (3) be acquired only with the owner's consent by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or by exchange.

Date: 2014-05-06
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Park Partner Enhancement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to enter into challenge cost-share agreements and certain cooperative agreements with educational institutions and nonprofits (Park Partners) to advance National Park Service programs and projects.

Includes among these any programs and projects to: (1) manage cooperatively improvements on lands and programs within or related to at least one unit of the National Park System (NPS); (2) assist the National Park Service to plan and construct National Park facilities and trails and restore landscapes and resources within or related to at least one NPS unit; (3) provide educational and interpretive programs and services; (4) develop, distribute, or sell educational and interpretive materials and projects; and (5) raise funds and assets through donation to support such projects and programs.

Allows the Secretary to consider the fair value of services performed by persons who volunteer their services required for the agreement to the National Park Service, and who are recruited, trained, and supported by a Park Partner, as up to 50% of any in-kind contribution of the Park Partner for cost sharing purposes.

Requires any funds donated, proceeds received, or cost-recovery amounts provided through agreements to remain available, without future appropriation, until expended for preservation, restoration, operation, maintenance, interpretation, public programs, and related expenses of the National Park Service or Park Partner.

Date: 2014-05-08
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act to extend the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission until 30 years (currently, 15 years) after December 21, 2000.

Date: 2014-05-09
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to extend the North Country National Scenic Trail into Vermont.

Date: 2014-05-22
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Renames the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Memorial as the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.

Date: 2014-05-28
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Marine Access and State Transparency or the MAST Act - Amends the Antiquities Act of 1906 to bar the President from declaring any area of the exclusive economic zone to be a national monument unless:

 such declaration is specifically authorized by an Act of Congress; the President has submitted a proposal to make such declaration to the governor of each state, and of each territory, any part of which is located within 100 nautical miles of such area; each such governor submits to the President a notice that the legislature of that state or territory has approved the proposal; and the declaration is substantially the same as the proposal. Prohibits the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce, with respect to any area of the exclusive economic zone that is designated as a national monument, from implementing any restrictions on the public use of such a national monument until the expiration of an appropriate review period providing for public input and congressional approval.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2014 - Redesignates the Ocmulgee National Monument in Georgia as the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.

Adjusts the boundary of the Historical Park to include approximately 2,100 acres.

Directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Ocmulgee River corridor between the cities of Macon, Georgia, and Hawkinsville, Georgia, to determine: (1) the national significance of the study area; (2) the suitability and feasibility of adding lands in the study area to the National Park System; and (3) the methods and means for the protection and interpretation of the study area by the National Park Service, other federal, state, or local government entities, or private or nonprofit organizations.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 2014 - Modifies the boundary of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia to include approximately eight acres identified as Wallis House and Harriston Hill.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land or interests, by donation or exchange, from willing sellers only.

Requires written consent of property owners before the land is included in the park. Bars the Secretary from acquiring the land by condemnation.

Prohibits activities or uses outside the park from being regulated or precluded merely because those activities or uses can be seen, heard, or detected from within the park, thereby prohibiting this Act from being construed to create buffer zones outside the park.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan, Island, King, Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Jefferson, Clallam, and Grays Harbor Counties in the state of Washington.

Designates the Pacific Northwest Maritime Heritage Advisory Council operating under the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation as the local coordinating entity for the Heritage Area.

Requires the Council to submit a management plan for the Heritage Area.

Date: 2014-07-09
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on feasibility of designating as a national historic trail the Chief Standing Bear Trail extending approximately 550 miles from Niobrara, Nebraska, to Ponca City, Oklahoma, which follows the route taken by Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people during federal Indian removal, and approximately 550 miles from Ponca City through Omaha to Niobrara, Nebraska, which follows the return route taken by Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people.

Date: 2014-07-11
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission Reform Act - Revises requirements for appointing members to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission to allow the Senate and the House of Representatives to appoint persons instead of only Members of the Senate and the House to the Commission.

(Under current law, the President appoints four persons, the Senate appoints four Members of the Senate, and the House appoints four Members of the House. The bill allows the Senate and House appointments to be persons instead of only Members.)

Requires each appointment to the Commission to be made in consultation with the Eisenhower Foundation, a public foundation located in Abilene, Kansas.

Terminates the membership of the present Commission and the employment of present staff.

Date: 2014-07-25
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
John P. Parker House Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the John P. Parker House in Ripley, Ohio, to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing it as a unit of the National Park System.

Date: 2014-07-25
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire an additional four acres of land for the Petersburg National Battlefield.

Date: 2014-07-25
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Historic Vehicle Register Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Director of the National Park Service to expand and maintain a National Historic Vehicle Register composed of: (1) a narrative describing each historic vehicle and its significance, (2) a photographic record of the vehicle, and (3) line drawings or engineering drawings of the vehicle. Requires the Register to be archived in the Library of Congress.

Requires the Director to: (1) coordinate with the Historic Vehicle Association in order to invite owners of historic vehicles to participate in the Register, and (2) develop criteria for historic vehicles.

Requires the Director, when developing such criteria, to consider vehicles that are: (1) associated with important events or significant people in automotive or U.S. history; (2) distinctive based on design, engineering, craftsmanship, or aesthetic value; or (3) of a particular type that was the first or last produced or among the most well-preserved or authentically restored examples.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Arts, culture, religion
Prohibits the use of federal funds or the provision of technical assistance for the Heritage Partnership Program or any National Heritage Area.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National POW/MIA Remembrance Act of 2014 - Directs the Architect of the Capitol to: (1) enter into an agreement to obtain a chair featuring the logo of the National League of POW/MIA Families, and (2) place it on the Capitol grounds in a suitable permanent location within two years after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2014-08-01
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Congress
Yosemite National Park Public Access Preservation and Boundary Modification Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 1,575 acres of land adjacent to Yosemite National Park in California to be added to the Park. Permits such land to be acquired only by donation and only after the Secretary has disposed of, by public auction, approximately 1,575 acres of federal land under the Secretary's administration.

Requires the Secretary: (1) to administer such land as part of the Park; (2) not to prohibit recreational activities otherwise permitted within the Park upon this Act's enactment; and (3) within one year after acquiring such lands, to comply with a hazardous fuels reduction plan developed for such lands.

Date: 2014-08-01
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified river segments of the East Rosebud Creek in Montana as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Prohibits: (1) the inclusion of any private property within the boundaries of those segments, and (2) the acquisition of land or interests in land by condemnation within such boundaries.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to reauthorize through FY2024 Historic Preservation Fund activities related to the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and structures on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Establishes the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, comprised of approximately 18,610 acres of land in Inyo County, California. Declares that the purpose of the Area is to conserve, protect, and enhance for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of present and future generations the nationally significant scenic, cultural, recreational, geological, educational, biological, historical, cinematographic, and scientific resources of the Area managed consistent with the multiple use principles defined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) manage the Area as a component of the National Landscape Conservation System, (2) allow existing recreational uses of the Area to continue except as the Secretary otherwise determines to be necessary for public health and safety, (3) permit the use of motorized vehicles in the Area only on roads and trails designated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of a management plan promoting a semi-primitive motorized experience or on county-maintained roads in accordance with applicable state and county laws, and (4) develop a comprehensive plan for the Area's long-term management.

Permits the Secretary to acquire non-federal land within the Area only through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller. Withdraws the federal land within the Area from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.

Directs the Secretary to take approximately 132 acres of federal land into trust for the benefit of the Lone-Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe, excluding a specified right-of-way granted to the City of Los Angeles. Prohibits gaming on such land.

Transfers administrative jurisdiction of approximately 40 acres of specified federal land from the U.S. Forest Service to BLM.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Naugatuck River Valley National Heritage Area Study Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study on the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Naugatuck River Valley National Heritage Area in Connecticut. Requires submission of the study's results to Congress.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Fort Frederica National Monument Boundary Expansion Act of 2014 - Expands the boundary of the Fort Frederica National Monument on Saint Simon Island, Georgia. Increases the maximum number of acres that may be included in the monument from 250 to 525 acres.

Date: 2014-12-09
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act - Designates the memorial at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial, in honor of current and former members of the armed forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Prohibits the designation of such memorial from being construed to require or permit federal funds to be used for any related purpose.

Date: 2013-01-22
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Western States National Historic Trail Study Act of 2013 - Amends the National Trails System Act to require the Western States Trail, a trail of approximately 100 miles from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California, along which are conducted the Western States Trail Ride and the Western States Endurance Run, to be studied for designation as a national scenic trail. Requires such study to include a determination as to whether the Trail is appropriate for designation as a national historic trail.

Date: 2013-01-22
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of P.S. 103, the public school located in West Baltimore, Maryland, which former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall attended as a youth.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Monuments Act of 2011- Requires the President to obtain congressional approval of proposed national monuments situated upon land owned or controlled by the federal government and certify compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 prior to declaring national monuments.

Bars the Secretary of the Interior from implementing any restrictions on the public use of a national monument until the expiration of an appropriate review period providing for public input and congressional approval.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Public Access to Historical Records Act - Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to establish an official dataset on the historical temperature record.

Requires NASA to use the raw data related to temperature that is collected by applicable stations and vessels and to quantify the statistical uncertainty of each temperature observation and any subsequent products based on that observation.

Requires the gaps that exist in temperature station and temperature reading data to be clearly and fully identified.

Creates a panel to assist the Administrator in the establishment of the dataset.

Requires the Administrator, at least once every three years, to contract with an appropriate independent entity to perform a verification and validation of the dataset and requires the publication of any algorithms utilized, and any determinations made, in verifying and validating the dataset.

Requires persons and entities engaged in global climate research funded by the federal government to use the dataset as a source of data on the historical temperature record.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to provide for the immediate release of: (1) all raw temperature station data from cooperative observers and automated stations collected by the National Climatic Data Center, and (2) an analysis of the differences between raw and final temperature datasets collected by the Center.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.)

Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Powell Recreation District in Wyoming, without consideration, the land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Wind River District and identified as the Powell Gun Club for use as: (1) a shooting range, or (2) for any other public purpose consistent with the uses allowed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.

Instructs the Secretary to require the District to pay all survey and other administrative costs necessary for the preparation and completion of any patents for, and transfers of title to, such land.

Requires the conveyed land to revert, at the discretion of the Secretary, to the United States if such land ceases being used for a public purpose.

Requires the District to agree in writing to: (1) pay administrative costs associated with such conveyance, including the costs of environmental, wildlife, cultural, or historical resources studies; and (2) release and indemnify the United States from claims or liabilities that may arise from the uses carried out on such land on or before this Act's enactment.

Date: 2013-01-24
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Designates a specified mountain in Alaska as "Denali."

Date: 2013-01-28
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.)

 Denali National Park Improvement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for specified microhydro projects in the Kantishna Hills area within the Denali National Park and Preserve (the Park) in Alaska. Defines "microhydro project" as a hydroelectric power generating facility with a maximum power generation capability of 100 kilowatts and includes any distribution or transmission lines required to serve such area.

Requires the Secretary to complete, no later than 180 days after the submission of a permit application, any analysis required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 respecting any proposed or existing microhydro projects in such area.

Directs the Secretary to exchange Park land near or adjacent to land owned by Doyon Tourism, Inc., located at the mouth of Eureka Creek for approximately 18 acres of land owned by Doyon Tourism within the Galena patented mining claim. Instructs the Secretary to seek to complete such exchange by February 2015. Permits, if the values of the tracts proposed for exchange are determined not to be equal, an equalization of such values to be achieved by adjusting the quantity of the acreage owned by Doyon Tourism.

Requires the land acquired by the Secretary to be administered as part of the Park.

Authorizes the Secretary to issue right-of-way permits, subject to certain terms and conditions, for: (1) a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline (including appurtenances) in nonwilderness areas within the boundary of the Park within, along, or near the approximately seven-mile segment of the George Parks Highway that runs through the Park; and (2) any distribution and transmission pipelines and appurtenances that the Secretary determines to be necessary to provide natural gas supply to the Park.

Designates the Talkeetna Ranger Station that is on B Street in Talkeetna, Alaska, and that is approximately 100 miles south of the entrance to the Park, as the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station.

Date: 2013-01-28
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act.

 Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law.

 Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law.

 Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas.

 Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities.

 Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act.

Date: 2013-01-29
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania.

Designates the Susquehanna Heritage Corporation as the local coordinating entity for the Area.

Requires the Corporation to prepare and submit a management plan for the Area.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study alternatives for the commemoration and interpretation of the role of the Buffalo Soldiers (African-American troops who, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, came to be known as the Buffalo Soldiers) in the early years of the National Parks, which shall include: (1) an historical assessment of the Buffalo Soldiers who served in National Parks in the years prior to the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS); (2) an evaluation of the suitability and feasibility of establishing a national historic trail commemorating the route traveled by the Buffalo Soldiers from their post in the Presidio in San Francisco to the Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks and to any other National Parks where they may have served; (3) identification of properties that could meet criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or criteria for designation as National Historic Landmarks; and (4) an evaluation of ways of enhancing historical research, education, and awareness of the story of the Buffalo Soldiers' stewardship role in the National Parks. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report on the findings and recommendations of such study.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Establishment Act - Establishes the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area in California.

Designates the Delta Protection Commission as the management entity for the Heritage Area.

Requires the Commission to submit a proposed management plan for the Heritage Area to the Secretary of the Interior for approval.

Bars approval of the management plan until the Secretary has received certification from the Commission that the Delta Stewardship Council has reviewed such plan for consistency with the plan adopted by the Council pursuant to state law.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Cerros del Norte Conservation Act - Designates the Cerro del Yuta Wilderness and Rio San Antonio Wilderness within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Requires incorporation into the relevant wilderness area of any land or interests in land within the boundaries of such wilderness areas acquired by the United States.

Sets forth requirements for the management of the wilderness areas regarding: (1) livestock grazing, (2) the creation of protective perimeters and buffer zones, and (3) the jurisdiction of the state of New Mexico respecting fish and wildlife located on public land in New Mexico.

Releases specified public land within the San Antonio Wilderness Study Area not designated as wilderness by this Act from further study for such a designation.

Requires the wilderness areas to be administered as components of the National Landscape Conservation System.

Withdraws any federal land within the wilderness areas, including any acquired land or interest, from: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.

Denies that anything in this Act enlarges, diminishes, or otherwise modifies any treaty rights.

Date: 2013-02-07
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on April 22, 2013. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act - Establishes in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System.

Establishes in Auburn, New York, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park also as a unit of the National Park System.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities for the historical preservation and interpretation of the parks.

Requires the Secretary to complete a general management plan for the parks.

Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to decrease the federal share of project costs for navigation and safety improvements to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and Baltimore Harbor Connecting Channels in Delaware and Maryland.

Date: 2013-02-07
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Immigration Enforcement Transparency Act - Requires a law enforcement official enforcing an immigration law to collect specified data, including: (1) the basis for such enforcement action; (2) the individual's identifying characteristics, including race, gender, ethnicity, and age; (3) how long a stop or search lasted and whether consent was obtained; (4) a description of any items seized; (5) whether an arrest or detention was made, the justification for such arrest or detention, and the ultimate disposition of such arrest or detention; (6) the individual's immigration status and whether removal proceedings were subsequently initiated against that individual; and (7) whether the individual filed a complaint.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to compile such data and submit a related report to Congress annually.

Date: 2013-02-07
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Immigration
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Champion Hill, Port Gibson, and Raymond Battlefields Addition Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land or interests within the area identified as the modified core battlefield for the Port Gibson, Champion Hill, and Raymond battlefields of the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War for inclusion in the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.

Allows such lands to be acquired by donation, purchase, or exchange, except that land owned by the state of Mississippi or any political subdivisions of Mississippi may be acquired only by donation.

Requires the acquired land to be added to and administered as part of the Park.

Authorizes appropriations of $18.5 million for the acquisition and development of land under this Act.

Amends the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, in order to offset such amount, to reduce by $18.5 million any amounts of the annual authorization of appropriations for the Preserve America Program that are not yet appropriated as of the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on July 9, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Lower Mississippi River Area Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete a special resource study that evaluates the national significance of a specified study area located in Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana, and the feasibility of designating such area as a unit of the National Park System.

Requires such study to: (1) include cost estimates for the potential acquisition of the study area, and (2) identify alternatives for the management and protection of such area.

Bars the study from being conducted until funding is received either by: (1) the Secretary entering into an agreement with a state, unit of local government, or other entity to conduct the study using non-federal funds; or (2) the Secretary receiving a donation sufficient to pay the cost of conducting the study.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Colonel Charles Young Home Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Colonel Charles Young Home, a National Historic Landmark in Xenia, Ohio, to determine the feasibility of designating the Home as a unit of the National Park System. (Colonel Charles Young was a distinguished African-American officer in the U.S. Army, a pioneer of techniques in military intelligence, as well as a commander of troops in combat in the Spanish-American War and the Mexican expedition against Pancho Villa.)

Date: 2013-02-14
Topic: Public Lands (National Parks)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources