To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain lands as the Los Caminos del Rio National Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes.

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6499 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain lands as the Los Caminos del Rio National Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 14, 2020 Mr. CUELLAR (for himself and Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas) 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 to assess the suitability and feasibility of desig- nating certain lands as the Los Caminos del Rio National Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. LOS CAMINOS DEL RIO. 3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 4 (1) CORRIDOR.—The term ‘‘Corridor’’ means 5 the Los Caminos del Rio National Heritage Cor- 6 ridor. 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:52 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6499.IH H6499 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6499 IH (2) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map ti- 1 tled ‘‘Los Caminos del Rio National Heritage Cor- 2 ridor’’ and dated April 2020. 3 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 4 the Secretary of the Interior. 5 (4) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 6 means the study area described in subsection (b)(2). 7 (b) STUDY.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta- 9 tion with State historic preservation officers, State 10 historical societies, State tourism offices, State nat- 11 ural resource agencies, and other appropriate re- 12 gional and local organizations or agencies, shall con- 13 duct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility 14 of designating the study area as the Los Caminos 15 del Rio National Heritage Corridor. 16 (2) STUDY AREA.—The study area includes— 17 (A) the portion of the Rio Grande River 18 and surrounding areas, as generally depicted on 19 the map; and 20 (B) any other areas in the State of Texas 21 that— 22 (i) have a shared heritage with the 23 areas depicted on the map described in 24 subparagraph (A); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:52 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6499.IH H6499 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6499 IH (ii) are adjacent to, or in the vicinity 1 of, those areas. 2 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The study shall include 3 analysis, documentation, and determinations on 4 whether the study area— 5 (A) has an assemblage of natural, historic, 6 and cultural resources that— 7 (i) represent distinctive aspects of the 8 heritage of the United States; 9 (ii) are worthy of recognition, con- 10 servation, interpretation, and continuing 11 use by residents and visitors; and 12 (iii) would be best managed— 13 (I) through partnerships among 14 public and private entities; and 15 (II) by linking diverse and some- 16 times noncontiguous resources and ac- 17 tive communities that share a com- 18 mon heritage; 19 (B) reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, 20 and folklife that are a valuable part of the story 21 of the United States; 22 (C) provides— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:52 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6499.IH H6499 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6499 IH (i) outstanding opportunities to con- 1 serve natural, historic, cultural, or scenic 2 features; and 3 (ii) outstanding recreational and edu- 4 cational and cultural tourism opportuni- 5 ties; 6 (D) contains resources that— 7 (i) are important to any identified 8 themes of the study area; and 9 (ii) retain a degree of integrity capa- 10 ble of supporting interpretation; 11 (E) includes residents, business interests, 12 nonprofit organizations, including museums and 13 heritage organizations, and State and local gov- 14 ernments that— 15 (i) are involved in the planning of the 16 Corridor; 17 (ii) have developed a conceptual finan- 18 cial plan that outlines the roles of all par- 19 ticipants in the Corridor, including the 20 Federal Government; and 21 (iii) have demonstrated support for 22 the designation of the Corridor; 23 (F) has a potential management entity to 24 work in partnership with the individuals and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:52 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6499.IH H6499 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6499 IH entities described in subparagraph (E) to de- 1 velop the Corridor while encouraging State and 2 local economic activity; and 3 (G) has a conceptual boundary map that is 4 supported by the public. 5 (c) REPORT.—Not later than the end of the third fis- 6 cal year after the date on which funds are first made avail- 7 able for this section, the Secretary shall submit to the 8 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep- 9 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 10 Resources of the Senate a report that describes— 11 (1) the findings of the study; and 12 (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the 13 Secretary. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:52 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H6499.IH H6499 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS