Confederate Commemorative Works Inventory and Joint Resource Study Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7550 To direct the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to inventory Confederate commemorative works on certain Federal lands, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 9, 2020 Mr. MCEACHIN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi- sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To direct the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to inven- tory Confederate commemorative works on certain Fed- eral lands, 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. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Confederate Com- 4 memorative Works Inventory and Joint Resource Study 5 Act’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:51 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7550.IH H7550 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7550 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) The American Civil War was fought be- 3 tween 1861 and 1865. 4 (2) As early as 1864, efforts were underway to 5 preserve places that had been the location of pivotal 6 battles during the Civil War, even before surrender 7 occurred. 8 (3) The National Park Service preserves 9 unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and 10 values of the National Park System for the enjoy- 11 ment, education, and inspiration of this and future 12 generations, including sites dedicated to the inter- 13 pretation of the American Civil War. 14 (4) The National Park Service, the Department 15 of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense 16 administer public lands that are responsible for Con- 17 federate commemorative works. Public lands play a 18 vital role in capturing the historical and cultural sto- 19 ries that shape the Nation’s history, and the lands 20 administered by the National Park Service, the De- 21 partment of Veterans Affairs, and the Department 22 of Defense help facilitate the national narrative of 23 the American Civil War. 24 (5) There are 147 national cemeteries in the 25 United States. Fourteen are maintained by the De- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:51 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7550.IH H7550 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7550 IH partment of the Interior, through the National Park 1 Service. The Department of Veterans Affairs, 2 through the National Cemetery Administration, ad- 3 ministers 131 cemeteries. The Department of De- 4 fense, through the Army, administers 2 cemeteries. 5 (6) The Department of Defense has jurisdiction 6 over— 7 (A) 10 major United States military instal- 8 lations named in honor of Confederate military 9 leaders; and 10 (B) Navy ships named after Confederate 11 victories. 12 (7) Given the significance these public lands 13 and works play in our Nation’s education and reflec- 14 tion of the American Civil War, a full inventory and 15 special resource study are necessary to locate Con- 16 federate commemorative works and help evaluate 17 their suitability as resources for the interpretation of 18 the American Civil War. 19 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 20 For the purposes of this Act: 21 (1) CONFEDERATE COMMEMORATIVE WORK.— 22 The term ‘‘Confederate commemorative work’’— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:51 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7550.IH H7550 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7550 IH (A) means any work that mentions individ- 1 uals or units who participated or served in the 2 advancement of Confederate efforts; and 3 (B) includes the Confederate flag and any 4 other symbols or signage that honors the Con- 5 federacy, including any monument, statue, or 6 plaque that honors a Confederate leader, sol- 7 dier, or supporter of the Confederate States of 8 America. 9 (2) CONFEDERATE FLAG.—The term ‘‘Confed- 10 erate flag’’— 11 (A) means the national flag of the Confed- 12 eracy from 1861 through 1865; and 13 (B) includes the Stars and Bars, the 14 Stainless Banner, the Blood-Stained Banner, 15 the Confederate States Navy flag, the battle 16 flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, any 17 State or regimental flag as such flag was de- 18 picted from 1861 through 1865, and modern 19 representations of the Confederate battle flag. 20 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 21 the Director of the National Park Service. 22 (4) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec- 23 retary concerned’’ means the Secretary of the Inte- 24 rior, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:51 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7550.IH H7550 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7550 IH Veterans Affairs, each in reference to Federal land 1 under the jurisdiction of that Secretary. 2 SEC. 4. INVENTORY AND RESOURCE STUDY. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each Secretary concerned shall— 4 (1) conduct a full inventory of Confederate 5 commemorative works under the administrative ju- 6 risdiction of that Secretary; and 7 (2) submit a copy of that inventory to the Di- 8 rector. 9 (b) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—Using the inventories re- 10 ceived pursuant to subsection (a), the Director shall con- 11 duct a special resource study that— 12 (1) examines works, commemorating and inter- 13 preting the Civil War, the commemoration thereof, 14 the soldiers, people on the home front and battle 15 lines, and the related locations in the United States 16 from 1861 through 1865; and 17 (2) identifies— 18 (A) a historical assessment, based on ex- 19 tensive research, of each inventoried Confed- 20 erate commemorative work; 21 (B) an evaluation of the suitability and 22 feasibility of retaining the Confederate com- 23 memorative work; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:51 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7550.IH H7550 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7550 IH (C) the identification of properties that 1 could meet criteria for listing in the National 2 Register of Historic Places or criteria for des- 3 ignation as National Historic Landmarks or if 4 the Confederate commemorative work is already 5 on the or part of, another designation or dis- 6 trict; 7 (D) an evaluation of relevant historical re- 8 search on, education about, interpretation of, 9 and public awareness of the Confederate com- 10 memorative work; and 11 (E) any other matters that the Director 12 determines to be appropriate for this study. 13 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after funds are 14 made available for the study, the Secretary of the Interior 15 shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of 16 the House of Representatives and the Committee on En- 17 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report con- 18 taining the findings of the study required under subsection 19 (b) and any related recommendations. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:51 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7550.IH H7550 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS