H.R. 4895 — Introduced in House

I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4895 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 29, 2018Mr. Thompson of Mississippi (for himself and Mr. Bishop of Utah) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To establish the Medgar Evers National Monument in the State of Mississippi, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Medgar Evers National Monument Act. 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Home The term Home means the Medgar Evers Home in Jackson, Mississippi, as generally depicted on the Map. (2) Monument The term Monument means the Medgar Evers National Monument established by section 3. (3) Historic district The term Historic District means the Medgar Evers Historic District, as included on the National Register of Historic Places, and as generally depicted on the Map and located within the boundaries of the Monument. (4) Map The term Map means the map entitled Medgar Evers National Monument, numbered __/__, and dated January 2018. (5) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service. (6) College The term College means Tougaloo College, a private educational institution located in Tougaloo, Mississippi. 3. Establishment of Medgar Evers National Monument (a) Establishment (1) In general Subject to paragraph (2), there is established the Medgar Evers National Monument in the State of Mississippi as a unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the Home and the history of Medgar Evers’ pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement. (2) Conditions The Monument shall not be established until the date on which the Secretary— (A) has entered into a written agreement with the College providing that the Home shall be donated to the United States for inclusion in the Monument to be managed consistently with the purposes of the Monument; and (B) has otherwise acquired sufficient land or interests in land within the boundaries of the Monument to constitute a manageable unit. (b) Boundaries The boundaries of Monument shall be the boundaries generally depicted on the Map. (c) Availability of map The Map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. (d) Acquisition of authority The Secretary may only acquire any land or interest in land located within the boundary of the Monument by— (1) donation; (2) purchase with donated funds; or (3) exchange. (e) Administration (1) In general The Secretary shall administer the Monument in accordance with— (A) this Act; and (B) the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System. (2) Management plan (A) Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made available to the Secretary for this purpose, the Secretary shall prepare a general management plan for the Monument in accordance with section 100502 of title 54, United States Code. (B) On completion of the general management plan under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit it to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. (f) Cooperative agreements (1) Interpretation The Secretary shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the College for interpretive and educational programming related to the Monument. (2) Historic district The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the owner of a nationally significant property within the Historic District, to identify, mark, interpret, improve, restore, and provide technical assistance with respect to the preservation and interpretation of the property. (g) Written consent of owner No private property or non-Federal public property shall be included within the boundaries of the Monument or managed as part of the Monument without the written consent of the owner of such property. (h) No buffer zones Nothing in this Act, the establishment of the Monument, or the management of the Monument shall be construed to create buffer zones outside of the Monument. The fact that an activity or use can be seen, heard, or detected from within the Monument shall not preclude the conduct of that activity or use outside of the Monument.