,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hbba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #aa1 #bjbj,mr4 ,hurd of ,texas 7for himself and ,mr4 ,cuellar7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,blackwell ,school ,national ,historic ,site in ,marfa1 ,texas1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,blackwell ,school ,national ,historic ,site ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,national historic site ,the term national historic site means the ,blackwell ,school1 in ,marfa1 ,texas4 7#b7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,interior4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,blackwell ,school1 located at #eja ,south ,abbott ,street1 in ,marfa1 ,presidio ,county1 ,texas1 is associated with the period of racial segregation in ,marfa public schools and is the sole extant property directly associated with ,hispanic education in the community1 the remaining buildings having been torn down after the school closed in #aife4 7#b7 ,the ,blackwell ,school is a tangible reminder of a time when the practice of separate but equal dominated education and social systems4 ,despite being categorized as white by ,texas law1 ,mexican ,americans were regularly excluded from commingling with ,anglos at barbershops1 restaurants1 funeral homes1 theaters1 churches1 and schools4 7#c7 ,the spectrum of experiences of students and teachers at the ,blackwell ,school constitute an important record of life in a segregated school in the context of the history of ,texas and ,america4 7#d7 ,mexican and ,mexican ,american culture and history in ,marfa is tied to the ,blackwell ,school1 which for more than #ej years served as a leading feature of the ,hispanic community1 illustrating the challenge of maintaining cultural identity in a dominant ,anglo society4 ,yet today1 ,hispanic influences are seen in ,marfa's social and religious organizations1 business and government institutions1 and shared experiences of language1 food1 and music4 7#e7 ,the historic ,blackwell ,school building is a physical record of the longevity and beauty of the distinctive design and craftsmanship informed by both traditional techniques and materials1 and the transition from purely the vernacular to the period of materials1 design1 and workmanship made available after the arrival of the railroad4 ,the original historic school building and grounds on which it stands provide an authentic setting to commemorate and interpret the history of the ,blackwell ,school4 7#f7 ,the ,blackwell ,school is closely associated with the broad patterns of local1 ,state1 and national history in the area of school segregation4 ,mexicans and other members of the ,latin ,american diaspora have placed a high value upon education as a means of economic1 social1 and political advancement4 7#g7 ,mexican ,americans and other members of the ,latin ,american diaspora have placed a high value upon education as a means of economic1 social1 and political advancement4 ,however1 ,hispanics and ,latinos have not always had equitable opportunities and access to quality educational facilities in the ,united ,states4 #d4 ,establishment of the ,blackwell ,school ,national ,historic ,site 7a7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,subject to paragraph 7#b71 there is established the ,blackwell ,school ,national ,historic ,site in the ,state of ,texas as a unit of the ,national ,park ,system to preserve1 protect and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the ,blackwell ,school1 its role as both an academic and cultural cornerstone in the community in ,marfa1 ,texas1 and its function within a segregated system of education in ,texas and the ,united ,states from #ahhe through #aife4 7#b7 ,conditions ,the national historic site shall not be established until the date on which the ,secretary has-- 7,a7 entered into a written agreement with the ,marfa ,unified ,school ,district providing that the ,blackwell ,school shall be donated to or placed by agreement into co-management with the ,united ,states for inclusion in a national historic site to be managed consistently with the purposes of a national historic site2 and 7,b7 acquired sufficient land or interests in land within the boundaries of the national historic site to constitute a manageable unit4 7b7 ,boundaries ,the boundaries of the national historic site shall be the boundaries generally depicted on the map4 7c7 ,availability of map ,the map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the ,national ,park ,service4 7d7 ,acquisition of authority ,the ,secretary may only acquire any land or interest in land located within the boundary of the national historic site by-- 7#a7 donation2 7#b7 purchase with donated funds2 or 7#c7 exchange4 7e7 ,administration 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall administer this national historic site in accordance with-- 7,a7 this ,act2 and 7,b7 the laws generally applicable to units of the ,national ,park ,system4 7#b7 ,management plan 7,a7 ,not later than #c years after the date on which funds are first made available to the ,secretary for this purpose1 the ,secretary shall prepare a general management plan for the national historic site in accordance with section #ajjejb of title #ed1 ,united ,states ,code4 7,b7 ,upon completion1 the ,secretary shall submit the general management plan prepared pursuant to subparagraph 7,a7 to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives and ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources of the ,senate4 7f7 ,cooperative agreements ,the ,secretary shall enter into cooperative agreements with the ,blackwell ,school ,alliance 7and other local1 regional1 ,state1 academic and non-profit partners7 for interpretive and educational programming1 technical assistance1 and rehabilitation related to the national historic site4 7g7 ,written consent of owner ,no private property or non-,federal public property shall be included within the boundaries of the national historic site or managed as part of the national historic site without the written consent of the owner of such property4