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CALIFORNIA MISSIONS PRESERVATION ACT -- (House of Representatives - November 17, 2004) GPO's PDF
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Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1446) to support the efforts of the California Missions Foundation to restore and repair the Spanish colonial and mission-era missions in the State of California and to preserve the artworks and artifacts of these missions, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
Senate amendment: Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``California Missions Preservation Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) CALIFORNIA MISSION.--The term ``California mission'' means each of the 21 historic Spanish missions and 1 asistencia that--
(A) are located in the State;
(B) were built between 1769 and 1798; and
(C) are designated as California Registered Historic Landmarks.
(2) FOUNDATION.--The term ``Foundation'' means the California Missions Foundation, a nonsectarian charitable corporation that--
(A) was established in the State in 1998 to fund the restoration and repair of the California missions; and
(B) is operated exclusively for charitable purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(3) SECRETARY.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.
(4) STATE.--The term ``State'' means the State of California.
SEC. 3. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.--The Secretary may enter into a cooperative agreement with the Foundation to provide technical and financial assistance to the Foundation to restore and repair--
(1) the California missions; and
(2) the artwork and artifacts associated with the California missions.
(b) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.--
(1) IN GENERAL.--The cooperative agreement may authorize the Secretary to make grants to the Foundation to carry out the purposes described in subsection (a).
(2) ELIGIBILITY.--To be eligible to receive a grant or other form of financial assistance under this Act, a California mission must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(3) APPLICATION.--To receive a grant or other form of financial assistance under this Act, the Foundation shall submit to the Secretary an application that--
(A) includes a status report on the condition of the infrastructure and associated artifacts of each of the California missions for which the Foundation is seeking financial assistance; and
(B) describes a comprehensive program for the restoration, repair, and preservation of the infrastructure and artifacts referred to in subparagraph (A), including--
(i) a description of the prioritized preservation activities to be conducted over a 5-year period; and
(ii) an estimate of the costs of the preservation activities.
(4) APPLICABLE LAW.--Consistent with section 101(e)(4) of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470a(e)(4)), the Secretary shall ensure that the purpose of any grant or other financial assistance provided by the Secretary to the Foundation under this Act--
(A) is secular;
(B) does not promote religion; and
(C) seeks to protect qualities that are historically significant.
(c) REVIEW AND DETERMINATION.--
(1) IN GENERAL.--The Secretary shall submit a proposed agreement to the Attorney General for review.
(2) DETERMINATION.--A cooperative agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall not take effect until the Attorney General issues a finding that the proposed agreement submitted
GPO's PDF
under paragraph (1) does not violate the establishment clause of the first amendment of the Constitution.
(d) REPORT.--As a condition of receiving financial assistance under this Act, the Foundation shall annually submit to the Secretary and to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes the status of the preservation activities carried out using amounts made available under this Act.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2004 through 2009.
(b) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.--Any amounts made available to carry out this Act shall be matched on not less than a 1-to-1 basis by the Foundation.
(c) OTHER AMOUNTS.--Any amounts made available to carry out this Act shall be in addition to any amounts made available for preservation activities in the State under the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).
GENERAL LEAVE
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Nevada?
There was no objection.
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1446, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with the California Missions Foundation to support their effort to resolve and repair the California missions and to preserve the artworks and artifacts associated with the California missions.
Currently, the 21 California missions of the El Camino Real, or Royal Highway, have had to rely on nominal entrance fees, sales from gift shops, donations and special events to cover their operating expenses. Unfortunately, these sources of income have not been enough to keep up with the increasing structural needs of these aging missions that date back to 1769, when Fray Junipero Serra founded Alta, California, the first Spanish mission in California.
Today, over 5 million people annually visit the mission system, and it is obvious to many that outside financial help is needed.
The California Missions Foundation, a charitable corporation established in California in 1998, is dedicated to raising funds for the ongoing preservation, restoration and maintenance needs of the California missions to ensure that their historical legacy is kept alive for future generations.
As part of the cooperative agreement process, the Secretary must submit a proposed agreement to the Attorney General for a finding that the agreement does not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption by all our colleagues of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1446 is a bipartisan proposal which was introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), our colleague, which originally passed the House on October 20, 2003.
This bill has been returned to the House with a Senate amendment that makes a number of changes to the bill. These changes do not detract from the overall goal and direction of the legislation, and we do not object to them.
The California missions are important historical and cultural resources that preserve and interpret a rich and varied history of exploration, conquest and settlement. The small grant program authorized by H.R. 1446 will be used for secular purposes which preserve those qualities of the missions that are historically and culturally significant.
Mr. Speaker, we support the passage of H.R. 1446 as amended by the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
More here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r108:27:./temp/~r1085ufIp1:e0: |
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