Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park Act of 2017

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park Act of 2017

This bill establishes the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park in South Carolina for the preservation and interpretation of the nationally significant historical values and cultural resources associated with Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, and Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station Historic District.

The Department of the Interior shall arrange for the interpretation of historical events and activities that occurred in the vicinity of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, including:

• the Battle of Sullivan's Island on June 28, 1776;
• the Siege of Charleston during 1780; and
• the Civil War, including the bombardment of Fort Sumter by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861; and
• the development of the coastal defense system of the United States during the period from the Revolutionary War to World War II, including that of Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station.

Interior may enter into cooperative agreements with public and private entities and individuals to carry out this bill.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3099 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3099

 To establish Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park in the State 
               of South Carolina, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2017

 Mr. Sanford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park in the State 
               of South Carolina, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie 
National Park Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Fort Sumter National Monument was established by the 
        Joint Resolution entitled ``Joint Resolution to establish the 
        Fort Sumter National Monument in the State of South Carolina'', 
        approved April 28, 1948 (16 U.S.C. 450ee), to commemorate 
        historic events in the vicinity of Fort Sumter, the site of the 
        first engagement of the Civil War on April 12, 1861;
            (2) Fort Moultrie--
                    (A) was the site of the first defeat of the British 
                in the Revolutionary War on June 28, 1776; and
                    (B) was acquired by the Federal Government from the 
                State of South Carolina in 1960 under the authority of 
                chapter 3201 of title 54, United States Code;
            (3) since 1960, Fort Moultrie has been administered by the 
        National Park Service as part of the Fort Sumter National 
        Monument without a clear management mandate or established 
        boundary;
            (4) Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie played important roles in 
        the protection of Charleston Harbor and in the coastal defense 
        system of the United States;
            (5) Fort Moultrie is the only site in the National Park 
        System that preserves the history of the United States coastal 
        defense system during the period from 1776 through 1947; and
            (6) Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station, located adjacent 
        to the Charleston Light--
                    (A) was constructed in 1896; and
                    (B) is listed on the National Register of Historic 
                Places.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled 
        ``Boundary Map, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National 
        Historical Park'', numbered 392/80,088, and dated November 30, 
        2009.
            (2) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Fort Sumter and Fort 
        Moultrie National Park established by section 4(a).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of South 
        Carolina.
            (5) Sullivan's island life saving station historic 
        district.--The term ``Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station 
        Historic District'' means the Charleston Lighthouse, the 
        boathouse, garage, bunker/sighting station, signal tower, and 
        any associated land and improvements to the land that are 
        located between Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station and the 
        mean low water mark.

SEC. 4. FORT SUMTER AND FORT MOULTRIE NATIONAL PARK.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Fort Sumter and Fort 
Moultrie National Park in the State as a unit of the National Park 
System to preserve, maintain, and interpret the nationally significant 
historical values and cultural resources associated with Fort Sumter, 
Fort Moultrie, and the Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station Historic 
District.
    (b) Boundary.--
            (1) In general.--The boundary of the Park shall be 
        comprised of the land, water, and submerged land depicted on 
        the map.
            (2) Availability of map.--The map shall be on file and 
        available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of 
        the National Park Service.
    (c) Administration.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
        of the National Park Service, shall administer the Park in 
        accordance with this Act and the laws generally applicable to 
        units of the National Park System, including--
                    (A) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and sections 
                100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 102101 of title 54, 
                United States Code; and
                    (B) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States Code.
            (2) Interpretation of historical events.--The Secretary 
        shall provide for the interpretation of historical events and 
        activities that occurred in the vicinity of Fort Sumter and 
        Fort Moultrie, including--
                    (A) the Battle of Sullivan's Island on June 28, 
                1776;
                    (B) the Siege of Charleston during 1780;
                    (C) the Civil War, including--
                            (i) the bombardment of Fort Sumter by 
                        Confederate forces on April 12, 1861; and
                            (ii) any other events of the Civil War that 
                        are associated with Fort Sumter and Fort 
                        Moultrie;
                    (D) the development of the coastal defense system 
                of the United States during the period from the 
                Revolutionary War to World War II, including--
                            (i) the Sullivan's Island Life Saving 
                        Station;
                            (ii) the lighthouse associated with the 
                        Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station; and
                            (iii) the coastal defense sites constructed 
                        during the period of fortification construction 
                        from 1898 to 1942, known as the ``Endicott 
                        Period''; and
                    (E) the lives of--
                            (i) the free and enslaved workers who built 
                        and maintained Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie;
                            (ii) the soldiers who defended the forts;
                            (iii) the prisoners held at the forts; and
                            (iv) captive Africans bound for slavery 
                        who, after first landing in the United States, 
                        were brought to quarantine houses in the 
                        vicinity of Fort Moultrie in the 18th Century, 
                        if the Secretary determines that the quarantine 
                        houses and associated historical values are 
                        nationally significant.
    (d) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into 
cooperative agreements with public and private entities and individuals 
to carry out this Act.

SEC. 5. REPEAL OF EXISTING LAW.

    Section 2 of the Joint Resolution entitled ``Joint Resolution to 
establish the Fort Sumter National Monument in the State of South 
Carolina'', approved April 28, 1948 (16 U.S.C. 450ee-1), is repealed.
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