January 15, 2019
Summary of National Park And Related Laws
Enacted in the 115th Congress (2017 –2019)
The following laws pertaining to or related to the National Park Service were passed in the 115th Congress, which was in session from January 3, 2017, through January 3, 2019.
Prepared by Don Hellmann, former assistant director, legislative and congressional affairs for the National Park Service.
New park units
Proclamation 9565, to establish the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, Alabama. Signed by President Obama on January 12, 2017.
Proclamation 9566, to establish the Freedom Riders National Monument, Alabama. Signed by President Obama on January 12, 2017.
Proclamation 9567, to establish the Reconstruction Era National Monument, South Carolina. Signed by President Obama on January 12, 2017.
P.L. 115-141, to authorize the establishment of the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park in Missouri, upon acquisition of sufficient lands to make a manageable unit (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 121 of Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
Proclamation 9811, to establish the Camp Nelson National Monument, Kentucky. Signed by President Trump on October 26, 2018.
Park Name Changes and Boundary Revisions
P.L. 115-31, to authorize the acquisition of any lands at the site of the historic Forks of the Road Slave Market to be added to the Natchez National Historical Park in Mississippi (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2017 as section 119 of Division G). Signed into law on May 5, 2017.
P.L. 115-108, to redesignate the Martin Luther King, Junior National Historic Site in Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and to expand the boundary to include the Prince Hall Masonic Temple, the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Signed into law on January 8, 2018.
P.L. 115-117, to modify the boundary of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in Arkansas to include seven historic structures across the street from the high school and make them eligible for financial and technical assistance from NPS. Signed into law on January 12, 2018.
P.L. 115-128, to redesignate the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in Missouri as the Gateway Arch National Park. Signed into law on February 22, 2018.
P.L. 115-141, to authorize a boundary adjustment of an additional 100 acres to Morristown National Historical Park, New Jersey (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 118 of Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
P.L. 115-190, to authorize a land exchange between the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration in Virginia to allow better access to the center. Signed into law on June 22, 2018.
P.L. 115-191, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, for inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site. Signed into law on June 22, 2018.
P.L. 115-279, to authorize the exchange of certain land located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Signed into law on November 20, 2018.
Specific Park Authorizations
P.L. 115–91, to authorize the secretary of the interior to establish restroom facilities in the vicinity of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial within George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia (included in the FY 2018 Defense Authorization Act as section 2863). Signed into law on December 12, 2017.
P.L. 115-101, to provide access to certain vehicles servicing municipalities adjacent to the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania via route 209. Signed into law on January 8, 2018.
P.L. 115-111, to authorize administrative and visitor center facilities at Coltsville National Historical Park in Connecticut to be located in appropriate buildings within the Colt Armory Complex instead of the East Armory building. Signed into law on January 10, 2018.
P.L. 115-141, to designate the wilderness within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve as the Jay S. Hammond Wilderness. (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 116 of Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
P.L. 115-170, to authorize Pacific Historic Parks, a cooperating association of the National Park Service, to establish a commemorative display to honor members of the United States Armed Forces and Allies who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, at a suitable location at the Pearl Harbor site of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Hawaii. Signed into law on May 7, 2018.
P.L. 115-184, to require the secretary of the interior to provide an outer burial receptacle, or grave liner, for each grave in an open national cemetery administered by the National Park Service, in a manner similar to those provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to those buried in national cemeteries administered by the National Cemetery Administration and to provide for the reimbursement of a veteran’s survivors who provide a privately purchased outer burial receptacle for use in a National Park Service cemetery. The bill affects the only two remaining active cemeteries within the National Park System – Andersonville National Cemetery in Georgia, and Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in Tennessee. Signed into law on June 15, 2018.
National Heritage Areas
P.L. 115-31, to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in North Carolina from $10 million to $12 million (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2017 as section 115(a) of Division G). Signed into law on May 5, 2017.
P.L. 115-31, to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in New York from $10 million to $12 million (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2017 as section 115(b) of Division G). Signed into law on May 5, 2017.
P.L. 115-141, to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Tennessee, Augusta Canal (in Georgia) and the South Carolina National Heritage Areas for two years through September 30, 2019 (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 117(a) of Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
P.L. 115-141, to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Areas in North Carolina for two years through November 10, 2021 (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 117(b) of Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
National Memorials and Museums in Washington, D.C.
P.L. 115-18, to authorize the placement in Area I of the national capital region a memorial to commemorate and honor members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield. Signed into law on March 31, 2017.
P.L. 115-51, to authorize the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation to establish the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial in the District of Columbia to commemorate and honor the members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Signed into law on August 18, 2017.
P.L. 115–91, to authorize the Second Indianhead Division Association, Inc. to place additional commemorative elements or engravings on the existing Second Division Memorial in Washington, DC, to further honor the members of the Second Infantry Division (included in the FY 2018 Defense Authorization Act as section 352). Signed into law on December 12, 2017.
P.L. 115-141, to authorize the Second Indianhead Division Association, Inc. to place additional commemorative elements or engravings on the existing Second Division Memorial in Washington, DC, to further honor the members of the Second Infantry Division (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 121 of Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018. (Note this authorization is a duplicate of one enacted as part of the FY 2018 Defense Authorization Act in P.L. 115-91 above).
P.L. 115-275, to authorize the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs. Signed into law on November 3, 2018.
P.L. 115-321, to amend the National Law Enforcement Museum Act to allow the museum to acquire, receive, possess, collect, ship, transport, import, and display firearms. Signed into law on December 17, 2018.
Other Designations
P.L. 115-163, to establish the Kennedy–King National Commemorative Site in Indiana, at the site in Indianapolis where Senator Robert F. Kennedy informed the crowd of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The site would not be unit of the national park system, but would be part of the African-American Civil Rights Network, and the National Park Service could enter into cooperative agreements with private entities to do interpretive and educational programs. Signed into law on April 4, 2018.
P.L. 115-169, to designate a National Memorial to Fallen Educators at the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas. Signed into law on April 30, 2018.
Cultural Resource Authorities
P.L. 115-97, to extend the 20% historic preservation tax credit allowed under law, but to modify it by requiring those who claim it to spread out the credit over five taxable years instead of claiming the entire credit in the first taxable year in which a qualified rehabilitated building is placed in service (included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as section 13402). Signed into law on December 22, 2017.
P.L. 115-104, to establish within the National Park Service a U.S. Civil Rights Network that includes all NPS parks and programs that relate to the civil rights movement from 1939 through 1968 as well as related federal, state, local, and privately owned properties and related research, educational or interpretive programs carried out by non-governmental organizations. Signed into law on January 8, 2018.
Fee Authorities
P.L. 115-245, to authorize an extension of authority for the federal public lands fee program through September 30, 2020, so that all federal land management agencies can continue to sell the annual pass for another year (included as section 130 in the Department of Defense Appropriations for fiscal year 2019, and Continuing Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2018 for various federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through December 7, 2018). Signed into law on September 28, 2018.
Lands Authorities
P.L. 115-116, to remove the use restrictions on a parcel of land transferred to Rockingham County, Virginia under the Federal Lands to Parks Program to allow its continued use as a daycare center. Signed into law on January 12, 2018.
Natural Resource Authorities
P.L. 115-5, to disapprove the Stream Protection Rule issued by the Department of the Interior on December 26, 2016. Signed into law on February, 16, 2017.
P.L. 115–91, to authorize the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, to participate in a Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, which is intended to encourage federal agencies, private organizations, and private landowners to engage in voluntary land management and conservation activities that contribute to the sustainability of military installations, ranges, and airspaces (included in the FY 2018 Defense Authorization Act as section 317). Signed into law on December 12, 2017.
P.L. 115-141, to extend the authorization for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program for two years through September 30, 2019 (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018 as section 420 in Division G). Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
P.L. 115-265, to reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Act to promote international action to reduce marine debris. Signed into law on October 11, 2018.
P.L. 115-270, to provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and to provide for water pollution control activities. Among other provisions, this bill includes projects to help restore the Everglades in south Florida, to preserve the Great Lakes, and to restore Jamaica Bay in Gateway National Recreation Area, New York. Signed into law on October 23, 2018.
Special Resource Studies
P.L. 115-31, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of five significant civil rights sites in Mississippi, including the home of Medgar Evers (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2017 as section 120 of Division G). Signed into law on May 5, 2017.
P.L. 115-255, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of Fort Ontario in the State of New York. Signed into law on October 9, 2018.
Appropriations for the National Park Service
P.L. 115-31, to provide continuing appropriations for the National Park Services and other federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2017. Signed into law on May 5, 2017.
P.L. 115-56, making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through December 8, 2017. Signed into law on September 8, 2017.
P.L. 115-72, to provide additional supplemental appropriations for disaster relief requirements, which includes $577 million for wildland fire suppression activities. Signed into law on October 26, 2017.
P.L. 115–90, to make further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through December 22, 2017. Signed into law on December 8, 2017.
P.L. 115-96, to make continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through January 19, 2018. Signed into law on December 22, 2017.
P.L. 115-120, to make continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through February 8, 2018. Signed into law on January 22, 2018.
P.L. 115-123, to increase domestic discretionary spending caps for FY 2018 and FY 2019, to provide supplemental appropriations for areas impacted by recent hurricanes, and to provide continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through March 23, 2018 (included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 as Division B). Signed into law on February 9, 2018.
P.L. 115-141, to make consolidated appropriations for the remainder of FY 2018 for various federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior. Signed into law on March 23, 2018.
P.L. 115-245, to make appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, as well as continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for various federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through December 7, 2018. Signed into law on September 28, 2018.
P.L. 115-298, to make further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for a number of federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, through December 21, 2018. Signed into law on December 7, 2018.
Federal Commissions and Commemorations
P.L. 115-31, to authorize the establishment of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2017 as section 431(3) of Division G). Signed into law on May 5, 2017.
P.L. 115-77, to establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission to study activities that may be carried out by the federal government to honor Frederick Douglass on the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, including a rededication of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Signed into law on November 2, 2017.
P.L. 115–91, to honor those who died during World War I, those who served in World War I, and to call upon all Americans to participate in activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I (included in the FY 2018 Defense Authorization Act as section 1095). Signed into law on December 12, 2017.
P.L. 115-102, to establish a commission to authorize activities and programs to recognize the contributions of African-Americans to the United States over the past 400 years. Signed into law on January 8, 2018.
Federal Employees
P.L. 115-73, to provide greater whistleblower protections for Federal employees, increased awareness of Federal whistleblower protections, and increased accountability and required discipline for Federal supervisors who retaliate against whistleblowers. Signed into law on October 26, 2017.
P.L. 115-84, to modify the rules relating to withdrawals from the Thrift Saving Plan (TSP) accounts of former federal employees and members of Congress. Signed into law on November 17, 2017.
P.L. 115-158, to prohibit the use of Federal funds for the costs of painting portraits of officers and employees of the Federal Government. Signed into law on March 27, 2018.
P.L. 115-195, to make permanent the authority for a federal employee (or applicant for federal employment) or the Office of Personnel Management to appeal, in any federal appeals court of competent jurisdiction, a final order or decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board on a claim alleging reprisal for making a protected disclosure (i.e., whistle-blowing) or for engaging in certain protected activities (e.g., refusing to obey an order that requires a violation of law). Signed into law on July 7, 2018.
Miscellaneous Authorities
P.L. 115-114, to require a new or updated Federal website that is intended for use by the public to be mobile friendly. Signed into law on January 10, 2018.
P.L. 115-123, to authorize the U.S. flag to fly at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder who dies while serving in the line of duty (included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 as section 10102). Signed into law on February 9, 2018.
P.L. 115-413, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to award grants, through a competitive process, to tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations for the operation and maintenance of memorials located within the United States established to commemorate the events of, and honor the victims of, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon, on September 11, 2001, at the site of the attacks. Signed into law on January 3, 2019.
P.L. 115-431, to reauthorize the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. Signed into law on January 10, 2019.