Home > 106th Congressional Bills > S. 28 (is) To authorize an interpretive center and related visitor facilities within the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park, and for other purposes. [Introduced in Senate] ...S. 28 (is) To authorize an interpretive center and related visitor facilities within the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park, and for other purposes. [Introduced in Senate] ...
S.28
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the sixth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine
An Act
To authorize an interpretive center and related visitor facilities
within the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park, 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 ``Four Corners Interpretive Center
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Four Corners Monument is nationally significant as the
only geographic location in the United States where 4 State
boundaries meet;
(2) the States with boundaries that meet at the Four Corners
are Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah;
(3) between 1868 and 1875 the boundary lines that created the
Four Corners were drawn, and in 1899 a monument was erected at the
site;
(4) a United States postal stamp will be issued in 1999 to
commemorate the centennial of the original boundary marker;
(5) the Four Corners area is distinct in character and
possesses important historical, cultural, and prehistoric values
and resources within the surrounding cultural landscape;
(6) although there are no permanent facilities or utilities at
the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park, each year the park attracts
approximately 250,000 visitors;
(7) the area of the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park falls
entirely within the Navajo Nation or Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
reservations;
(8) the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe have
entered into a memorandum of understanding governing the planning
and future development of the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park;
(9) in 1992, through agreements executed by the Governors of
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, the Four Corners Heritage
Council was established as a coalition of State, Federal, tribal,
and private interests;
(10) the State of Arizona has obligated $45,000 for planning
efforts and $250,000 for construction of an interpretive center at
the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park;
(11) numerous studies and extensive consultation with American
Indians have demonstrated that development at the Four Corners
Monument Tribal Park would greatly benefit the people of the Navajo
Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe;
(12) the Arizona Department of Transportation has completed
preliminary cost estimates that are based on field experience with
rest-area development for the construction of a Four Corners
Interpretive Center and surrounding infrastructure, including
restrooms, roadways, parking areas, and water, electrical,
telephone, and sewage facilities;
(13) an interpretive center would provide important educational
and enrichment opportunities for all Americans; and
(14) Federal financial assistance and technical expertise are
needed for the construction of an interpretive center.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to recognize the importance of the Four Corners Monument
and surrounding landscape as a distinct area in the heritage of the
United States that is worthy of interpretation and preservation;
(2) to assist the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
in establishing the Four Corners Interpretive Center and related
facilities to meet the needs of the general public;
(3) to highlight and showcase the collaborative resource
stewardship of private individuals, Indian tribes, universities,
Federal agencies, and the governments of States and political
subdivisions thereof (including counties); and
(4) to promote knowledge of the life, art, culture, politics,
and history of the culturally diverse groups of the Four Corners
region.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Four Corners
Interpretive Center established under section 4, including
restrooms, parking areas, vendor facilities, sidewalks, utilities,
exhibits, and other visitor facilities.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means the
States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah, or any consortium
of 2 or more of those States.
(3) Four corners heritage council.--The term ``Four Corners
Heritage Council'' means the nonprofit coalition of Federal, State,
tribal, and private entities established in 1992 by agreements of
the Governors of the States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and
Utah.
(4) Four corners monument.--The term ``Four Corners Monument''
means the physical monument where the boundaries of the States of
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet.
(5) Four corners monument tribal park.--The term ``Four Corners
Monument Tribal Park'' means lands within the legally defined
boundaries of the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
SEC. 4. FOUR CORNERS INTERPRETIVE CENTER.
(a) Establishment.--Subject to the availability of appropriations,
the Secretary is authorized to establish within the boundaries of the
Four Corners Monument Tribal Park a center for the interpretation and
commemoration of the Four Corners Monument, to be known as the ``Four
Corners Interpretive Center''.
(b) Land Designated and Made Available.--Land for the Center shall
be designated and made available by the Navajo Nation or the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe within the boundaries of the Four Corners Monument
Tribal Park in consultation with the Four Corners Heritage Council and
in accordance with--
(1) the memorandum of understanding between the Navajo Nation
and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe that was entered into on October 22,
1996; and
(2) applicable supplemental agreements with the Bureau of Land
Management, the National Park Service, and the United States Forest
Service.
(c) Concurrence.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
no such center shall be established without the consent of the Navajo
Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
(d) Components of Center.--The Center shall include--
(1) a location for permanent and temporary exhibits depicting
the archaeological, cultural, and natural heritage of the Four
Corners region;
(2) a venue for public education programs;
(3) a location to highlight the importance of efforts to
preserve southwestern archaeological sites and museum collections;
(4) a location to provide information to the general public
about cultural and natural resources, parks, museums, and travel in
the Four Corners region; and
(5) visitor amenities including restrooms, public telephones,
and other basic facilities.
SEC. 5. CONSTRUCTION GRANT.
(a) Grant.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award a grant
to an eligible entity for the construction of the Center in an
amount not to exceed 50 percent of the cost of construction of the
Center.
(2) Assurances.--To be eligible for the grant, the eligible
entity that is selected to receive the grant shall provide
assurances that--
(A) the non-Federal share of the costs of construction is
paid from non-Federal sources (which may include contributions
made by States, private sources, the Navajo Nation, and the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe for planning, design, construction,
furnishing, startup, and operational expenses); and
(B) the aggregate amount of non-Federal funds contributed
by the States used to carry out the activities specified in
subparagraph (A) will not be less than $2,000,000, of which
each of the States that is party to the grant will contribute
equally in cash or in kind.
(3) Funds from private sources.--A State may use funds from
private sources to meet the requirements of paragraph (2)(B).
(4) Funds of state of arizona.--The State of Arizona may apply
$45,000 authorized by the State of Arizona during fiscal year 1998
for planning and $250,000 that is held in reserve by the State for
construction toward the Arizona share.
(b) Grant Requirements.--In order to receive a grant under this
Act, the eligible entity selected to receive the grant shall--
(1) submit to the Secretary a proposal that--
(A) meets all applicable--
(i) laws, including building codes and regulations; and
(ii) requirements under the memorandum of understanding
described in paragraph (2); and
(B) provides such information and assurances as the
Secretary may require; and
(2) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary
providing--
(A) a timetable for completion of construction and opening
of the Center;
(B) assurances that design, architectural, and construction
contracts will be competitively awarded;
(C) specifications meeting all applicable Federal, State,
and local building codes and laws;
(D) arrangements for operations and maintenance upon
completion of construction;
(E) a description of the Center collections and educational
programming;
(F) a plan for design of exhibits including, but not
limited to, the selection of collections to be exhibited, and
the providing of security, preservation, protection,
environmental controls, and presentations in accordance with
professional museum standards;
(G) an agreement with the Navajo Nation and the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe relative to site selection and public access
to the facilities; and
(H) a financing plan developed jointly by the Navajo Nation
and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe outlining the long-term
management of the Center, including--
(i) the acceptance and use of funds derived from public
and private sources to minimize the use of appropriated or
borrowed funds;
(ii) the payment of the operating costs of the Center
through the assessment of fees or other income generated by
the Center;
(iii) a strategy for achieving financial self-
sufficiency with respect to the Center by not later than 5
years after the date of enactment of this Act; and
(iv) appropriate vendor standards and business
activities at the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park.
SEC. 6. SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENT.
The Four Corners Heritage Council may make recommendations to the
Secretary on grant proposals regarding the design of facilities at the
Four Corners Monument Tribal Park.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorizations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Department of the Interior to carry out this Act--
(1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; and
(2) $50,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005 for
maintenance and operation of the Center, program development, or
staffing in a manner consistent with the requirements of section
5(b).
(b) Carryover.--Funds made available under subsection (a)(1) that
are unexpended at the end of the fiscal year for which those funds are
appropriated, may be used by the Secretary through fiscal year 2002 for
the purposes for which those funds are made available.
(c) Reservation of Funds.--The Secretary may reserve funds
appropriated pursuant to this Act until a grant proposal meeting the
requirements of this Act is submitted, but no later than September 30,
2001.
SEC. 8. DONATIONS.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of the
planning, construction, and operation of the Center, the Secretary may
accept, retain, and expend donations of funds, and use property or
services donated, from private persons and entities or from public
entities.
SEC. 9. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act is intended to abrogate, modify, or impair any
right or claim of the Navajo Nation or the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, that
is based on any law (including any treaty, Executive order, agreement,
or Act of Congress).
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
Pages: 1 Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
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