Responsibly Enhancing America's Landscapes Act
This bill establishes the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund to provide funding for deferred maintenance projects in national parks.
The bill increases specified fees for FY2020-FY2029 and the additional amounts collected are deposited in the fund. The fees that are increased are the entrance fees at federal recreational lands and waters, the fees for the use of the electronic system for travel authorization for certain visitors to the United States, and the fees for visa applications of nonimmigrants seeking temporary admission to the United States for business or pleasure.
Amounts in the fund shall be used for the priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service. At least 65% of the funds must be used for nontransportation projects.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2783 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2783
To amend title 54, United States Code, to establish, fund, and provide
for the use of amounts in a National Park Service Legacy Restoration
Fund to address the maintenance backlog of the National Park Service,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 5, 2019
Mr. Enzi introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 54, United States Code, to establish, fund, and provide
for the use of amounts in a National Park Service Legacy Restoration
Fund to address the maintenance backlog of the National Park Service,
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 ``Responsibly Enhancing America's
Landscapes Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE LEGACY RESTORATION FUND.
(a) In General.--Chapter 1049 of title 54, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 104910. National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Fund.--The term `Fund' means the National Park
Service Legacy Restoration Fund established by subsection (b).
``(2) Project.--The term `project' means the overall plan
of remediation of deferred maintenance for an asset, which may
include resolving directly related infrastructure deficiencies
of the asset.
``(b) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury a fund,
to be known as the `National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund'.
``(c) Deposits.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), for
each of fiscal years 2020 through 2029, there shall be
deposited in the Fund--
``(A) from fees collected under section 803(e) of
the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C.
6802(e)), $5 per entrance fee (as defined in section
802 of that Act (16 U.S.C. 6801)), adjusted annually
for inflation;
``(B) from fees collected under subparagraph
(B)(i)(III) of section 217(h)(3) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(h)(3)) for use of the
electronic system for travel authorization established
under subparagraph (A) of that section, $16 per travel
authorization, adjusted annually for inflation; and
``(C) from fees collected under section 22.1 of
title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, for visa
applications submitted by nonimmigrants seeking
temporary admission to the United States for businesses
or pleasure under section 101(a)(15)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)(15)(B)) (commonly referred to as B-1 and B-2
visas), $25 per application, adjusted annually for
inflation.
``(2) Increase in park entrance fees.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than June 1, 2020, the
Secretary of the Interior shall increase each entrance
fee (as defined in section 802 of the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801))
established for a unit of the National Park System
under section 803(e) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 6802(e)) by
$5.
``(B) Adjustments for inflation.--The Secretary of
the Interior shall annually adjust the increase in the
amount of each entrance fee required under subparagraph
(A) for inflation.
``(d) Availability of Funds.--Amounts deposited in the Fund shall
be available to the Secretary without further appropriation or fiscal
year limitation.
``(e) Investment of Amounts.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may request the Secretary
of the Treasury to invest any portion of the Fund that is not,
as determined by the Secretary, required to meet the current
needs of the Fund.
``(2) Requirement.--An investment requested under paragraph
(1) shall be made by the Secretary of the Treasury in a public
debt security--
``(A) with a maturity suitable to the needs of the
Fund, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) bearing interest at a rate determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration
current market yields on outstanding marketable
obligations of the United States of comparable
maturity.
``(3) Credits to fund.--The income on investments of the
Fund under this subsection shall be credited to, and form a
part of, the Fund.
``(f) Use of Funds.--Amounts in the Fund shall be used for the
priority deferred maintenance needs of the Service, as determined by
the Secretary, to carry out repair, restoration, or rehabilitation
projects as follows:
``(1) Not less than 65 percent of amounts in the Fund shall
be allocated for non-transportation projects, including--
``(A) historic structures, facilities, and other
historic assets;
``(B) structures, facilities, and other nonhistoric
assets that relate directly to the visitor experience,
including--
``(i) access, including making facilities
accessible to visitors with disabilities;
``(ii) health and safety; and
``(iii) recreation; and
``(C) administrative facilities, water and utility
systems, and employee housing.
``(2) The remaining amounts in the Fund may be allocated to
road, bridge, tunnel, or other transportation-related projects
that may be eligible for funding made available to the Service
through--
``(A) the transportation program under section 203
of title 23; or
``(B) any similar Federal land highway program
administered by the Secretary of Transportation.
``(g) Prohibited Use of Funds.--No amounts in the Fund shall be
used--
``(1) for land acquisition;
``(2) to supplant discretionary funding made available for
the annually recurring facility operations, maintenance, and
construction needs of the Service; or
``(3) for bonuses for employees of the Federal Government
that are carrying out this section.
``(h) Submission of List of Projects to Congress.--As soon as
practicable after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress--
``(1) a list of each project that--
``(A) as of the date of enactment of this section,
is identified by the Secretary as a highest-priority
deferred maintenance project of the Service; and
``(B) as of the date of the report, is ready to be
commenced immediately; and
``(2) for any project identified under paragraph (1)(A)
that is not ready to be commenced immediately, a schedule for
the completion of all reviews with respect to the project
(including the preparation of any environmental documents and
historic preservation analyses) that are necessary to commence
the project immediately.
``(i) Submission to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, as part
of the annual budget submission of the President--
``(1) a report that describes, and provides an explanation
for, any cost overruns or delays relating to deferred
maintenance projects carried out using amounts from the Fund
for the previous fiscal year; and
``(2) a list of projects for which the amounts in the Fund
are allocated under this section, including a description and
cost-benefit analysis of each project, after considering the
list and schedules submitted under subsection (h).
``(j) Public Donations.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary and the Director may
accept public cash or in-kind donations that advance efforts--
``(A) to reduce the deferred maintenance backlog of
the Service; and
``(B) to encourage relevant public-private
partnerships.
``(2) Credits to fund.--Any cash donations accepted under
paragraph (1) shall be credited to, and form a part of, the
Fund.
``(3) Reporting.--Each donation received under paragraph
(1) that is used for, or directly related to, the reduction of
the deferred maintenance backlog of the Service shall be
included with the annual budget submission of the President to
Congress.
``(k) Annual Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the first distributions are made from the Fund, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report that describes, with respect to each project provided
amounts from the Fund during the period covered by the report--
``(1) any progress with respect to the project, including a
comparison of the progress with respect to other highest-
priority deferred maintenance projects of the Service;
``(2) the expenditure of amounts from the Fund with respect
to the project; and
``(3) the projected cyclic maintenance needs of the project
on completion of the project.''.
(b) Increase in Certain Visa Application Fees.--
(1) In general.--Not later than January 10, 2020, the
Secretary of State shall amend section 22.1 of title 22, Code
of Federal Regulations, to increase the application fee for
visa applications submitted by nonimmigrants seeking temporary
admission to the United States for businesses or pleasure under
section 101(a)(15)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(B)) (commonly referred to as B-1 and B-2
visas) by $25 per application, which amount shall be--
(A) adjusted annually for inflation; and
(B) deposited in the National Park Service Legacy
Restoration Fund under section 104910(c)(1) of title
54, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)).
(2) Sunset.--The increase in the application fee under
paragraph (1) shall apply only to applications submitted to the
Secretary of State not later than September 30, 2029.
(c) Increase in Fees for Use of the Electronic System for Travel
Authorization.--Section 217(h)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(h)(3)(B)) is amended--
(1) in clause (i)--
(A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), in the
second sentence, by striking ``The initial fee shall be
the sum of--'' and inserting the following: ``Beginning
on the first day of the first fiscal year beginning
after the date of enactment of the Responsibly
Enhancing America's Landscapes Act, the fee collected
under this subparagraph shall be an amount that is
equal to the sum of--'';
(B) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the
following:
``(I) an amount not to exceed $10,
as determined by the Secretary, which
shall be for disposition in accordance
with clause (ii)(I);'';
(C) in subclause (II), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(III) $16 per travel
authorization, adjusted annually for
inflation, for disposition in
accordance with section 104910(c)(1)(B)
of title 54, United States Code.'';
(2) in clause (ii)--
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ``Amounts''
and inserting the following:
``(I) Travel Promotion Fund.--
Amounts''; and
(B) in subclause (I) (as so designated), in the
second sentence, by striking ``Amounts'' and inserting
the following:
``(II) Fees for the System.--
Amounts''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(iv) Sunset of National Park Service
Legacy Restoration Fund fee.--The Secretary may
not collect the fee described in clause
(i)(III) for a travel authorization in a fiscal
year beginning after September 30, 2029.''.
(d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 1049 of
title 54, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``104910. National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund.''.
SEC. 3. GAO STUDY.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall--
(1) conduct a study with respect to the implementation of
the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund under section
104910 of title 54, United States Code (as added by section
2(a)), including whether the Director of the National Park
Service is, with respect to projects carried out using amounts
from that Fund--
(A) properly estimating the cost for those
projects;
(B) adhering to time schedules and cost projections
for those projects;
(C) properly prioritizing deferred maintenance
projects; and
(D) properly moving completed projects off of the
high-priority deferred maintenance list of the National
Park Service in a timely manner; and
(2) submit to Congress a report that describes the results
of the study under paragraph (1).
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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