[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2278 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2278
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the September
11th National Memorial Trail, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 29, 2021
Mr. Connolly (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Beyer) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the September
11th National Memorial Trail, 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. SEPTEMBER 11TH NATIONAL MEMORIAL TRAIL.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Flight 93 National
Memorial.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National
Park Service.
(3) State.--The term ``States'' means Virginia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and the District
of Columbia.
(4) Trail.--The term ``Trail'' means the September 11th
National Memorial Trail Route designated under subsection (b).
(b) Establishment of Trail Route.--
(1) Authority.--The Secretary, with concurrence of the
agency having jurisdiction over the relevant roads, may
designate a tour route, to be known as the ``September 11th
National Memorial Trail Route'', to link the National September
11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial
in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in
Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The September 11th National
Memorial Trail shall--
(A) provide for a tribute to the family members and
loved ones who were victims of the attack and the
heroes of September 11th, including the first
responders in the days, weeks, and months after the
attack;
(B) be a Trail of Remembrance to honor the fallen
in a tangible way that keeps their memories alive and
reaffirms the exceptionalism of our country; and
(C) be a celebration of our Nation's resilience and
perseverance since its founding as well as a promotion
of our cultural and industrial heritage.
(2) Route.--The Trail shall form an unbroken triangular
trail of approximately 1,300 miles as follows:
(A) Starting at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington,
Virginia, following the Mt. Vernon Trail;
(B) then extending north along the 184-mile
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park where
it connects at Cumberland, Maryland, with the 150-mile
Great Allegheny Passage and follows to Garret in
Somerset County, Pennsylvania;
(C) turning northeast and continuing for
approximately 21 miles to the Flight 93 National
Memorial;
(D) continuing east through the communities and
historic sights of Pennsylvania, until arriving at New
Jersey's 130-mile Liberty Water Gap Trail, then follows
to New York City and continues to the National
September 11 Memorial and Museum;
(E) returning south following important sections of
the East Coast Greenway and connecting Pennsylvania's
9-11 Memorial Garden of Reflection to the Trail;
(F) continuing through New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland, and the District of Columbia; and
(G) ending at the Pentagon Memorial.
(c) Administration.--The Trail shall be administered by the
Secretary through the Park.
(d) Activities.--To facilitate the establishment of the Trail and
the dissemination of information regarding the Trail, the Secretary
shall--
(1) produce and disseminate appropriate educational
materials regarding the Trail, such as handbooks, maps,
exhibits, signs, interpretive guides, and electronic
information;
(2) coordinate the management, planning, and with
participating properties, other Federal agencies, State, and
local governments, and nonprofit entities;
(3) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or device
to mark the Trail; and
(4) issue guidelines for the use of the symbol or device
adopted under paragraph (3).
(e) Elements of Trail Route.--Subject to the consent of the owner
of the property, the Secretary may designate as an official stop on the
Trail--
(1) all units and programs of the Park relating to the
attacks of September 11th;
(2) other Federal, State, local, and privately owned
properties that the Secretary determines have a verifiable
connection to the attacks of September 11th and our Nation's
sacrifices since its founding; and
(3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and
programs of an educational, commemorative, research, or
interpretive nature that the Secretary determines to be related
to the attacks of September 11th and our Nation's sacrifices
since its founding.
(f) Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.--To
facilitate the establishment of the Trail and to ensure effective
coordination of the Federal and non-Federal properties designated as
stops along the Trail, the Secretary may enter into cooperative
agreements and memoranda of understanding with, and provide technical
and financial assistance to, other Federal agencies, the State,
localities, regional governmental bodies, and private entities.
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