54 U.S.C. § 320102 — Powers and duties of Secretary
submitted 12 years ago by Pub. L. 113-287 to r/title-54-NATIONAL-PARK-SERVICE-AND-RELATED-PROGRAMS · 709 words · no verdicts yet
Acting through the Director, the Secretary must preserve information about historic and archeological resources, survey and research them, and protect significant sites and objects. The Secretary may acquire and manage property, make preservation agreements, operate sites, charge reasonable fees, support education, and issue necessary consistent regulations.
(a) In General. Acting through the Director* and to carry out section 320101’s policy, the Secretary* has the powers and duties in this section.
(b) Preservation of Data. The Secretary must secure, organize, and preserve drawings, plans, photographs, and other information about historic and archeological sites, buildings, and objects.
(c) Survey. The Secretary must survey historic and archeological sites, buildings, and objects to determine which have exceptional value for commemorating or illustrating United States history.
(d) Investigations and Researches. The Secretary must conduct needed investigations and research in the United States about particular sites, buildings, and objects to obtain accurate historical and archeological facts and information.
(e) Acquisition of Property. For this chapter, the Secretary may acquire in the United States’ name, by gift, purchase, or otherwise, personal or real property or interests in property, with title to real property satisfactory to the Secretary. The Secretary may not acquire property owned by a religious or educational institution or owned or administered for public benefit without the owner’s consent. The Secretary may not acquire property, or make an acquisition contract or agreement, that would obligate the Treasury’s general fund unless Congress has appropriated available money for it.
(f) Contracts and Cooperative Agreements. The Secretary may contract and make cooperative agreements, with proper bonds when advisable, with States, municipal subdivisions, corporations, associations, or individuals to protect, preserve, maintain, or operate historic or archeological buildings, sites, objects, or connected property for public use, whether or not the United States owns them. No such contract or agreement may obligate the Treasury’s general fund unless and until Congress appropriates money for it.
(g) Protection of Sites, Buildings, Objects, and Property. The Secretary must restore, reconstruct, rehabilitate, preserve, and maintain nationally significant historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and property. When desirable, the Secretary must establish and maintain museums connected with them.
(h) Tablets To Mark or Commemorate Places and Events. The Secretary must erect and maintain tablets marking or commemorating nationally significant historic or prehistoric places and events.
(i) Operation for Benefit of Public. The Secretary may operate and manage historic and archeological sites, buildings, and property acquired under this chapter, together with land and subordinate buildings, for the public’s benefit. The Secretary may charge reasonable visitation fees and grant concessions, leases, or permits to use land, building space, roads, or trails when needed or desirable to serve the public or administer the property. The Secretary may grant them and make related contracts with responsible people, firms, or corporations without advertising or competitive bids.
(j) Corporation To Carry Out Duties. If restoring, reconstructing, operating, or maintaining a donated historic or archeological site, building, or property would be administratively burdensome, the Secretary may have it done by forming a corporation for that purpose under District of Columbia or State law.
(k) Educational Program and Service*. The Secretary must develop an educational program and service making information about nationally significant American historic and archeological sites, buildings, and properties available to the public. The Secretary may charge reasonable amounts for distributing that information.
(l) Actions and Regulations Necessary To Carry Out Chapter. The Secretary must take all actions and issue regulations consistent with this chapter that are necessary and proper to carry it out.
The Secretary*, acting through the Director*, for the purpose of effectuating the policy expressed in section 320101 of this title, has the powers and shall perform the duties set out in this section.
The Secretary shall secure, collate, and preserve drawings, plans, photographs, and other data of historic and archeologic sites, buildings, and objects.
The Secretary shall make a survey of historic and archeologic sites, buildings, and objects for the purpose of determining which possess exceptional value as commemorating or illustrating the history of the United States.
The Secretary shall make necessary investigations and researches in the United States relating to particular sites, buildings, and objects to obtain accurate historical and archeological facts and information concerning the sites, buildings, and objects.
The Secretary may, for the purpose of this chapter, acquire in the name of the United States by gift, purchase, or otherwise any property, personal or real, or any interest or estate in property, title to any real property to be satisfactory to the Secretary. Property that is owned by any religious or educational institution or that is owned or administered for the benefit of the public shall not be acquired without the consent of the owner. No property shall be acquired or contract or agreement for the acquisition of the property made that will obligate the general fund of the Treasury for the payment of the property, unless Congress has appropriated money that is available for that purpose.
The Secretary may contract and make cooperative agreements with States, municipal subdivisions, corporations, associations, or individuals, with proper bond where considered advisable, to protect, preserve, maintain, or operate any historic or archeologic building, site, or object, or property used in connection with the building, site, or object, for public use, regardless whether the title to the building, site, object, or property is in the United States. No contract or cooperative agreement shall be made or entered into that will obligate the general fund of the Treasury unless or until Congress has appropriated money for that purpose.
The Secretary shall restore, reconstruct, rehabilitate, preserve, and maintain historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and property of national historical or archeological significance and where considered desirable establish and maintain museums in connection with the sites, buildings, objects, and property.
The Secretary shall erect and maintain tablets to mark or commemorate historic or prehistoric places and events of national historical or archeological significance.
The Secretary may operate and manage historic and archeologic sites, buildings, and property acquired under this chapter together with land and subordinate buildings for the benefit of the public and may charge reasonable visitation fees and grant concessions, leases, or permits for the use of land, building space, roads, or trails when necessary or desirable either to accommodate the public or to facilitate administration. The Secretary may grant those concessions, leases, or permits and enter into contracts relating to the contracts, leases, or permits with responsible persons, firms, or corporations without advertising and without securing competitive bids.
When the Secretary determines that it would be administratively burdensome to restore, reconstruct, operate, or maintain any particular historic or archeologic site, building, or property donated to the United States through the Service*, the Secretary may cause the restoration, reconstruction, operation, or maintenance to be done by organizing a corporation for that purpose under the laws of the District of Columbia or any State.
The Secretary shall develop an educational program and service for the purpose of making available to the public information pertaining to American historic and archeologic sites, buildings, and properties of national significance. Reasonable charges may be made for the dissemination of any such information.
The Secretary shall perform any and all acts and make regulations not inconsistent with this chapter that may be necessary and proper to carry out this chapter.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 113–287, § 3, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3257.)
- 2014Enacted · Pub. L. 113-287 · 128 Stat. 3257
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 113-287 on 2014-12-19.
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