Bill > HR89

This bill establishes the St. Croix National Heritage Area in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, designating the organization St. Croix United for Community, Culture, Environment, and Economic Development (SUCCEED) Inc. as the local coordinating entity responsible for its management. SUCCEED Inc. must develop and submit a management plan to the Secretary of the Interior for approval, outlining strategies to protect, enhance, and interpret the area's natural, cultural, historic, scenic, and recreational resources. The bill also details the administrative authorities and duties of SUCCEED Inc., including making grants, entering cooperative agreements, hiring staff, and promoting partnerships, while prohibiting the use of federal funds for acquiring real property. It sets a cost-sharing requirement where the federal share of any activity cannot exceed 50%, with non-federal contributions allowed in the form of in-kind contributions. The management plan must be submitted within three years of enactment and will be reviewed by the Secretary of the Interior, with provisions for disapproval and revision. The bill clarifies that it does not affect the authority of other federal agencies, private property rights, or state management of fish and wildlife, and includes provisions for an evaluation and report before federal funding authority terminates after 15 years, with a total authorization of $10,000,000, capped at $1,000,000 per fiscal year.