§ 460l-8. Financial assistance to States

(a) Authority of Secretary of the Interior; payments to carry out purposes of land and water conservation provisions

The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) is authorized to provide financial assistance to the States from moneys available for State purposes. Payments may be made to the States by the Secretary as hereafter provided, subject to such terms and conditions as he considers appropriate and in the public interest to carry out the purposes of this part, for outdoor recreation:

(1) planning,

(2) acquisition of land, waters, or interests in land or waters, or

(3) development.

(b) Apportionment among States; finality of administrative determination; formula; notification; reapportionment of unobligated amounts; definition of State

Sums appropriated and available for State purposes for each fiscal year shall be apportioned among the several States by the Secretary, whose determination shall be final, in accordance with the following formula:

(1) Forty per centum of the first $225,000,000; thirty per centum of the next $275,000,000; and twenty per centum of all additional appropriations shall be apportioned equally among the several States; and ^[1]

(2) At any time, the remaining appropriation shall be apportioned on the basis of need to individual States by the Secretary in such amounts as in his judgment will best accomplish the purposes of this part. The determination of need shall include among other things a consideration of the proportion which the population of each State bears to the total population of the United States and of the use of outdoor recreation resources of individual States by persons from outside the State as well as a consideration of the Federal resources and programs in the particular States.

(3) The total allocation to an individual State under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection shall not exceed 10 per centum of the total amount allocated to the several States in any one year.

(4) The Secretary shall notify each State of its apportionments; and the amounts thereof shall be available thereafter for payment to such State for planning, acquisition, or development projects as hereafter prescribed. Any amount of any apportionment that has not been paid or obligated by the Secretary during the fiscal year in which such notification is given and for two fiscal years thereafter shall be reapportioned by the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection, without regard to the 10 per centum limitation to an individual State specified in this subsection.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (when such islands achieve Commonwealth status) shall be treated collectively as one State, and shall receive shares of such apportionment in proportion to their populations. The above listed areas shall be treated as States for all other purposes of sections 460l–4 to 460l–6a and 460l–7 to 460l–10e of this title.

Payments to any State shall cover not more than 50 per centum of the cost of planning, acquisition, or development projects that are undertaken by the State. The remaining share of the cost shall be borne by the State in a manner and with such funds or services as shall be satisfactory to the Secretary. No payment may be made to any State for or on account of any cost or obligation incurred or any service rendered prior to September 3, 1964.

(d) Comprehensive State plan; necessity; adequacy; contents; correlation with other plans; factors for formulation of Housing and Home Finance Agency financed plans; planning projects; wetlands consideration; wetlands priority plan

A comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan shall be required prior to the consideration by the Secretary of financial assistance for acquisition or development projects. The plan shall be adequate if, in the judgment of the Secretary, it encompasses and will promote the purposes of this part: Provided, That no plan shall be approved unless the Governor of the respective State certifies that ample opportunity for public participation in plan development and revision has been accorded. The Secretary shall develop, in consultation with others, criteria for public participation, which criteria shall constitute the basis for the certification by the Governor. The plan shall contain—

(1) the name of the State agency that will have authority to represent and act for the State in dealing with the Secretary for purposes of this part;

(2) an evaluation of the demand for and supply of outdoor recreation resources and facilities in the State;

(3) a program for the implementation of the plan; and

(4) other necessary information, as may be determined by the Secretary.

The plan shall take into account relevant Federal resources and programs and shall be correlated so far as practicable with other State, regional, and local plans. Where there exists or is in preparation for any particular State a comprehensive plan financed in part with funds supplied by the Housing and Home Finance Agency, any statewide outdoor recreation plan prepared for purposes of this part shall be based upon the same population, growth, and other pertinent factors as are used in formulating the Housing and Home Finance Agency financed plans.

The Secretary may provide financial assistance to any State for projects for the preparation of a comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan when such plan is not otherwise available or for the maintenance of such plan.

For fiscal year 1988 and thereafter each comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan shall specifically address wetlands within that State as an important outdoor recreation resource as a prerequisite to approval, except that a revised comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan shall not be required by the Secretary, if a State submits, and the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, approves, as a part of and as an addendum to the existing comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan, a wetlands priority plan developed in consultation with the State agency with responsibility for fish and wildlife resources and consistent with the national wetlands priority conservation plan developed under section 3921 of this title or, if such national plan has not been completed, consistent with the provisions of that section ^[2]

(e) Projects for land and water acquisition; development

In addition to assistance for planning projects, the Secretary may provide financial assistance to any State for the following types of projects or combinations thereof if they are in accordance with the State comprehensive plan:

(1) For the acquisition of land, waters, or interests in land or waters, or wetland areas and interests therein as identified in the wetlands provisions of the comprehensive plan (other than land, waters, or interests in land or waters acquired from the United States for less than fair market value), but not including incidental costs relating to acquisition.

Whenever a State provides that the owner of a single-family residence may, at his option, elect to retain a right of use and occupancy for not less than six months from the date of acquisition of such residence and such owner elects to retain such a right, such owner shall be deemed to have waived any benefits under sections 4623, 4624, 4625, and 4626 of title 42 and for the purposes of those sections such owner shall not be considered a displaced person as defined in section 4601 (6) of title 42.

(2) For development of basic outdoor recreation facilities to serve the general public, including the development of Federal lands under lease to States for terms of twenty-five years or more: Provided, That no assistance shall be available under this part to enclose or shelter facilities normally used for outdoor recreation activities, but the Secretary may permit local funding, and after September 28, 1976, not to exceed 10 per centum of the total amount allocated to a State in any one year to be used for sheltered facilities for swimming pools and ice skating rinks in areas where the Secretary determines that the severity of climatic conditions and the increased public use thereby made possible justifies the construction of such facilities.

(f) Requirements for project approval; conditions; progress payments; payments to Governors or State officials or agencies; State transfer of funds to public agencies; conversion of property to other uses; reports to Secretary; accounting; records; audit; discrimination prohibited

(1) Payments may be made to States by the Secretary only for those planning, acquisition, or development projects that are approved by him. No payment may be made by the Secretary for or on account of any project with respect to which financial assistance has been given or promised under any other Federal program or activity, and no financial assistance may be given under any other Federal program or activity for or on account of any project with respect to which such assistance has been given or promised under this part. The Secretary may make payments from time to time in keeping with the rate of progress toward the satisfactory completion of individual projects: Provided, That the approval of all projects and all payments, or any commitments relating thereto, shall be withheld until the Secretary receives appropriate written assurance from the State that the State has the ability and intention to finance its share of the cost of the particular project, and to operate and maintain by acceptable standards, at State expense, the particular properties or facilities acquired or developed for public outdoor recreation use.

(2) Payments for all projects shall be made by the Secretary to the Governor of the State or to a State official or agency designated by the Governor or by State law having authority and responsibility to accept and to administer funds paid hereunder for approved projects. If consistent with an approved project, funds may be transferred by the State to a political subdivision or other appropriate public agency.

(3) No property acquired or developed with assistance under this section shall, without the approval of the Secretary, be converted to other than public outdoor recreation uses. The Secretary shall approve such conversion only if he finds it to be in accord with the then existing comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan and only upon such conditions as he deems necessary to assure the substitution of other recreation properties of at least equal fair market value and of reasonably equivalent usefulness and location.: ^[3] Provided, That wetland areas and interests therein as identified in the wetlands provisions of the comprehensive plan and proposed to be acquired as suitable replacement property within that same State that is otherwise acceptable to the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, shall be considered to be of reasonably equivalent usefulness with the property proposed for conversion.

(4) No payment shall be made to any State until the State has agreed to (1) provide such reports to the Secretary, in such form and containing such information, as may be reasonably necessary to enable the Secretary to perform his duties under this part, and (2) provide such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure proper disbursement and accounting for Federal funds paid to the State under this part.

(5) Each recipient of assistance under this part shall keep such records as the Secretary shall prescribe, including records which fully disclose the amount and the disposition by such recipient of the proceeds of such assistance, the total cost of the project or undertaking in connection with which such assistance is given or used, and the amount and nature of that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective audit.

(6) The Secretary, and the Comptroller General of the United States, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have access for the purpose of audit and examination to any books, documents, papers, and records of the recipient that are pertinent to assistance received under this part.

(7) Repealed. Pub. L. 104–333, div. I, title VIII, § 814(d)(1)(H), Nov. 12, 1996, 110 Stat. 4196.

(8) With respect to property acquired or developed with assistance from the fund, discrimination on the basis of residence, including preferential reservation or membership systems, is prohibited except to the extent that reasonable differences in admission and other fees may be maintained on the basis of residence.

(g) Coordination with Federal agencies

In order to assure consistency in policies and actions under this part with other related Federal programs and activities (including those conducted pursuant to title VII of the Housing Act of 1961 [42 U.S.C. 1500 et seq.] and section 701 ^[4] of the Housing Act of 1954) and to assure coordination of the planning, acquisition, and development assistance to States under this section with other related Federal programs and activities, the President may issue such regulations with respect thereto as he deems desirable and such assistance may be provided only in accordance with such regulations.

(h) Capital improvement and other projects to reduce crime

(1) Availability of funds

In addition to assistance for planning projects, and in addition to the projects identified in subsection (e) of this section, and from amounts appropriated out of the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund, the Secretary may provide financial assistance to the States, not to exceed $15,000,000, for projects or combinations thereof for the purpose of making capital improvements and other measures to increase safety in urban parks and recreation areas, including funds to—

(A) increase lighting within or adjacent to public parks and recreation areas;

(B) provide emergency phone lines to contact law enforcement or security personnel in areas within or adjacent to public parks and recreation areas;

(D) fund any other project intended to increase the security and safety of public parks and recreation areas.

(2) Eligibility

In addition to the requirements for project approval imposed by this section, eligibility for assistance under this subsection shall be dependent upon a showing of need. In providing funds under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to projects proposed for urban parks and recreation areas with the highest rates of crime and, in particular, to urban parks and recreation areas with the highest rates of sexual assault.

(3) Federal share

Notwithstanding subsection (c) of this section, the Secretary may provide 70 percent improvement grants for projects undertaken by any State for the purposes described in this subsection, and the remaining share of the cost shall be borne by the State.

[1] So in original. Probably should end with period instead of “; and”.

[2] So in original. Probably should be followed by a period.

[3] So in original. The period probably should not appear.

[4] See References in Text note below.

U.S. Code

§ 460l-8. Financial assistance to States