H.R. 2520 — César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act

This section declares congressional findings on the 2012 establishment of the César E. Chávez National Monument at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in Keene, California (i.e., former national headquarters of the United Farm Workers and home of César E. Chávez); the significance of related sites in California and Arizona; and a 2013 National Park Service study recommending a national historical park and further exploration of a national historic trail for the 1966 Delano-to-Sacramento march. The section states the purpose of the Act as establishing the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park to preserve, protect, and interpret associated resources; enhance public understanding of Chávez and the farmworker movement's contributions to U.S. history; and support the related network of sites.

This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including "(1) historical park" as the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park established by section 4; "(2) Map" as the map entitled "Cesar E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Proposed Boundary," numbered 502/179857B, and dated September 2022; "(3) Secretary" as the Secretary of the Interior; "(4) States" as California and Arizona; and "(5) Study" as the National Park Service's "César Chávez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment" submitted to Congress on October 24, 2013.

This section redesignates the César E. Chávez National Monument, established in 2012 in Keene, California, as the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, with any prior funds available for the monument to remain available for the park and all references to the monument deemed references to the park. The section establishes the initial park boundary to include the original monument area as generally depicted on the map entitled “César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park—Proposed Boundary and Addition Sites”; authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to include three additional sites within the boundary—the Forty Acres in Delano, California; Santa Rita Center in Phoenix, Arizona; and McDonnell Hall in San Jose, California—upon acquiring a land interest or entering a written management agreement with the owner; and requires Federal Register notice of any such inclusion within 30 days. The Secretary may acquire lands or interests within the proposed boundary area by donation, purchase from a willing seller using donated or appropriated funds, or exchange. The section directs the Secretary to administer the park in accordance with this provision and laws generally applicable to National Park System units, including authority for technical assistance and interpretation at related non-NPS sites concerning César E. Chávez and the farmworker movement, as well as cooperative agreements with governmental and private entities for park preservation, development, interpretation, and use. This section further directs the Secretary to complete a general management plan for the park within three years after funds are made available, in accordance with 54 U.S.C. §100502 (i.e., requiring plans with resource preservation measures, public use development types and costs, visitor carrying capacities, and potential boundary modifications). The plan must determine whether to recommend adding sites from a prior study in California's Coachella Valley, other reviewed states, or elsewhere in the United States; requires submission of any such recommendations to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources; and mandates consultation with affected landowners, Federal, state, and Tribal agencies, and organizations including the National Chávez Center and César Chávez Foundation.

This section establishes the Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail, a route of approximately 300 miles taken by farmworkers between Delano and Sacramento, California, in 1966, as generally depicted as “Alternative C” in the National Park Service study entitled “César Chávez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment” and submitted to Congress on October 24, 2013.