text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Long Island Aviation History Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      The Congress finds the following:
              (1) Long Island has played an indispensable role in the 
          development of the aviation industry in the United States. In 
          particular, the Hempstead Plains, Suffolk County Air Force 
          Base, and parts of Bethpage, Port Washington, and Farmingdale 
          contain notable landmarks of aviation history.
              (2) The Hempstead Plains encompass approximately 950 acres 
          east of Clinton Road and south of Old Country Road in Garden 
          City, New York, and have been called the ``Cradle of 
          Aviation''.
              (3) In the early 20th century, the Hempstead Plains had 3 
          major airfields, all of great historical significance: 
          Roosevelt Field, Curtiss Field, and Mitchel Field.
              (4) During World War I, the airfields of Hempstead Plains 
          were an important training center for United States military 
          pilots, as well as a major hub for military aircraft research, 
          development, and production.
              (5) The first transatlantic flight, carried out by the U.S. 
          Navy Curtiss NC-4 in 1919, took off from Rockaway, New York, 
          and cemented the United States leading role in aviation 
          innovation. This aircraft was built at the Curtiss factory in 
          Garden City--a building which still stands.
              (6) Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York, was the point 
          of departure for Charles Lindbergh's famous transatlantic 
          flight aboard the Spirit of St. Louis completed on May 20, 
          1927.
              (7) In 1929, Amelia Earhart and other pioneering women 
          pilots founded the International Organization of Women Pilots, 
          or the Ninety-Nines, at Curtiss Field.
              (8) Curtiss Field also served as the terminus for 
          transcontinental airmail from 1918-1929.
              (9) In the 1930s, Roosevelt Field was the busiest civilian 
          airfield in the United States, and played a role in many other 
          historic transcontinental, transatlantic, and record-setting 
          flights.
              (10) Port Washington, New York, once known as the 
          ``Plymouth Rock'' of American aviation, was Pan American World 
          Airways' trans-Atlantic hub on Manhasset Isle from 1934 to 
          1940.
              (11) During World War II, Long Island was a crucial center 
          of military aircraft production. These aircraft, produced in 
          huge numbers for the Army, Navy, and foreign governments, were 
          of excellent quality and had a major impact on the course of 
          the war in all theaters.
              (12) Most notably, the Grumman Aircraft Company, based in 
          Bethpage, New York, and the Republic Aviation Corporation, 
          based in Farmingdale, New York, manufactured innovative planes 
          that proved highly valuable to the U.S. military such as 
          Grumman's F6F-3 Hellcat and Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt.
              (13) Mitchel Air Force Base, located on the Hempstead 
          Plains, served as the original location of the Air Defense 
          Command upon its inception in 1940, and was integral to the 
          defense of the main-land United States during World War II and 
          thereafter.
              (14) In 1951, the Suffolk County Air Force Base, located in 
          Westhampton, New York, became the prime Air Defense Command 
          base responsible for defending the New York City metropolitan 
          area from all air attacks.
              (15) In 1962, Grumman won the contract to build the Lunar 
          Module as part of the Apollo Program, and in 1969 the first men 
          traveled to the moon aboard a spacecraft built with the 
          expertise of Long Island's aviation industry.
  
  SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.
  
      (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special 
  resource study of the study area.
      (b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
  Secretary shall--
              (1) evaluate the national significance of the study area 
          based on an assessment of Long Island's aviation history;
              (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
          designating parts of the study area as a unit of the National 
          Park System commemorating Long Island's aviation history;
              (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 
          protection, and interpretation of the study area by Federal, 
          State, or local governmental entities, or private and nonprofit 
          organizations;
              (4) identify properties related to Long Island's aviation 
          history that could meet criteria for listing in the National 
          Register of Historic Places or criteria for designation as 
          National Historic Landmarks;
              (5) consult with interested Federal, State, or local 
          governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations, or 
          any other interested individuals;
              (6) consider the appropriate management options needed to 
          ensure the protection, preservation, and interpretation of the 
          study area;
              (7) evaluate appropriate ways to enhance historical 
          research, education, interpretation, and public awareness of 
          Long Island's aviation history; and
              (8) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, 
          development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance 
          associated with the alternatives.
      (c) Study Area.--The term ``study area'' means Long Island with a 
  particular focus on the Hempstead Plains, the areas surrounding Suffolk 
  County Air Force Base, the hamlet of Bethpage, the hamlet of Port 
  Washington, and the village of Farmingdale.
      (d) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
  be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of title 54, United 
  States Code.
      (e) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 
  are first made available for the study under subsection (a), the 
  Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
  House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
  Resources of the Senate a report containing the results of the study 
  and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
target: Long Island Aviation History Act  This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the aviation history of Long Island, with a particular focus on the Hempstead Plains, the areas surrounding Suffolk County Air Force Base, the hamlet of Bethpage, the hamlet of Port Washington, and the village of Farmingdale. 
feat_title: Long Island Aviation History Act