To designate the General George C. Marshall House, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
Summary
HB 1352 would designate the General George C. Marshall House in Leesburg, Virginia, as an affiliated area of the National Park System. The bill identifies the George C. Marshall International Center as the management entity for the site and directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with that entity to define roles and responsibilities for managing the area in a manner consistent with National Park System policies and standards.
The bill also authorizes the Department of the Interior to provide technical assistance and to enter into cooperative agreements that may support marketing, marking, interpretation, and preservation of the site. At the same time, it makes clear that the federal government would not acquire the property or assume operational, maintenance, or financial responsibility for the house. The measure includes protections for adjacent private property owners and states that it does not create buffer zones or regulate activities outside the site simply because they can be seen or heard from within it.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add the General George C. Marshall House to the National Park System as an affiliated area, creating a formal federal recognition relationship without converting the property into a federally owned or fully federally managed park unit. It would require a management agreement and a management plan within three years after funds are made available, and it would apply National Park System-related standards to the site’s administration while preserving private property rights nearby.
Sentiment
The available record suggests generally favorable treatment of the bill, as reflected by its advancement through the House and placement on the Senate Legislative Calendar. The text itself is structured as a preservation and recognition measure, with safeguards limiting federal control, which typically helps reduce opposition from property-rights concerns. No committee transcript or vote record is available here showing organized opposition or debate.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the scope of federal involvement and the effect on surrounding landowners. To address those concerns, the bill explicitly says the Secretary of the Interior may not acquire the property or take on managerial or financial responsibility for it, and it states that no buffer zones are created and no adjacent land use rights are affected. Any disagreement would likely center on whether the affiliated-area designation is an appropriate federal role for a historic private property and whether the management agreement could indirectly influence local land use.
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