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Blackwell School National Historic Site Act

Public Law 117-206 · S. 2490 · 117th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Oct 17, 2022 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. Alex Padilla

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 414 yea, 12 nay414–12
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Blackwell School National Historic Site Act

This bill establishes the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Texas as a unit of the National Park System.

The purpose of the site is to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the Blackwell School, including (1) the role of the Blackwell School, which educated children of Mexican descent, as an academic and cultural cornerstone in Marfa, Texas; and (2) the function of the Blackwell School within a segregated system of education in Texas and the United States from the period of 1885 through 1965.

The historic site shall not be established until the date on which the Department of the Interior has (1) entered into a written agreement with the Marfa Unified School District providing that the Blackwell School shall be donated to or placed by agreement into comanagement with the United States for inclusion in a national historic site to be managed consistently with the purposes of such a site, and (2) acquired sufficient land or interests in land within the boundaries of the historic site to constitute a manageable unit.

Interior may only acquire by donation, purchase with donated funds, or exchange any land or interest in land located within the boundary of the historic site.

The bill prohibits any private property or nonfederal public property from being included within the boundaries of the historic site or managed as part of such site without the written consent of the owner.

Interior shall prepare a general management plan for the historic site.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 117th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 414 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

414 yea12 nay6 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(217)

Republicans who voted yea(197)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 891 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 4706Related bill

    Blackwell School National Historic Site Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.

  1. Oct 17, 2022Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-206.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 20, 2022FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 414 - 12 (Roll no. 444).House roll call 444
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. Sep 19, 2022FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2490.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. Grijalva moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. May 19, 2022FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  15. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  16. Mar 2, 2022CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 300.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin without amendment. With written report No. 117-92.
  18. Nov 18, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
  19. Oct 6, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
  20. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  21. Jul 27, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  22. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 5042SenateSen. John CornynR-TX· offered May 19, 2022Agreed to

    To modify the map information.

    May 19, 2022: Amendment SA 5042 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2606; text: CR S2625)

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.