H.R. 4706 · 117th Congress

Blackwell School National Historic Site Act

Introduced on Jul 27, 2021 by Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23). One cosponsor. Latest action (Dec 9, 2021): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Jul 27, 2021
Cosponsors
1
1 from the other party
Policy area
Public Lands and Natural Resources
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Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Educational facilities and institutions
  • Elementary and secondary education
  • Historic sites and heritage areas
  • Land transfers
  • Racial and ethnic relations
  • Texas

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Dec 8, 2021). Public domain.

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 to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the Blackwell School, its role as both an academic and cultural cornerstone in the community in Marfa, Texas, and its function within a segregated system of education in Texas and the United States from 1885-1965.

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.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Tony GonzalesR-TX-23Sponsor

Democrats · 1

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
    Dec 8, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 417–8

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jul 27, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Jul 27, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Jul 27, 2021 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
  4. Aug 14, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
  5. Oct 14, 2021 · HouseSubcommittee Hearings Held.
  6. Nov 17, 2021 · HouseSubcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Discharged.
  7. Nov 17, 2021 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  8. Nov 17, 2021 · HouseOrdered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
  9. Dec 1, 2021Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 117-198.
  10. Dec 1, 2021 · HouseReported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 117-198.
  11. Dec 1, 2021 · HousePlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 142.
  12. Dec 1, 2021 · HouseMs. Leger Fernandez moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  13. Dec 1, 2021 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6740-6741; text: CR H6740)
  14. Dec 1, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4706.
  15. Dec 1, 2021 · HouseAt 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.
  16. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7546)
  17. Dec 8, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 417 - 8 (Roll no. 429).House · Roll call 429
  18. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 417 - 8 (Roll no. 429).House · Roll call 429
  19. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  20. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 5, 2026 · loaded Oct 5, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.