S. 2490 – Blackwell School National Historic Site Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated February 8, 2026 at 5:43 AM UTC

The bill creates the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, as part of the National Park System. It seeks to preserve, protect, and interpret the historic Blackwell School, a symbol of school segregation and Hispanic education. The site will be administered by the Secretary of the Interior in cooperation with local partners.

Key Provisions

Establishes the Blackwell School National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System to preserve the school and its history.
Requires a written agreement with the Marfa Unified School District to donate or co‑manage the school and acquisition of sufficient land before the site can be established.
Defines the site’s boundaries by a specific map that will be publicly available.
Allows land acquisition for the site only through donation, purchase with donated funds, or exchange.
Mandates the Secretary prepare a general management plan within three years of receiving funding and submit it to the Senate and House energy and natural resources committees.
Requires cooperative agreements with the Blackwell School Alliance and other partners for interpretive, educational, and rehabilitation activities.
Prohibits inclusion of private or non‑federal property within the site without the owner’s written consent.

Legislative Activity

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21 earlier actions

Became Law Latest Action

Became Public Law No: 117-206.

October 17, 2022

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

July 27, 2021

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

July 27, 2021

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

National Parks Subcommittee

October 6, 2021

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

November 18, 2021

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin without amendment. With written report No. 117-92.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

March 2, 2022

SenateCalendars

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 300.

March 2, 2022

SenateFloor

Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S2605-2606)

May 19, 2022

SenateFloor

Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S2606)

May 19, 2022

SenateFloor

Message on Senate action sent to the House.

May 19, 2022

HouseFloor

Received in the House.

May 19, 2022 • 1:39 PM

HouseFloor

Held at the desk.

May 19, 2022 • 1:42 PM

HouseFloor

Mr. Grijalva moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

September 19, 2022 • 5:57 PM

HouseFloor

Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7936-7937)

September 19, 2022 • 5:57 PM

HouseFloor

DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2490.

September 19, 2022 • 5:57 PM

HouseFloor

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.

September 19, 2022 • 6:04 PM

HouseFloor

Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7992-7993)

September 20, 2022 • 2:20 PM

SenateFloor

Passed/agreed to in House: 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).

View vote Passed

September 20, 2022 • 2:28 PM

HouseFloor

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). (text: 9/19/2022 CR H7936)

View vote Passed

September 20, 2022 • 2:28 PM

HouseFloor

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

September 20, 2022 • 2:28 PM

President

Presented to President.

October 17, 2022

Became Law

Signed by President.

October 17, 2022

Became Law

Became Public Law No: 117-206.

October 17, 2022

Voting History

1 vote recorded • Roll call available

HOUSE

Roll Call Available

September 20, 2022 at 2:25 PM

On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass

Majority required: 2/3 (66.7%)

Passed

414 - 12

Floor Debate

7 members

What members said about S. 2490 on the floor

+2

6 Republicans1 Democrat

Rep. Raúl M. GrijalvaD-AZ-3 · Sep 19, 2022

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2490) to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, and for other purposes. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous…

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2490) to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure that is before us under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2490, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. This legislation, if the House will recall, was sponsored primarily by Representative Tony Gonzales from Texas.

S. 2490 is a companion to that legislation from the Senate, from Senator Cornyn, and this legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site to preserve, protect, and interpret the role of the Blackwell School as an academic and cultural cornerstone in Marfa, Texas.

The Blackwell School was the sole public education institution for Mexican-American children in Marfa from 1909 until 1965, when local schools were finally integrated.

The building is a tangible reminder of a time in American history where separate but equal remained prevalent in our culture. It is a symbol of community solidarity, pride, and identity, and it remains to this day.

Approximately 4,000 students attended the Blackwell School over the course of more than 50 years. Despite the inherent unfairness of segregation, the Blackwell School became a meeting place and a source of pride for the local Mexican-American community in the region.

Today, all that remains of the once-sprawling campus is a three-room adobe schoolhouse, one of the last such schools remaining in Texas.

Designating the Blackwell School as a national historic site ensures that the story of the Blackwell School is maintained so that future Americans can learn from and understand its rich, complex, and troubling history.

Representative Tony Gonzales should be applauded for his efforts on this.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me today in supporting the bill and sending it to President Biden for his signature, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time on this legislation. I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Jerry L. CarlR-AL-1 · Sep 19, 2022

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2490, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. This legislation, championed in the House by my…

Rep. Tony GonzalesR-TX-23 · Sep 19, 2022

Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. And I thank my distinguished colleague from…

Rep. Ted BuddR-NC-13 · Sep 20, 2022

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend some votes in this series due to my flight's schedule. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 441 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 442. Members…

Rep. Glenn GrothmanR-WI-6 · Sep 20, 2022

Mr. Speaker, I arrived 20 seconds late in a meeting. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 441. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Baird…

Show 2 more

Rep. Matt GaetzR-FL-1 · Sep 19, 2022

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Rep. Michelle FischbachR-MN-7 · Sep 20, 2022

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Bill Text

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Enrolled BillPublication date not provided

One Hundred Seventeenth Congress of the United States of America

2d Session

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two

S. 2490

AN ACT

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

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that—

(1)

the Blackwell School, located at 501 South Abbott Street, in Marfa, Presidio County, Texas, is—

(A)

associated with the period of racial segregation in Marfa public schools; and

(B)

the only extant property directly associated with Hispanic education in Marfa since the other buildings were torn down after the Blackwell School closed in 1965;

(2)

the Blackwell School is a tangible reminder of the period during which the doctrine of separate but equal dominated education and social systems;

(3)

despite being categorized as white by Texas law, Mexican Americans were regularly excluded from commingling with Anglo individuals at barbershops, restaurants, funeral homes, theaters, churches, and schools;

(4)

the spectrum of experiences of students and teachers at the Blackwell School are an important record of life in a segregated school in the context of the history of Texas and the United States;

(5)

Mexican and Mexican American culture and history in Marfa is tied to the Blackwell School, which for more than 50 years served as a leading feature of the Hispanic community, illustrating the challenge of maintaining cultural identity in a dominant Anglo society;

(6)

Hispanic influences continue to be seen in social and religious organizations, business and government institutions, and shared experiences of language, food, and music in Marfa, Texas;

(7)

the historic Blackwell School building is a physical record of—

(A)

the longevity and beauty of the distinctive design and craftsmanship informed by traditional techniques and materials; and

(B)

the transition from the purely vernacular to the period of materials, design, and workmanship made available after the arrival of the railroad;

(8)

the original historic school building and grounds on which the Blackwell School building stands provide an authentic setting to commemorate and interpret the history of the Blackwell School;

(9)

the Blackwell School is closely associated with the broad patterns of local, State, and national history in the area of school segregation; and

(10)

Mexicans and other members of the Latin American diaspora have placed a high value on education as a means of economic, social, and political advancement, but Hispanics and Latinos have not always had equitable opportunities and access to quality educational facilities in the United States.

3.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Map

The term map means the map entitled Blackwell School National Historic Site Proposed Boundary, numbered 593/178387, and dated February 2022.

(2)

National historic site

The term National Historic Site means the Blackwell School National Historic Site established by section 4(a)(1).

(3)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

4.

Establishment of the Blackwell School National Historic Site

(a)

Establishment

(1)

In general

Subject to paragraph (2), there is established the Blackwell School National Historic Site in the State of 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, including—

(A)

the role of the Blackwell School as an academic and cultural cornerstone in Marfa, Texas; and

(B)

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.

(2)

Determination by Secretary

The National Historic Site shall not be established until the date on which the Secretary determines that—

(A)

a written agreement has been entered into by the Secretary with the Marfa Unified School District providing that the Blackwell School shall be donated to the United States or co-managed with the Secretary for inclusion in a national historic site to be managed consistently with the purposes of a national historic site; and

(B)

a sufficient quantity of land or an interest in land within the boundaries of the National Historic Site has been acquired to constitute a manageable unit.

(b)

Map

(1)

Boundaries

The boundaries of the National Historic Site shall be the boundaries generally depicted on the map.

(2)

Availability of map

The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.

(c)

Acquisition of authority

The Secretary may only acquire any land or interest in land located within the boundary of the National Historic Site by—

(1)

donation;

(2)

purchase with donated funds; or

(3)

exchange.

(d)

Administration

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall administer the National Historic Site in accordance with—

(A)

this Act; and

(B)

the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System.

(2)

Management plan

(A)

In general

Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made available to the Secretary to prepare a general management plan for the National Historic Site, the Secretary shall prepare a general management plan for the National Historic Site in accordance with section 100502 of title 54, United States Code.

(B)

Submission

On completion of the general management plan under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives the general management plan prepared under that subparagraph.

(e)

Cooperative agreements

The Secretary shall enter into cooperative agreements with the Blackwell School Alliance and other local, regional, State, academic, and nonprofit partners for interpretive and educational programming, technical assistance, and rehabilitation relating to the National Historic Site.

(f)

Written consent of owner

No private property or non-Federal public property shall be included within the boundaries of the National Historic Site or managed as part of the National Historic Site without the written consent of the owner of the property.

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate