[House Report 107-88]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 107-88
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WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT OF
2001
_______
June 6, 2001.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Hansen, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1000]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 1000) to adjust the boundary of the William Howard Taft
National Historic Site in the State of Ohio, to authorize an
exchange of land in connection with the historic site, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably
thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as
amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``William Howard Taft National Historic
Site Boundary Adjustment Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. EXCHANGE OF LANDS AND BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT, WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, OHIO.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Historic site.--The term ``historic site'' means the
William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, Ohio,
established pursuant to Public Law 91-132 (83 Stat. 273; 16
U.S.C. 461 note).
(2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Proposed
Boundary Map, William Howard Taft National Historic Site,
Hamilton County, Cincinnati, Ohio,'' numbered 448/80,025, and
dated November 2000.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park
Service.
(b) Authorization of Land Exchange.--
(1) Exchange.--The Secretary may acquire a parcel of real
property consisting of less than one acre, which is depicted on
the map as the ``Proposed Exchange Parcel (Outside Boundary)'',
in exchange for a parcel of real property, also consisting of
less than one acre, which is depicted on the map as the
``Current USA Ownership (Inside Boundary)''.
(2) Equalization of values.--If the values of the parcels to
be exchanged under paragraph (1) are not equal, the difference
may be equalized by donation, payment using donated or
appropriated funds, or the conveyance of additional land.
(3) Adjustment of boundary.--The Secretary shall revise the
boundary of the historic site to reflect the exchange upon its
completion.
(c) Additional Boundary Revision and Acquisition Authority.--
(1) Inclusion of parcel in boundary.--Effective on the date
of the enactment of this Act, the boundary of the historic site
is revised to include an additional parcel of real property,
which is depicted on the map as the ``Proposed Acquisition''.
(2) Acquisition authority.--The Secretary may acquire the
parcel referred to in paragraph (1) by donation, purchase from
willing sellers with donated or appropriated funds, or
exchange.
(d) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available for
public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park
Service.
(e) Administration of Acquired Lands.--Any lands acquired under this
section shall be administered by the Secretary as part of the historic
site in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R.1000 is to adjust the boundary of the
William Howard Taft National Historic Site in the State of
Ohio, to authorize an exchange of land in connection with the
historic site, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site, located in
Cincinnati, Ohio, was established on December 2, 1969. The
historic site commemorates the only man to serve as President
and Chief Justice of the United States. The site includes the
restored home where Taft was born and the Taft Educational
Center. Total visitation to the historic site in 1999 was 5,960
people.
H.R. 1000 would authorize the Secretary of Interior to
acquire a parcel of private property consisting of less than
one acre adjacent to the National Historic Site (NHS) currently
owned by Sabis Educational Systems, Inc. in exchange for a
parcel of property consisting of less than one acre half a
block away from the NHS currently owned by the National Park
Service. The exchange of land would provide for more contiguous
plots of land adjacent to the NHS for anticipated expansion.
The bill would also authorize the acquisition of an additional
parcel of property adjacent to the NHS where an apartment
building exists. The property is currently owned by Sanning
LLC. The Secretary would acquire the parcel of land only by
donation, purchase from willing sellers with donated funds, or
exchange.
Once the additional land is acquired, the Secretary would
revise the boundary of the William Howard Taft NHS to reflect
the exchange. If the values of the parcels to be exchanged are
not of equal value, the difference may be equalized by
donation, payment using donated or appropriated funds, or the
conveyance of additional land.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 1000 was introduced on March 13, 2001, by Congressman
Rob Portman (R-OH). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on
National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. On April 26,
2001, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On May 16,
2001, the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill.
The Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public
Lands was discharged from further consideration of the bill by
unanimous consent. Congressman Joel Hefley (R-CO) offered an
amendment in the nature of a substitute that made two changes
to the original bill: (1) It corrected the map number used for
the ``Proposed Boundary Map,'' and (2) it authorized the
National Park Service to use appropriated funds to acquire the
Sanning LLC. parcel of land adjacent to the park. The amendment
was adopted by voice vote. The bill as amended was then ordered
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by voice
vote.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations
are reflected in the body of this report.
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT
Article I, section 8, and Article IV, section 3, of the
Constitution of the United States grants Congress the authority
to enact this bill.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation.--Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act.--As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, or credit authority. According to the Congressional
Budget Office, enactment of H.R. 1000 could affect receipts
through a cash equalization payment for the land exchanged for
the addition to the William Howard Taft National Historic Site.
However, any changes in receipts would be ``insignificant.''
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives.--As required
by clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to adjust the boundary of the William
Howard Taft National Historic Site in the State of Ohio and to
authorize an exchange of land in connection with the historic
site.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate.--Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, May 24, 2001.
Hon. James V. Hansen,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1000, the William
Howard Taft National Historic Site Boundary Adjustment Act of
2001.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
Sincerely,
Steven M. Lieberman
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 1000--William Howard Taft National Historic Site Boundary
Adjustment Act of 2001
H.R. 1000 would revise the boundary of the William Howard
Taft National Historic Site (Taft NHS). Assuming appropriation
of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the
legislation would cost the federal government between $0.9
million and $1.4 million over the next three years. The bill
also could affect receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures
would apply, but we expect any change in receipts would be
insignificant.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would have no significant impact on the budgets of state,
local, or tribal governments.
H.R. 1000 would expand the boundary of the Taft NHS to
include a small parcel of contiguous land, which the National
Park Service (NPS) could then acquire by purchase, donation, or
exchange. The bill also would authorize the NPS to acquire an
additional contiguous property in exchange for a similarly
sized tract within the NHS. The site's boundary would then be
redrawn to reflect the transfer. Any difference in the values
of the two properties could be equalized by a donation to the
government from the current property owner, or by a cash
payment to that party from the NPS.
Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming
appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that the
cost of acquiring the property added to the Taft NHS by the
bill would be between $0.7 million and $1.2 million over the
next three years. Because a cash equalization payment would be
authorized by the bill, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply.
We expect that the exchange for the second panel of land would
have no significant effect on the federal budget, however,
because the properties are similar in value. CBO estimates that
additional costs to develop the property that would be acquired
under the bill would total $0.2 million over the next three
years, and that annual costs to administer the new lands would
be minimal.
The staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The
estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing
law.