[House Report 107-508] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] 107th Congress Report HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 107-508 ====================================================================== VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK BOUNDARY MODIFICATION ACT _______ June 17, 2002.--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. 3307] [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 3307) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the property known as Pemberton's Headquarters and to modify the boundary of Vicksburg National Military Park to include that property, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of H.R. 3307 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the property known as Pemberton's Headquarters and to modify the boundary of Vicksburg National Military Park to include that property, and for other purposes. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION The Vicksburg National Military Park was established by Congress on February 21, 1899, to commemorate one of the most important and decisive battles of the American Civil War. This legislation would authorize the acquisition of the headquarters of Confederate Lt. General John C. Pemberton from willing sellers, and provide for its inclusion within the boundary of the park. When Congress approved the enabling legislation, the building that had served as Pemberton's headquarters was a private residence and so was not included in the park. The site of U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters, located in proximity to Union lines, was included. The park currently attracts 1.2 million visitors annually, but many do not venture into the historic district. The Pemberton property is centrally located in the heart of Vicksburg's historic district and its acquisition would draw many visitors to the heart of the city and would further facilitate the National Park Service's interpretive opportunities. COMMITTEE ACTION H.R. 3307 was introduced on November 15, 2001 by Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and was referred to the Committee on Resources. On November 19, 2001, the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. On April 11, 2002, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On May 22, 2002, the Full Committee met to mark up the bill. By unanimous consent, the Subcommittee was discharged from further consideration of the bill. No amendments were offered and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. 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 grant 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, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. 3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply. 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, June 13, 2002. 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. 3307, the Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. Sincerely, Barry B. Anderson (For Dan L. Crippen, Director). Enclosure. H.R. 3307--Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act H.R. 3307 would authorize the Department of the Interior to acquire an historic property, Pemberton's Headquarters, and an additional one acre of land (for a parking facility) in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Once acquired, the properties would be included within the boundary of the Vicksburg National Military Park and administered by the National Park Service (NPS). CBO estimates that the cost of implementing H.R. 3307 would be $4 million, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Of this amount, we estimate that less than $1 million would be used to acquire Pemberton's Headquarters and the one-acre lot. The costs of restoring and interpreting the two properties and developing them for visitor use are uncertain because the NPS has not completed its planning and design process, but CBO estimates that such costs would probably be around $3 million. Finally, we estimate that the costs to operate and maintain the house and lot would be about $0.5 million annually. This estimate is based on information provided by the NPS. The bill would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 3307 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. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, 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.