[House Report 107-743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 107-743
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KATE MULLANY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ACT
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October 11, 2002.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Hansen, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 464]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 464) to establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site
in the State of New York, 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. 464 is to establish the Kate Mullany
National Historic Site in the State of New York, and for other
purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The Kate Mullany House, recently designated a National
Historic Landmark, is found in Troy, New York. Kate Mullany
organized and led the first all female labor union. Troy was
the site of the nation's first commercial laundry and produced
the majority of white starched shirts, collars and cuffs in
America. When employers installed new machinery that stepped up
production, but made the working conditions worse, Kate Mullany
decided to fight for better wages and improved working
conditions. Work days were 12-14 hours per day earning 3-4
dollars per week. She led 300 workers in a week long labor
strike in February of 1864 that resulted in the owners
conceding to all of their demands. Unlike many other unions of
the day, the ``Collar Laundry Union'' stayed organized long
after their initial battle, helping other unions along the way.
In 1868 Kate Mullany gained national recognition when William
Sylvis appointed her to the National Labor Union office, making
her the first woman to be appointed to that office.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 464 was introduced on February 6, 2001 by Congressman
Michael McNulty (D-NY). The bill was referred to the Committee
on Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on
National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. On September 12,
2002, the Full Committee met to consider the bill and the
Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands
was discharged from further consideration of the bill. No
amendments were offered and the bill was then 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 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, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
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 establish the Kate Mullany
National Historic Site in the State of New York, and for other
purposes.
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, October 8, 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. 464, the Kate
Mullany National Historic Site 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. 464--Kate Mullany National Historic Site Act
H.R. 464 would establish the Kate Mullany National Historic
Site in New York as a unit of the National Park System. The
bill would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire
by donation, purchase, or exchange the Kate Mullany house and
any additional real and personal property needed for park
purposes. The NPS would be authorized to execute cooperative
agreements with public and private entities interested in the
preservation, interpretation, and use of the site. The agency
would have two years to complete a general management plan for
the new historic site, which would include recommendations for
related regional exhibits.
The costs of implementing H.R. 464 are uncertain because
the bill does not designate an official boundary for the new
historic site. Based on information provided by the NPS and
assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates
that the cost of acquiring and developing real and personal
property for the site would be about $5 million. We expect that
most of this amount would be used to renovate the Kate Mullany
house (which is currently used as an apartment building) and
develop it for visitor use. We estimate that once the site has
been restored (which could take several years) the cost of
operating it would be between $500,000 and $750,000 a year
(also assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts).
Enacting H.R. 464 would not affect revenues or direct spending.
H.R. 464 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no significant costs of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
This 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.