[House Report 106-808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
106th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 106-808
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HOOVER DAM MISCELLANEOUS SALES ACT
_______
September 6, 2000.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1275]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(S. 1275) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to produce
and sell products and to sell publications relating to the
Hoover Dam, and to deposit revenues generated from the sales
into the Colorado River Dam fund, having considered the same,
report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that
the bill do pass.
purpose of the bill
The purpose of S. 1275 is to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to produce and sell products and to sell publications
relating to the Hoover Dam, and to deposit revenues generated
from the sales into the Colorado River Dam fund.
background
Hoover Dam is on the Colorado River between Arizona and
Nevada, about seven miles northeast of Boulder City, Nevada.
The dam is the second highest dam in the country and 18th
highest in the world, making it a significant tourist
attraction.
In 1995 a new visitor center was finished at the dam that
provides more than one million visitors annually the
opportunity to visit and see how the facility works. The
estimated costs of the visitor center, before construction, was
$32 million. However, during construction, the costs escalated
to more than $122 million (1994 dollars).
S. 1275 will enable the Bureau of Reclamation to provide
visitors to Hoover Dam an opportunity to buy educational
materials. It also will allow material removed from the dam
during recent rehabilitation work to be used to create
memorabilia. Otherwise such material would become surplus and
require alternate disposal. Sales authorized by this
legislation are expected to generate revenues which would
reduce the cost over-runs incurred in constructing the visitors
center.
Net revenues from the sale of publications and products
such as maps and videos are estimated to be between $25,000 and
$75,000 annually. These revenues will assist in repaying the
construction costs of the visitor center and parking structure,
thereby reducing the financial obligation of power users. The
revenues also will assist in paying for the operation,
maintenance, and recovery costs associated with the delivery of
guided tours at Hoover Dam and its power plant.
committee action
S. 1275 was introduced on June 24, 1999, by Senator Jon Kyl
(R-AZ). Companion legislation, H.R. 2383, was introduced in the
House of Representatives by Congressman Bob Stump (R-AZ). On
November 19, 1999, the Senate passed S. 1275 by unanimous
consent. In the House of Representatives, the bill was referred
to the Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on Water and Power. On June 15, 2000, the
Subcommittee met to consider the bill. No amendments were
offered and the was forwarded to the Full Resources Committee
by voice vote. On June 21, 2000, the Full Resources Committee
met to consider the bill. No amendments were offered and the
bill was then ordered to be favorably reported to the House of
Representatives by unanimous consent.
section-by-section analysis
Section 1. Short title
The short title of the bill is the ``Hoover Dam
Miscellaneous Sales Act''.
Section 2. Findings
This section lists the findings of Congress that the sale
and distribution of informative merchandise regarding public
land and water significantly benefits the public; the
merchandise sold on Bureau of Reclamation lands educates the
public; in 1997, over one million people toured the Hoover Dam
with many other people stopping to take view of the dam; these
visitors often ask to purchase items to memorialize their
Hoover Dam experience; the Bureau of Reclamation is the sole
supplier for Hoover Dam products and should be responsive to
the public and have appropriate items available for sale.
Section 3. Purposes
This section outlines the purpose of S. 1275.
Section 4. Authority to conduct sales
This section describes the authority of the Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to
conduct sales of Hoover Dam memorabilia, convert unneeded
property for such use and enter into agreements with others for
the production and sale of these items.
Section 5. Costs and revenues
This section declares that all costs resulting from the
production of the proposed memorabilia shall be debited from
the Colorado River Dam fund, established under second 2 of the
Act of December 21, 1928 (43 U.S.C. 617a), and all revenues
from the sale of such goods will return into this fund to pay
for the production costs. If any excess revenues exist they
will be transferred to the general fund of the Treasury to help
repay the costs relating to the construction of the Hoover Dam
Visitor Center.
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. Government Reform Oversight Findings. Under clause
3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee has received no report of
oversight findings and recommendations from the Committee on
Government Reform on this bill.
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:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, June 26, 2000.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1275, the Hoover Dam
Miscellaneous Sales Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Rachel
Applebaum.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
S. 1275--Hoover Dam Miscellaneous Sales Act
S. 1275 would allow the Bureau of Reclamation to sell
memorabilia made from unneeded property and scrap materials
from the Hoover Dam. The act also would allow the bureau to
sell publications related to its projects. Costs incurred to
produce these items would be derived from the Colorado River
Dam Fund and would be repaid from the proceeds from sales. Any
sales profits would be credited toward the repayment of the
cost of constructing the Hoover Dam Visitor Center. Under
current law, purchasers of power from the Hoover Dam repay
costs related to the center. CBO estimates that enacting S.
1275 would result in no net budget impact.
Amounts spent from the deposited into the Colorado River
Dam Fund are classified as discretionary spending. Based on
information from the Bureau of Reclamation, CBO estimates that
sales of memorabilia and publications would yield profits of
about $1 million annually over the 2001-2005 period. Because
these collections would reduce the repayment obligation of
power customers, CBO expects that collections from electricity
sales (which are also classified as discretionary spending in
this account) would be reduced by a corresponding amount.
Because S. 1275 would not affect direct spending or receipts,
pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
S. 1275 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.
On October 14, 1999, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
1275 as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources on September 22, 1999. These versions of the
legislation are similar and our estimates of their costs are
the same.
The CBO staff contact is Rachel Applebaum. 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.