[House Report 109-338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
109th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 109-338
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FRENCH COLONIAL HERITAGE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE STUDY ACT OF 2005
_______
December 13, 2005.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Pombo, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1728]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 1728) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study
the suitability and feasibility of designating the French
Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of
the National Park System, 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 ``French Colonial Heritage National
Historic Site Study Act of 2005''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Area.--The term ``Area'' means the French Colonial
Heritage Area, which includes the Bequette-Ribault, St. Gemme-
Amoureaux, and Wilhauk homes, and the related and supporting
historical assets located in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park
Service.
SEC. 3. STUDY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds
are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall, in
consultation with the State of Missouri--
(1) complete a study on the suitability and feasibility of
designating the Area as a unit of the National Park System,
which shall include the potential impact that designation of
the area as a national heritage area is likely to have on land
within the proposed area or bordering the proposed area that is
privately owned at the time that the study is conducted; and
(2) submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report describing the findings of the
study.
(b) Contents.--The study under subsection (a) shall be conducted in
accordance with Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et seq.).
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 1728 is to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of
designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of
Missouri as a unit of the National Park Service.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
H.R. 1728 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
complete a study on the suitability and feasibility of
designating the French Colonial Heritage Area as a unit of the
National Park System. The French Colonial Heritage Area
includes the Bequette-Ribault, St. Gemme-Amoureaux, and Wilhauk
homes, and the related and supporting historical assets in Ste.
Genevieve County, Missouri. The Area contains some of the only
existing examples of the French Colonial period settlement,
including two of the five poteaux-en-terre (post-in-the-ground)
vertical log French buildings remaining in North America,
dating from circa 1785, in addition to several other important
historical resources. Moreover, the Area is located within the
expanded boundaries of Ste. Genevieve National Historic
District, a National Historic Landmark. Currently, no unit of
the National Park System has comparable historic features
providing the cultural backdrop required to adequately
interpret the story of the early French in the New World.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 1728 was introduced on April 20, 2005, by Congressman
Russ Carnahan (D-MO). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on
National Parks. On November 16, 2005, the Committee on
Resources met to consider the bill, at which time the
Subcommittee on National Parks was discharged from further
consideration of the bill by unanimous consent. Congressman
Stevan Pearce (R-NM) offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute which removed the Findings and Authorization of
Appropriations sections of the bill as well as added language
directing the Secretary of the Interior to study potential
impacts a designation would have on private property owners.
The amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. The bill, as
amended, 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 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 tax
expenditures. According to the Congressional Budget Office,
enactment of this bill would increase offsetting receipts and
direct spending, but ``any net change in direct spending would
be negligible.''
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:
H.R. 1728--French Colonial Heritage National Historic Site Study Act of
2005
H.R. 1728 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of
establishing an area of historical houses in Ste. Genevieve,
Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System. Based on
information provided by the National Park Service and assuming
the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that
carrying out the proposed study would cost about $200,000 over
the next three years. Enacting H.R. 1728 would not affect
direct spending or revenues.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on 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.