[Senate Report 110-336]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 739
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-336
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SUPPORT FOR THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS ACT OF 2007
_______
May 19, 2008.--Ordered to be printed
Mr. Biden, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,
submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany H.R. 3320]
The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under
consideration the bill H.R. 3320 to provide assistance for the
Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland, reports
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that the
bill, as amended, do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose..........................................................1
II. Committee Action.................................................1
III. Discussion.......................................................2
IV. Cost Estimate....................................................2
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................3
VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................3
I. Purpose
The purpose of the Support for the Museum of the History of
Polish Jews Act of 2007 is to facilitate preservation of the
cultural heritage of Americans who trace their ancestry to
Poland's Jewish community.
II. Committee Action
H.R. 3320 was introduced on August 2, 2007 by Rep. Chris
Smith. The House of Representatives approved the bill on
November 14, 2007 by a vote of 407-13. On February 28, 2008,
Senator Menendez introduced a counterpart bill, S. 2679. At a
business meeting on April 22, 2008, the committee ordered H.R.
3320 reported favorably, after approving an amendment by
Senator Biden to revise section 3 of the bill.
III. Discussion
The genocide carried out by the Third Reich during the
Second World War threatened to bury a thousand-year history
during which Jews were a vibrant part of national life in
Poland. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will stand as
a living monument to the community's richness, resilience and
continuing contributions to humanity.
According to the United States Census conducted in 2000,
almost 9 million Americans are of Polish extraction. As a
result of this large Diaspora, the story of Poles and Polish
Jews constitutes an important chapter in the history of the
United States. Safeguarding and sharing this history will
benefit current and future generations of Americans.
The City of Warsaw and the Government of Poland have made
significant contributions of land and resources in order to
help bring the Museum into being. Many other nations have also
been touched by the dispersal of Poland's Jews. The effort to
design, fund, and build the Museum is, accordingly, a
thoroughly international undertaking. The Act will allow the
United States to join with other governments, organizations,
and private donors to help bring this important project to
fruition.
The committee revised the bill in section 3 to clarify and
broaden the authority to provide U.S. assistance to the Museum.
IV. Cost Estimate
In accordance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(a) of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee provides this
estimate of the costs of this legislation prepared by the
Congressional Budget Office.
United States Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, April 24, 2008.
Hon. Joseph R. Biden Jr.,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
United States Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3320, the Support
for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews Act of 2007.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sunita
D'Monte.
Sincerely,
Peter R. Orszag,
Enclosure.
------
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
April 24, 2008.
H.R. 3320 would authorize the appropriation of $5 million
to develop and maintain a permanent collection at the Museum of
the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. The museum
contains multimedia exhibits detailing the history and culture
of Jewish people in Poland over the past 1,000 years.
Based on historical spending patterns for similar grants
for cultural programs, CBO estimates that implementing this
legislation would cost $3 million in 2009 and $5 million over
the 2009-2013 period, subject to the appropriation of the
authorized amounts. Implementing the act would have no effect
on direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 3320 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sunita D'Monte.
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact
Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is
no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.
VI. Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of Rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee notes that no
changes to existing law are made by this bill.