[Senate Report 115-299]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 512
115th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 115-299
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SAINT-GAUDENS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK REDESIGNATION ACT
_______
July 12, 2018.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Ms. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 965]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (H.R. 965) to redesignate the Saint-Gaudens
National Historic Site as the ``Saint-Gaudens National
Historical Park'', and for other purposes, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
Purpose
The purpose of H.R. 965 is to redesignate the Saint-Gaudens
National Historic Site in New Hampshire as the ``Saint-Gaudens
National Historical Park''.
Background and Need
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New
Hampshire, preserves the home, gardens, and studios of Augustus
Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), one of the most celebrated sculptors
in the United States. Saint-Gaudens' notable commissions
include public monuments to Civil War heroes as well as U.S.
gold coinage. The site in Cornish houses over 100 pieces of the
artist's work, from public monuments to expressive portrait
reliefs, in galleries and on the grounds.
As Saint-Gaudens became more well-known as an artist,
requests for commissions and commemorative outdoor sculptures
in the U.S. and in France increased. He attracted leaders and
practitioners in painting, sculpture, etching, writing, poetry,
drama, dance, musical composition, musical performance,
architecture, landscape architecture, jurisprudence, politics,
and other artistic disciplines to relocate to Cornish, forming
one of the earliest art colonies--the Cornish Art Colony.
Throughout the long history of Saint-Gaudens National
Historic Site, the site and the partner organization, the
Saint-Gaudens Memorial, have promoted the arts through the
regular presentation of musical concerts, historic dramas,
visual arts exhibitions, artistic workshops, and the oldest
artist-in-residence program in the National Park Service.
Saint-Gaudens' home, gardens, and studios were originally
acquired and preserved as a living memorial to him by a
nonprofit organization in 1919. In 1964 Congress authorized the
Secretary of the Interior to acquire the memorial by donation
(Public Law 88-543). Congress designated the memorial as a
National Historic Site, which is the term applied to units of
the National Park System, which, like the Saint-Gaudens
memorial in 1964, contain a single historical feature.
Congress expanded the boundaries of the site in 1976 to
include a nearby mill (Public Law 94-578), and further expanded
the boundaries in 2000 to include both Saint-Gaudens' nearby
farm and Blow-Me-Down Farm, which had been the home of Charles
C. Beaman, a New York City lawyer responsible for bringing
Saint-Gaudens to Cornish and establishing the Cornish Art
colony (Public Law 106-491).
As a result of these additions, the National Historic Site,
which had originally encompassed a single historical feature
associated with Saint-Gaudens, has grown to include several
adjacent properties, which encompass broader interpretive
themes than the original site, qualifying the site for
designation as a National Historical Park.
By redesignating the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
as the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, H.R. 965 will
conform the unit to National Park Service naming conventions.
Legislative History
H.R. 965 was introduced by Rep. Kuster on February 7, 2017,
in the House of Representatives and referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources. The House Committee on Natural Resources
favorably reported H.R. 965 (H. Rept. 115-277) on August 25,
2017. On October 2, 2017, H.R. 965 passed the House of
Representatives by a vote of 401-0.
Companion legislation, S. 312, was introduced by Senators
Shaheen and Hassan on February 6, 2017. The Senate Subcommittee
on National Parks conducted a hearing on S. 312 on July 19,
2017.
In the 114th Congress, a similar bill, S. 2923, was
introduced by Senators Shaheen and Ayotte on May 12, 2016. The
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 2923 on
June 15, 2016. Similar legislation was also introduced in the
House of Representatives, H.R. 5206, on May 12, 2016, by Rep.
Guinta, and referred to the Natural Resources Committee.
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open
business session on May 17, 2018, and ordered H.R. 965
favorably reported.
Committee Recommendation
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on May 17, 2018, by a majority voice vote
of a quorum present recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 965.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 contains the short title.
Section 2. Designation of Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Subsection (a) redesignates the Saint-Gaudens National
Historic Site as the ``Saint-Gaudens National Historical
Park.''
Subsection (b) makes conforming amendments to Public Law
88-543 to reflect the redesignation.
Subsection (c) requires that any reference in any law,
regulation, document, record, map, or other paper of the United
States to the Saint-Gaudens Historic Site shall be considered
to be a reference to the ``Saint-Gaudens National Historical
Park.''
Cost and Budgetary Considerations
The following estimate of the costs of this measure has
been provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
H.R. 965 would redesignate the Saint-Gaudens National
Historic Site in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, as the Saint-
Gaudens National Historical Park. The National Park Service
(NPS) manages national historic sites and national historical
parks. (National historical parks are typically larger and
contain more properties and structures than national historic
sites.)
Redesignating the site may require NPS to update maps,
handouts, and signage. Based on the costs of similar tasks, CBO
estimates that those costs would be insignificant and would be
subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 965 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 965 would not increase net
direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
H.R. 965 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
On August 18, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for
H.R. 965, the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Redesignation Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee
on Natural Resources on July 26, 2017. The two versions of the
legislation are similar, and CBO's estimates of their budgetary
effects are the same.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Regulatory Impact Evaluation
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out H.R. 965. The bill is not a regulatory measure in
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals
and businesses.
No personal information would be collected in administering
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal
privacy.
Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the
enactment of H.R. 965, as ordered reported.
Congressionally Directed Spending
H.R. 965, as ordered reported, does not contain any
congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits,
or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate.
Executive Communications
The testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at
the July 19, 2017, hearing on S. 312, the companion legislation
to H.R. 965, follows:
Statement of Robert Vogel, Acting Deputy Director, National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Before the Senate Energy &
Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Concerning S. 312, To
Redesignate the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site as the ``Saint-
Gaudens National Historical Park'', and for Other Purposes
Chairman Daines, Ranking Member Hirono, and members of the
committee, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 312, a bill to
redesignate the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site as the
``Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park'', and for other
purposes.
The Department supports S. 312.
S. 312 would redesignate the Saint-Gaudens National
Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire, as the ``Saint-Gaudens
National Historical Park.'' This bill would not have a
significant financial impact on the park as the National Park
Service would update maps and signage as a part of routine
maintenance and reordering of interpretive materials. We note
that this bill has been modified from the version introduced in
the 114th Congress and we appreciate the sponsor's willingness
to propose a redesignation that fits with the National Park
System's naming conventions.
Authorized in 1964, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
preserves the home, studios, gardens, and artwork of sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), the greatest American
sculptor of the Gilded Age. During his career, Saint-Gaudens
completed a variety of important monuments and memorials around
the country, many of them, like the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
in Boston, Massachusetts; the Sherman Monument and Farragut
Monument in New York City; and the Standing and Seated Abraham
Lincoln monuments in Chicago, Illinois, memorializing heroes of
the Civil War.
Saint-Gaudens began his association with Cornish, New
Hampshire, in 1885 when he and his family began using the
property that today comprises Saint-Gaudens National Historic
Site as their summer residence. The presence of the famous
sculptor in Cornish attracted a variety of other artists to the
area, forming the Cornish Colony of Artists, one of the
earliest examples of an unplanned artist colony in the United
States. The colony included painters, sculptors, authors,
poets, playwrights, musicians, architects, and many other
artistic disciplines, and during the presidency of Woodrow
Wilson, served as the summer White House.
In addition to the Saint-Gaudens estate, Saint-Gaudens
National Historic Site also includes the Blow-Me-Down Farm,
historically the social hub of the Cornish Colony, which was
added to the park via a donation from the park's partner group,
the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, in 2010. This addition expanded the
park's interpretive themes beyond Augustus Saint-Gaudens and
his work to include the full range of artists and artistic
disciplines, as well as the historical impact of the Cornish
Colony.
Generally, National Park System units designated as
national historic sites tell a discrete story or contain a
small number of historic resources related to that story.
National Park System units designated as national historical
parks have a greater diversity of historical resources and
interpretive themes and may be spread out over non-contiguous
lands. The addition of the Blow-Me-Down Farm to the park in
2010 added new historical resources and interpretive themes to
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. This increased scope
provides a basis for supporting redesignating this park as a
national historical park. The name ``Saint-Gaudens National
Historical Park'' would incorporate the word ``park'' into the
title, and it would better reflect the broad historical context
and resource diversity found at this park, while conforming to
naming conventions for National Park System units.
Chairman Daines, this concludes my statement. I would be
pleased to answer questions that you or other members of the
committee might have.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the original bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing
law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
AN ACT To Authorize establishment of the Saint-Gaudens National
Historic Site, New Hampshire, and for other purposes
(Public Law 88-543, as amended)
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in
order to preserve in public ownership historically significant
properties associated with the life and cultural achievements
of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the Secretary of the Interior may
acquire, by donation from the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, a
corporation, the sites and structures comprising the Saint-
Gaudens Memorial situated at Cornish, New Hampshire, and by
donation or purchase with donated funds not to exceed three
acres of adjacent lands which the Secretary of the Interior
deems necessary for the purposes of this Act, together with any
works of art, furnishings, reproductions, and other properties
within the structures and on the memorial grounds.
Sec. 2. (a) In accordance with the Act entitled ``An Act to
create a National Park Trust Fund Board, and for other
purposes'', approved July 10, 1935 (49 Stat. 477), as amended,
the National Park Trust Fund Board may accept from the Saint-
Gaudens Memorial the amount of $100,000 and such additional
amounts as the corporation may tender from time to time from
the endowment funds under its control, which funds, when
accepted, shall be utilized only for the purposes of the
[historic site] Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
established pursuant to this Act.
(b) Nothing in this Act shall limit the authority of the
Secretary of the Interior under other provisions of law to
accept donations of property in the name of the United States.
Sec. 3. When the sites, structures, and other properties
authorized for acquisition under the first section of this Act
and endowment funds in the amount of $100,000 have been
transferred to the United States, the Secretary of the Interior
shall establish the Saint-Gaudens [National Historic Site]
National Historical Park by publication of notice thereof in
the Federal Register. Following such establishment the
Secretary may acquire by donation, purchase with donated or
appropriated funds, or exchange 279 acres of lands and
buildings, or interests therein which he deems necessary for
addition to the [national historical site] Saint-Gaudens
National Historical Park and which, when acquired, shall become
a [part of the site] part of the park.
Sec. 4. (a) The Secretary of the Interior shall administer,
protect, develop, and maintain the Saint-Gaudens [National
Historic Site] National Historical Park subject to the
provisions of this Act and in accordance with the provisions of
the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a National Park Service,
and for other purposes'', approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat.
535), as amended and supplemented, and the provisions of the
Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the preservation of
historic American sites, buildings, objects, and antiquities of
national significance, and for other purposes'', approved
August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666).
(b) In order that the Saint-Gaudens [National Historic
Site] National Historical Park may achieve more effectively its
purpose as a living memorial, the Secretary of the Interior is
authorized to cooperate with the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, the
American Academy of Arts and Letters, and other organizations
and groups in the presentation of art expositions and festivals
and other appropriate events that are [traditional to the site]
traditional to the park.
Sec. 5. The Saint-Gaudens Memorial having by its active
interest preserved for posterity this important site, its
structures, objects, and cultural values, the executive
committee thereof shall, upon establishment of the Saint-
Gaudens [National Historic Site] National Historical Park,
serve in an advisory capacity to the Secretary of the Interior
in matters relating to its preservation, development, and use.
Sec. 6. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such
sums, but not more than $10,632,000 for development, as may be
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. For the
acquisition of lands or interest therein, there is authorized
to be appropriated not to exceed $2,000,000.
[all]