[House Report 115-856] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] 115th Congress } { Report HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session } { 115-856 ====================================================================== QUINDARO TOWNSITE NATIONAL COMMEMORATIVE SITE ACT _______ July 23, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed _______ Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany H.R. 5613] [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 5613) to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Historic Landmark, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The amendments are as follows: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. QUINDARO TOWNSITE NATIONAL COMMEMORATIVE SITE ACT. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site Act''. (b) Definition.--In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior. (c) Designation.--The Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is hereby designated as the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site. The Site shall not be considered a unit of the National Park System. (d) Administration.--Nothing in this section shall affect the administration of the Quindaro Townsite by Kansas City or the State of Kansas. (e) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary, in consultation with the State of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, and affected subdivisions, may enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate public or private entities, for the purposes of protecting historic resources at Quindaro Townsite and providing educational and interpretive programs for the public. (f) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide technical assistance to any entity with which the Secretary has entered into a cooperative agreement under subsection (e). (g) Effect on Private Property, Local Land Use, and Land Acquisition Authority.--Nothing in this Act authorizes the Secretary to-- (1) interfere with private property rights, or any local zoning ordinance or land use plan of the State or any political subdivision of the State; or (2) acquire land or interests in land through condemnation or otherwise. Amend the title so as to read: A bill to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Commemorative Site. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of H.R. 5613, as ordered reported, is to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Commemorative Site. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION H.R. 5613 would designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Commemorative Site. The Quindaro Townsite is on the National Register of Historic Places (listed in 2002) and is part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The site preserves the ruins of a frontier town on the Missouri River, which was founded in 1857 to be a free-state port of entry during the Kansas Territory's fight over the question of slavery. Other prominent river towns in the Territory at that time were pro-slavery. The town's residents included Euro-Americans, freed African Americans, and members of the Wyandot Tribe.\1\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\National Register of Historic Place Registration Form for Quindaro Townsite. April 5, 2002. https://www.kshs.org/resource/ national_register/nominationsNRDB/WyandotteCounty_Quindaro TownsiteNR.pdf. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Quindaro area was the location of an African American refugee settlement that began during the Civil War. It was also the site of the Freedman's University and its successor institution, Western University, the first black university in Kansas.\2\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \2\Id. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Local stakeholders have long sought to elevate the status of the Quindaro Townsite, including an effort to have the site listed as a National Historic Landmark. In 2017 in response to an inquiry letter from a local stakeholder regarding potential National Historic Landmark status, the National Park Service recommended that Quindaro supporters expand research of the site to identify possible national significance and then submit a comprehensive National Historic Landmark nomination package. The bill as introduced proposed designating Quindaro Townsite as a National Historic Landmark. During consideration of the bill, the Committee recognized the national significance of the Townsite by amending the bill to establish the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site. Designation as a National Commemorative Site will enable the owners of the Townsite to use National Park Service branding and receive National Park Service technical assistance. Similar designation status has been applied to the Charleston National Commemorative Site in Arkansas (Public Law 105-277) and the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site in Indiana (Public Law 115-163). A companion bill, S. 2895, has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS). COMMITTEE ACTION H.R. 5613 was introduced on April 25, 2018, by Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-KS). The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On June 21, 2018, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the legislation. On July 11, 2018, the Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob Bishop (R- UT) offered an amendment designated #1; it was adopted by unanimous consent. No further amendments were offered, and 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 Natural Resources' oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT 1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: U.S. Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, July 19, 2018. Hon. Rob Bishop, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5613, the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site Act. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani Shankaran. Sincerely, Mark P. Hadley (For Keith Hall, Director). Enclosure. H.R. 5613--Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site Act H.R. 5613 would designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site. Under H.R. 5613, the National Park Service could provide technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements with public and private entities for interpretive and educational purposes related to the site, which would not be owned or operated by the federal government. Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5613 would cost less than $500,000; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 5613 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5613 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 5613 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective of this bill as ordered reported, is to designate Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Commemorative Site. EARMARK STATEMENT This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4 This bill contains no unfunded mandates. COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5 Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any directed rule makings. Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 98-169) as relating to other programs. 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 to existing law. [all]