[House Report 113-222]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 113-222
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REVISING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK TO
INCLUDE THE GETTYSBURG TRAIN STATION AND CERTAIN LAND ALONG PLUM RUN IN
CUMBERLAND TOWNSHIP, TO LIMIT THE MEANS BY WHICH PROPERTY WITHIN SUCH
REVISED BOUNDARIES MAY BE ACQUIRED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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September 20, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1513]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1513) to revise the boundaries of the Gettysburg
National Military Park to include the Gettysburg Train Station
and certain land along Plum Run in Cumberland Township, to
limit the means by which property within such revised
boundaries may be acquired, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment
and recommend that the bill do pass.
Purpose of The Bill
The purpose of H.R. 1513 is to revise the boundaries of the
Gettysburg National Military Park to include the Gettysburg
Train Station and certain land along Plum Run in Cumberland
Township, and to limit the means by which property within such
revised boundaries may be acquired.
Background and Need for Legislation
H.R. 1513 would revise the boundaries of the Gettysburg
National Military Park to include the site known as Gettysburg
Train Station in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and 45 acres of land
located along Plum Run in Cumberland Township, Pennsylvania,
into Gettysburg National Military Park. The historic train
depot was where President Abraham Lincoln arrived and left town
via train in 1863, when he gave the immortal Gettysburg
Address. Currently, the depot is owned by the Borough of
Gettysburg, but will be donated to the National Park Service.
However, the depot would continue to be operated by local or
nonprofit organizations. The 45 acres in Cumberland Township
has already been donated to the Park Service, but needs to be
incorporated into the boundaries to be part of the Park.
H.R. 1513 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to
acquire these properties by donation only. Additionally, owners
would have to provide written consent prior to property being
included into the boundary. The creation of buffer zones is
also prohibited.
Committee Action
H.R. 1513 was introduced on April 11, 2013, by Congressman
Scott Perry (R-PA). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On June 6, 2013,
the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On July 24, 2013,
the Full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill.
The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation
was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were
offered, and the bill was adopted and 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
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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. 1513--A bill to revise the boundaries of the Gettysburg National
Military Park to include the Gettysburg Train Station and
certain land along Plum Run in Cumberland Township, to limit
the means by which property within such revised boundaries may
be acquired, and for other purposes
H.R. 1513 would expand the boundaries of the Gettysburg
National Military Park in Pennsylvania to include two nearby
properties. CBO expects that the National Park Service (NPS),
which administers the park, would accept the donation of a
small parcel of land containing the newly refurbished
Gettysburg Train Station and a 45-acre tract of land along Plum
Run in Cumberland Township.
Based on information provided by NPS, CBO estimates that
implementing H.R. 1513 would have no significant impact on the
federal budget. Under the legislation, the additional
properties could only be acquired through donations. We
estimate that annual costs to operate and maintain the new
properties would be minimal because the train station would
continue to be operated by local or nonprofit organizations and
the Plum Run acreage would be left undeveloped. Enacting H.R.
1513 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore,
pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 1513 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 Martin von
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
2. Section 308(a) of 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. Based on
information provided by NPS, CBO estimates that implementing
H.R. 1513 would have no significant impact on the federal
budget.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to revise the boundaries of the
Gettysburg National Military Park to include the Gettysburg
Train Station and certain land along Plum Run in Cumberland
Township, and to limit the means by which property within such
revised boundaries may be acquired.
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. The Chairman does not believe that
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any
specific rule-making proceedings.
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 Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
PUBLIC LAW 101-377
AN ACT To revise the boundary of Gettysburg National Military park in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and for other purposes.
SECTION 1. GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK BOUNDARY REVISION.
(a) Lands Included in the Park.--In furtherance of the
purposes of the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a national
military park at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania'', approved February
11, 1895 (16 U.S.C. 430g et seq.), the Gettysburg National
Military Park (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
``park'') shall hereafter comprise the lands and interests in
lands within the boundary generally depicted as ``Park
Boundary'' on the map entitled ``Gettysburg National Military
Park Boundary Map'', numbered NPS 305/80034-B, and dated March
1990, which shall be on file and available for public
inspection in the Office of the Director of the National Park
Service, Department of the Interior.
(b) Additional Land.--In addition to the land identified in
subsection (a), the park shall also include the property
commonly known as the Wills House located in the Borough of
Gettysburg and identified as Tract P02-1 on the map entitled
`Gettysburg National Military Park' numbered MARO 305/80,011
Segment 2, and dated April 1981, revised May 14, 1999.
(c) Lands Excluded From the Park.--Lands and interests in
lands outside of the boundary so depicted as ``Park Boundary''
on the maps referred to in subsections (a) and (b) are hereby
excluded from the park and shall be disposed of in accordance
with the provisions of section 2(c).
(d) Additional Land.--
(1) Covered land; condition.--In addition to the land
identified in subsections (a) and (b), the park shall
include the following, as depicted on the maps titled
``Gettysburg National Military Park Proposed Boundary
Addition'', numbered 305/80,045, and dated January
2010, if the owner of the property has provided written
consent to inclusion:
(A) The land and interests in land commonly
known as the ``Gettysburg Train Station'' and
its immediate surroundings in the Borough of
Gettysburg.
(B) The land and interests in land located
along Plum Run in Cumberland Township.
(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in paragraph (1),
the acquisition of property within the area described
in such paragraph, or the management plan for such
acquired property shall be construed to create buffer
zones outside of such property. That an activity or use
can be seen or heard from within such acquired property
shall not preclude the conduct of that activity or use
outside such property.
SEC. 2. ACQUISITION AND DISPOSAL OF LANDS.
(a) General Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to
acquire lands and interests in lands within the park by
donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds,
exchange, or otherwise, except that the Secretary is authorized
to acquire property within the area described in section 1(d)
by donation only. In acquiring lands and interests in lands
under this Act, the Secretary shall acquire the minimum Federal
interests necessary to achieve the objectives identified for
specific areas and the park.
(b) Authority to Convey Freehold and Leasehold Interests
Within Park.--The Secretary may convey lands and interests in
lands within the park authorized in accordance with subsection
(a) of the Act of July 15, 1968 (16 U.S.C. 460l-22), except
that, notwithstanding subsection (d) of that section, the net
proceeds from any such conveyance may be used, subject to
appropriations, to acquire lands and interests within the park.
(c) Conveyance of Lands Excluded From Park.--(1) The
Secretary is authorized, in accordance with applicable existing
law, to exchange Federal lands and interests excluded from the
park pursuant to section 1(c) for the purpose of acquiring
lands within the park boundary.
(2) If any such Federal lands or interests are not exchanged
within five years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary may sell any or all such lands or interests to the
highest bidder, in accordance with such regulations as the
Secretary may prescribe, but any such conveyance shall be at
not less than the fair market value of the land or interest, as
determined by the Secretary.
(3) All Federal lands and interests sold or exchanged
pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to such terms and
conditions as will assure the use of the property in a manner
which, in the judgment of the Secretary, will protect the park
and the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District (hereafter in
this Act referred to as the ``historic district'').
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the net proceeds
from any such sale or exchange shall be used, subject to
appropriations, to acquire lands and interests within the park.
(d) Relinquishment of Legislative Jurisdiction to
Pennsylvania.--With respect to any lands over which the United
States exercises exclusive or concurrent legislative
jurisdiction and which are excluded from the park pursuant to
section 1(c), the Secretary may relinquish to the State of
Pennsylvania such exclusive or concurrent legislative
jurisdiction by filing with the Governor a notice of
relinquishment to take effect upon acceptance thereof, unless
otherwise provided by the laws of the State.
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