[House Report 113-329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Rept. 113-329
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session Part 1
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TO AUTHORIZE THE PEACE CORPS COMMEMORATIVE FOUNDATION TO ESTABLISH A
COMMEMORATIVE WORK IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND ITS ENVIRONS, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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January 23 (legislative day, January 21), 2014.--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. 915]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 915) to authorize the Peace Corps Commemorative
Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of
Columbia and its environs, 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. 915 is to authorize the Peace Corps
Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work in
the District of Columbia and its environs.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960 and
since that time, nearly 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have
served in 139 host countries to train local people in
technologies and skills such as agricultural production and
water quality improvement.
H.R. 915 authorizes the Peace Corps Commemorative
Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in
the District of Columbia and its environs to commemorate the
formation of the Peace Corps and the ideals of world peace and
friendship upon which the Peace Corps was founded. The project
must be planned and constructed with non-federal funds and
executed consistently with the Commemorative Works Act (CWA).
Accordingly, the work is not eligible for placement in the
Reserve as defined by the CWA. This legislation would not have
been approved by the Committee without this clear inclusion of
language affirming the moratorium on new memorials within the
Reserve.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 915 was introduced on February 28, 2013, by
Congressman Joseph Kennedy, III (D-MA). The bill was referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee
to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental
Regulation. In addition, the bill was referred to the Committee
on the Budget. On November 21, 2013, the Subcommittee held a
hearing on the bill. On December 4, 2013, the 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. 915--A bill to authorize the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation
to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia
and its environs, and for other purposes
H.R. 915 would authorize a nonprofit organization to
establish a commemorative work on federal lands in the District
of Columbia. Enacting the legislation would affect direct
spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However,
CBO estimates that the net effect on the budget would not be
significant in any year. Enacting H.R. 915 would not affect
revenues.
The legislation would authorize the Peace Corps
Commemorative Foundation to establish a memorial to honor the
Peace Corps. The memorial project, which would be completed
without the use of federal funds, would be subject to the
requirements of the Commemorative Works Act. Under that act,
any entity that receives a permit to construct a memorial in
the District of Columbia or its environs must donate to the
National Park Foundation (a nonprofit organization) an amount
equal to 10 percent of the memorial's estimated construction
cost. That amount, as well as any project funds remaining after
construction of the memorial, would be available in future
years for maintenance of the memorial.
Based on the experience of similar commemorative projects,
CBO expects that any amounts collected by the federal
government would not be received for several years and would be
offset by a transfer to the National Park Foundation (a
nonfederal entity) soon thereafter.
H.R. 915 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.
On December 9, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
230, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural
Resources on December 4, 2013. The two pieces of legislation
are similar, and the CBO cost estimates are the same.
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. CBO estimates that
the net effect on the budget would not be significant in any
year.
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 authorize the Peace Corps
Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work in
the District of Columbia and its environs.
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
If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing
law.