[House Report 115-208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 115-208
======================================================================
JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE EXPANSION ACT
_______
July 11, 2017.--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. 1719]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1719) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez,
California, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``John Muir National Historic Site
Expansion Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Historic site.--The term ``Historic Site'' means the John
Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California,
established by Public Law 88-547 (78 Stat. 753).
(2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``John Muir
National Historic Site Proposed Boundary Expansion'', numbered
426/127150, and dated November 2014.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
SEC. 3. JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE LAND ACQUISITION.
(a) Acquisition.--The Secretary may acquire by donation the
approximately 44 acres of land and any interests in the land that is
identified on the map.
(b) Boundary.--On the acquisition of the land authorized under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall adjust the boundaries of the
Historic Site to include the acquired land.
(c) Administration.--The land and any interests in land acquired
under subsection (a) shall be administered as part of the National
Historic Site.
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California,
for inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site, and for
other purposes.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 1719, as ordered reported, is to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire
approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, for
inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The John Muir National Historic Site, established by
Congress in 1964, is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in
Martinez, California. The historic site preserves the 14-room
Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer
John Muir lived, as well as a nearby 325 acre tract of native
oak woodlands and grasslands historically owned by the Muir
family.
H.R. 1719 would authorize the Department of the Interior to
acquire, by donation, approximately 44 acres to expand the
boundary of John Muir National Historic Site. The acreage to be
donated is directly continuous with Mount Wanda and will allow
for better public access to trails.
In the 114th Congress, H.R. 1289, a bill identical to H.R.
1719, passed the House by voice vote. Additionally, a similar
bill introduced the 113th Congress, H.R. 5699, passed the House
by a vote of 361-39.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 1719 was introduced on March 24, 2017, by Congressman
Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA). The bill was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On June 22, 2017, 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 on June 27, 2017.
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 5, 2017.
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. 1719, the John
Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall.
Enclosure.
H.R. 1719--John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act
H.R. 1719 would expand and adjust the boundary of the John
Muir National Historic Site in California to include
approximately 44 acres of donated land. The bill stipulates
that the land would be donated voluntarily by the Muir Heritage
Land Trust and would be administered as part of the historic
site.
Based on an analysis of information provided by the
National Park Service (NPS), CBO estimates that implementing
H.R. 1719 would have no significant effect on the federal
budget. Under the legislation, the additional acres could only
be acquired through donation. Furthermore, because the NPS does
not anticipate the need for additional resources or
expenditures to manage the property once it is acquired, CBO
estimates that annual costs to operate and maintain the new
properties would be minimal.
Enacting H.R. 1719 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO
estimates that enacting H.R. 1719 would not increase net direct
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 1719 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 April 11, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
729 as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources on March 30, 2017. The two bills arc similar,
and CBO's estimates of the budgetary effects are the same.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani
Shankaran. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo,
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 authorize
the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres
of land in Martinez, California, for inclusion in the John Muir
National Historic 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 in existing
law.
[all]