[House Report 107-508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 107-508
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VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK BOUNDARY MODIFICATION ACT
_______
June 17, 2002.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Hansen, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3307]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 3307) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
acquire the property known as Pemberton's Headquarters and to
modify the boundary of Vicksburg National Military Park to
include that property, 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. 3307 is to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to acquire the property known as Pemberton's
Headquarters and to modify the boundary of Vicksburg National
Military Park to include that property, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The Vicksburg National Military Park was established by
Congress on February 21, 1899, to commemorate one of the most
important and decisive battles of the American Civil War. This
legislation would authorize the acquisition of the headquarters
of Confederate Lt. General John C. Pemberton from willing
sellers, and provide for its inclusion within the boundary of
the park. When Congress approved the enabling legislation, the
building that had served as Pemberton's headquarters was a
private residence and so was not included in the park. The site
of U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters, located in
proximity to Union lines, was included. The park currently
attracts 1.2 million visitors annually, but many do not venture
into the historic district. The Pemberton property is centrally
located in the heart of Vicksburg's historic district and its
acquisition would draw many visitors to the heart of the city
and would further facilitate the National Park Service's
interpretive opportunities.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 3307 was introduced on November 15, 2001 by
Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and was referred to the
Committee on Resources. On November 19, 2001, the bill was
referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and
Public Lands. On April 11, 2002, the Subcommittee held a
hearing on the bill. On May 22, 2002, the Full Committee met to
mark up the bill. By unanimous consent, the Subcommittee was
discharged from further consideration of the bill. No
amendments were offered and the bill 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 Resources' oversight findings and recommendations
are reflected in the body of this report.
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT
Article I, section 8 and Article IV, section 3 of the
Constitution of the United States grant Congress the authority
to enact this bill.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) 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)(3)(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.
2. 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.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does
not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not
apply.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. 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:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, June 13, 2002.
Hon. James V. Hansen,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3307, the
Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 3307--Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act
H.R. 3307 would authorize the Department of the Interior to
acquire an historic property, Pemberton's Headquarters, and an
additional one acre of land (for a parking facility) in
Vicksburg, Mississippi. Once acquired, the properties would be
included within the boundary of the Vicksburg National Military
Park and administered by the National Park Service (NPS).
CBO estimates that the cost of implementing H.R. 3307 would
be $4 million, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.
Of this amount, we estimate that less than $1 million would be
used to acquire Pemberton's Headquarters and the one-acre lot.
The costs of restoring and interpreting the two properties and
developing them for visitor use are uncertain because the NPS
has not completed its planning and design process, but CBO
estimates that such costs would probably be around $3 million.
Finally, we estimate that the costs to operate and maintain the
house and lot would be about $0.5 million annually. This
estimate is based on information provided by the NPS.
The bill would not affect direct spending or receipts;
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 3307
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would have no
significant impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
The estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
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.