[House Report 115-988]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 115-988
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URGING THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO RECOGNIZE THE HISTORICAL
SIGNIFICANCE OF ROBERTO CLEMENTE'S PLACE OF DEATH NEAR PINONES IN
LOIZA, PUERTO RICO, BY ADDING IT TO THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC
PLACES
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October 12, 2018.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be
printed
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Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted
the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H. Res. 792]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the resolution (H. Res. 792) urging the Secretary of the
Interior to recognize the historical significance of Roberto
Clemente's place of death near Pinones in Loiza, Puerto Rico,
by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places,
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without
amendment and recommend that the resolution be agreed to.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of House Resolution 792 is to urge the
Secretary of the Interior to recognize the historical
significance of Roberto Clemente's place of death near Pinones
in Loiza, Puerto Rico, by adding it to the National Register of
Historic Places.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Roberto Clemente Walker was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico,
in 1934. Clemente grew up playing baseball and truly loved the
sport, beginning his professional career in the Puerto Rican
League.\1\ Clemente was drafted into the major leagues in 1954.
He played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates and became a
legend in the sport. He won 12 Gold Gloves, 4 National League
batting titles, 12 All-Star Game selections, 2 World Series
Championships, and reached the 3,000-hit milestone.\2\
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\1\Thornley, Stew. ``Roberto Clemente.'' Society for American
Baseball Research. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8b153bc4.
\2\``Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente.'' Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. http://
www.robertoclemente.si.edu/english/virtual_legacy.htm.
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Perhaps equally as important as Clemente's accomplishments
on the field was his role as an advocate for equitable
treatment of Latino baseball players.\3\ He saw his career in
baseball as a way to help Latin Americans, especially
underprivileged Puerto Ricans, make their lives better.\4\
Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved
in charity work, frequently in Latin American countries and the
Caribbean.\5\
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\3\Thornley, Stew. ``Roberto Clemente.'' Society for American
Baseball Research. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8b153bc4.
\4\Id.
\5\Id.
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After a massive earthquake hit Nicaragua in late December
1972, Clemente headed up a relief effort and decided to
accompany the supply plane. Shortly after takeoff from the San
Juan, Puerto Rico, airport on December 31, 1972, the plane
crashed, killing Clemente.\6\
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\6\``Roberto Clemente.'' National Baseball Hall of Fame. https://
baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/clemente-roberto.
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The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, waived
the rule requiring a five-year wait after retirement (or death)
before a player could be elected to the Hall, and in July 1973
Clemente was the first player born in Latin America to be
inducted into the national baseball shrine.\7\ The award
presented annually to a Major League baseball player for
exemplary sportsmanship and community service was renamed the
Roberto Clemente Award in 1973.\8\ Clemente was posthumously
awarded both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential
Medal of Freedom.\9\
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\7\Id.
\8\``Roberto Clemente Award.'' Major League Baseball website.
http://m.mlb.com/awards/history-winners/?award_id=MLBRC&year=2014.
\9\``Roberto Walker Clemente Congressional Gold Medal.'' History,
Art & Archives. United States House of Representatives. http://
history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35733; ``Remarks on
Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.'' George W. Bush. July
23, 2003. The American Presidency Project. http://
www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=64890.
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To honor Roberto Clemente as the embodiment of a baseball
legend, a great humanitarian and athlete, House Resolution Res.
792 requests that the Secretary of the Interior recognize the
crash site of Roberto Clemente's airplane and the adjacent land
by adding the site to the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Register is the official federal government list
of sites and structures deemed worthy of preservation for their
historical significance. It was created under the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.).
COMMITTEE ACTION
House Resolution 792 was introduced on March 20, 2018, by
Congressman Jose E. Serrano (D-NY). The bill was referred to
the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to
the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On September 27, 2018, the
Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The
Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. 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 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 requested but not received a cost
estimate for the bill from the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office. However, because the bill is a House resolution
merely urging the Secretary of the Interior to take a
particular action and has no legal effect, the Committee
concludes that it will have no effect on the federal budget,
contains no unfunded mandates, and does not affect revenues or
direct spending.
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 is to urge the Secretary of the Interior
to recognize the historical significance of Roberto Clemente's
place of death near Pinones in Loiza, Puerto Rico, by adding it
to the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
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