[House Report 115-991]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 115-991
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WORLD WAR II PACIFIC SITES ESTABLISHMENT ACT
_______
October 23, 2018.--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. 5706]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 5706) to establish the Pearl Harbor National
Memorial in the State of Hawai'i and the Honouliuli National
Historic Site in the State of Hawai'i, 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. 5706 is to establish the Pearl Harbor
National Memorial in the State of Hawai'i and the Honouliuli
National Historic Site in the State of Hawai'i.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S.
Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and sunk or damaged 20 ships in the
Pacific Fleet, killing over 2,300 sailors, soldiers, and
civilians.\1\ As President Roosevelt said, it is ``a date that
will live in infamy''\2\ and the attack brought America fully
into the second World War. Many of the servicemembers who lost
their lives that day were aboard the USS Arizona. The wreck of
that battleship still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and
serves as the final resting place for more than 900 sailors and
Marines.\3\ The USS Oklahoma and USS Utah also remain where
they sank on that fateful day. Their remnants also serve as
places of reflection, remembrance, as well as tombs of honor
for the crew members who remain within.
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\1\``Significance of the Monument''. World War II Valor in the
Pacific website. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/valr/learn/
park-significance.htm.
\2\``A Date Which Will Live in Infamy: FDR Asks for a Declaration
of War.'' History Matters. The U.S. Survey Course on the Web. http://
historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5166.
\3\``Description of the Monument''. World War II Valor in the
Pacific National Monument website. National Park Service. https://
www.nps.gov/valr/learn/description-of-the-park.htm.
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The idea for a memorial at Pearl Harbor began during WWII
and was finally realized in 1962. It was completed through the
efforts of the territorial Pacific War Memorial Commission
using both private funds and appropriated dollars.\4\ In 1980,
the National Park Service (NPS) took over operation of the
memorial, and a visitor center was built nearby. In 2006,
Public Law 109-163 established the USS Oklahoma Memorial and it
was placed under NPS management.
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\4\Slackman, Michael. 1982. ``The USS Arizona Memorial and Visitor
Center: An Administrative History.'' National Park Service. https://
www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/usar/adhi.pdf.
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The creation of the World War II Valor in the Pacific
National Monument in 2008 brought several WWII historic sites
under one umbrella. That Monument includes three sites in
Alaska, one in California, and five locations in Hawaii: (1)
the USS Arizona Memorial; (2) the USS Oklahoma Memorial; (3)
the USS Utah Memorial; (4) Ford Island; and (5) Battleship
Row.\5\ Over 1.5 million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial
each year, consistently ranking it among the top three most-
visited destinations in Hawaii each year.\6\
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\5\Presidential Proclamation 8327. ``Establishment of World War II
Valor in the Pacific National Monument''. December 5, 2008. https://
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2009-title3-vol1/pdf/CFR-2009-title3-vol1-
proc8327.pdf.
\6\``Annual Park Recreation Visitation''. Park Reports. National
Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/
Reports/Park/VALR.
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H.R. 5706 would establish the Pearl Harbor National
Memorial as a distinct unit of the National Park System,
separating it from World War II Valor in the Pacific National
Monument. This new designation would not affect the existing
management of the area. Currently, the Monument's sites in each
State are managed separately. NPS has jurisdiction over the
Hawaii sites, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
jurisdiction over the Alaska sites, and both agencies share
joint jurisdiction and management of the California site.\7\
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\7\``Foundation Statement--Alaska Unit.'' World War II Valor in the
Pacific National Monument. US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park
Service, Department of the Interior. September 2010. https://
www.fws.gov/alaska/nwr/planning/pdf/akmar/Valor_Foundationas_
Statement.pdf.
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Honouliuli was the largest and longest-used World War II
confinement site in the Hawaiian Islands.\8\ Located in
southwest Oahu Island, it also served as a prisoner-of-war
camp. The majority of Honouliuli's civilian internees were
American citizens, predominately of Japanese descent. Martial
law was declared by President Roosevelt just hours after the
attacks on Pearl Harbor,\9\ and U.S. government officials began
removing Hawaiian residents from their homes and imprisoning
them in local jails and other facilities across the islands.
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\8\``Historical Overview.'' Honouliuli National Monument website.
National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/hono/learn/historical-
overview.htm.
\9\Id.
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The federal government initially considered the mass
incarceration of Japanese Americans in Hawaii as it had done on
the U.S. mainland. This was impractical, however, because over
one third of Hawaii's population were Japanese American
citizens and other immigrants.\10\ Without their participation
in the labor force, the economy of the territory could not have
been sustained and the war effort in the islands would have
been crippled. Instead, the government selectively interred
community, business, and religious leaders.\11\ Honouliuli camp
opened in 1943 to confine internees for longer periods of time,
and as an alternative to sending individuals to internment
camps on the mainland. By war's end, over 2,000 people of
Japanese ancestry from Hawaii were interned.\12\ None were ever
found guilty of sabotage, espionage, or overt acts against the
United States.\13\
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\10\Presidential Proclamation 9234. ``Establishment of the
Honouliuli National Monument''. February 24, 2015. https://www.gpo.gov/
fdsys/pkg/DCPD-201500123/pdf/DCPD-201500123.pdf.
\11\Id.
\12\``Historical Overview.'' Honouliuli National Monument website.
National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/hono/learn/historical-
overview.htm.
\13\Presidential Proclamation 9234. ``Establishment of the
Honouliuli National Monument''. February 24, 2015. https://www.gpo.gov/
fdsys/pkg/DCPD-201500123/pdf/DCPD-201500123.pdf.
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Honouliuli was established by proclamation as a national
monument on February 24, 2015, by President Obama.\14\ H.R.
5706 would redesignate the Monument as a national historic site
and abolish the Monument. The boundaries and management of the
site would not change. No funding is authorized by this bill.
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\14\Presidential Proclamation 9234. ``Establishment of the
Honouliuli National Monument''. February 24, 2015. https://www.gpo.gov/
fdsys/pkg/DCPD-201500123/pdf/DCPD-201500123.pdf.
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COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 5706 was introduced on May 8, 2018, by Congresswoman
Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI). The bill was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On September 6, 2018, the
Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On September 26, 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 received the following estimate for the
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, October 22, 2018.
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. 5706, the World
War II Pacific Sites Establishment Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jacob Fabian.
Sincerely,
Mark P. Hadley
(For Keith Hall, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 5706--World War II Pacific Sites Establishment Act
H.R. 5706 would establish the Pearl Harbor National
Memorial as a distinct unit of the National Park System (NPS)
and remove it from the World War II Valor in the Pacific
National Monument in the state of Hawaii. Additionally, the
bill would re-designate Honouliuli National Monument as the
Honouliuli National Historic Site.
Using information from the NPS, CBO estimates that
implementing H.R. 5706 would have an insignificant cost over
the 2019-2023 period because we expect that any additional
costs to revise signs, brochures, and other informative
materials would take place in conjunction with standard
reprinting and routine maintenance. Any such spending would be
subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 5706 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5706 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
H.R. 5706 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jacob Fabian.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
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 is to establish the Pearl Harbor
National Memorial in the State of Hawai'i and the Honouliuli
National Historic Site in the State of Hawai'i.
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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