Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 97 (Monday, July 24, 2000)

[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 97 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H6737-H6745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

GRANTING CONSENT OF CONGRESS TO KANSAS AND MISSOURI METROPOLITAN
CULTURE DISTRICT COMPACT

Mr. HUTCHINSON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 4700) to grant the consent of the Congress to the Kansas
and Missouri Metropolitan Culture District Compact.
The Clerk read as follows:

H.R. 4700

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONSENT TO COMPACT.

The Congress consents to the Kansas and Missouri
Metropolitan Culture District Compact entered into between
the State of Kansas and the State of Missouri. The compact
reads substantially as follows:

``KANSAS AND MISSOURI METROPOLITAN CULTURE DISTRICT COMPACT

``ARTICLE I. AGREEMENT AND PLEDGE

``The states of Kansas and Missouri agree to and pledge,
each to the other, faithful cooperation in the future
planning and development of the metropolitan culture
district,

[[Page H6738]]

holding in high trust for the benefit of this people and of
the nation, the special blessings and natural advantages
thereof.

``ARTICLE II. POLICY AND PURPOSE

``The party states, desiring by common action to fully
utilize and improve their cultural facilities, coordinate the
services of their cultural organizations, enhance the
cultural activities of their citizens, and achieve solid
financial support for such cultural facilities, organizations
and activities, declare that it is the policy of each state
to realize such desires on a basis of cooperation with one
another, thereby serving the best interests of their
citizenry and effecting economies in capital expenditures and
operational costs. The purpose of this compact is to provide
for the creation of a metropolitan culture district as the
means to implementation of the policy herein declared with
the most beneficial and economical use of human and material
resources.

``ARTICLE III. DEFINITIONS

``As used in this compact, unless the context clearly
requires otherwise:
``(a) `Metropolitan culture district' means a political
subdivision of the states of Kansas and Missouri which is
created under and pursuant to the provisions of this compact
and which is composed of the counties in the states of Kansas
and Missouri which act to create or to become a part of the
district in accordance with the provisions of Article IV.
``(b) `Commission' means the governing body of the
metropolitan culture district.
``(c) `Cultural activities' means sports or activities
which contribute to or enhance the aesthetic, artistic,
historical, intellectual or social development or
appreciation of members of the general public.
``(d) `Cultural organizations' means nonprofit and tax
exempt social, civic or community organizations and
associations which are dedicated to the development,
provision, operation, supervision, promotion or support of
cultural activities in which members of the general public
may engage or participate.
``(e) `Cultural facilities' means facilities operated or
used for sports or participation or engagement in cultural
activities by members of the general public.

``ARTICLE IV. THE DISTRICT

``(a) The counties in Kansas and Missouri eligible to
create and initially compose the metropolitan culture
district shall be those counties which meet one or more of
the following criteria:
``(1) The county has a population in excess of 300,000, and
is adjacent to the state line;
``(2) The county contains a part of a city with a
population according to the most recent federal census of at
least 400,000; or
``(3) The county is contiguous to any county described in
provisions (1) or (2) of this subpart (a). The counties of
Johnson in Kansas and Jackson in Missouri shall be sine qua
non to the creation and initial composition of the district.
Additional counties in Kansas and Missouri shall be eligible
to become a part of the metropolitan culture district if such
counties are contiguous to any one or more of the counties
which compose the district and within 60 miles of the
counties that are required by this article to establish the
district;
``(b)(1) Whenever the governing body of any county which is
eligible to create or become a part of the metropolitan
culture district shall determine that creation of or
participation in the district is in the best interests of the
citizens of the county and that the levy of a tax to provide
on a cooperative basis with another county or other counties
for financial support of the district would be economically
practical and cost beneficial to the citizens of the county,
the governing body may adopt by majority vote a resolution
authorizing the same.
``(2) Wherever a petition, signed by not less than the
number of qualified electors of an eligible county equal to
5% of the number of ballots cast and counted at the last
preceding gubernatorial election held in the county and
requesting adoption of a resolution authorizing creation of
or participation in the metropolitan culture district and the
levy of a tax for the purpose of contributing to the
financial support of the district, is filed with the
governing body of the county, the governing body shall adopt
such a resolution.
``(3) Implementation of a resolution adopted under this
subpart (b) shall be conditioned upon approval of the
resolution by a majority of the qualified electors of the
county voting at an election conducted for such purpose.
``(c)(1) Upon adoption of a resolution pursuant to subpart
(b)(1) or subpart (b)(2), the governing body of the county
shall request, within 36 months after adoption of the
resolution, the county election officer to submit to the
qualified electors of the county the question of whether the
governing body shall be authorized to implement the
resolution. The resolution shall be printed on the ballot and
in the notice of election. The question shall be submitted to
the electors of the county at the primary or general election
next following the date of the request filed with the county
election officer. If a majority of the qualified electors are
opposed to implementation of the resolution authorizing
creation of, or participation in, the district and the levy
of a tax for financial support thereof, the same shall not be
implemented. The governing body of the county may review
procedures for authorization to create or become a part of
the district and to levy a tax for financial support thereof
at any time following rejection of the question.
``(2) The ballot for the proposition in any county shall be
in substantially the following form:
``Shall a retail sales tax of ____________ (insert amount,
not to exceed \1/4\ cent) be levied and collected in Kansas
and Missouri metropolitan culture district consisting of the
county(ies) of ____________ (insert name of counties) for the
support of cultural facilities and organizations within the
district?

YES NO

The governing body of the county may place additional
language on the ballot to describe the use or allocation of
the funds.
``(d)(1) The metropolitan culture district shall be created
when implementation of a resolution authorizing the creation
of the district and the levy of a tax for contribution to the
financial support thereof is approved by respective
majorities of the qualified electors of at least Johnson
County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri.
``(2) When implementation of a resolution authorizing
participation in the metropolitan culture district and the
levy of a tax for contribution to the financial support
thereof is approved by a majority of the qualified electors
of any county eligible to become a part of the district, the
governing body of the county shall proceed with the
performance of all things necessary and incidental to
participation in the district.
``(3) Any question for the levy of a tax submitted after
July 1, 2000, may be submitted to the electors of the county
at the primary or general election next following the date of
the request filed with the county election officer; at a
special election called and held as otherwise provided by
law; at an election called and held on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in February, except in Presidential
election years; at an election called and held on the first
Tuesday after the first Monday in March, June, August, or
November; or at an election called and held on the first
Tuesday in April, except that no question for a tax levy may
be submitted to the electors prior to January 1, 2002.
``(4) No question shall be submitted to the electors
authorizing the levy of a tax the proceeds of which will be
exclusively dedicated to sports or sports facilities.
``(e) Any of the counties composing the metropolitan
culture district may withdraw from the district by adoption
of a resolution and approval of the resolution by a majority
of the qualified electors of the county, all in the same
manner provided in this Article IV for creating or becoming a
part of the metropolitan culture district. The governing body
of a withdrawing county shall provide for the sending of
formal written notice of withdrawal from the district to the
governing body of the other county or each of the other
counties comprising the district. Actual withdrawal shall not
take effect until 90 days after notice has been sent. A
withdrawing county shall not be relieved from any obligation
which such county may have assumed or incurred by reason of
being a part of the district, including, but not limited to,
the retirement of any outstanding bonded indebtedness of the
district.

``ARTICLE V. THE COMMISSION

``(a) The metropolitan culture district shall be governed
by the metropolitan culture commission which shall be a body
corporate and politic and which shall be composed of resident
electors of the states of Kansas and Missouri, respectively,
as follows:
``(1) A member of the governing body of each county which
is a part of the district, who shall be appointed by majority
vote of such governing body;
``(2) A member of the governing body of each city, with a
population according to the most recent federal census of at
least 50,000, located in whole or in part within each county
which is a part of the district, who shall be appointed by
majority vote of such governing body;
``(3) Two members of the governing body of a county with a
consolidated or unified county government and city of the
first class which is a part of the district, who shall be
appointed by majority vote of such governing body;
``(4) A member of the arts commission of Kansas or the
Kansas commission for the humanities, who shall be appointed
by the governor of Kansas; and
``(5) A member of the arts commission of Missouri or the
Missouri humanities council, who shall be appointed by the
governor of Missouri.

To the extent possible, the gubernatorial appointees to the
commission shall be residents of the district. The term of
each commissioner initially appointed by a county governing
body shall expire concurrently with such commissioner's
tenure as a county officer or three years after the date of
appointment as a commissioner, whichever occurs sooner. The
term of each commissioner succeeding a commissioner initially
appointed by a county governing body shall expire
concurrently with such successor commissioner's tenure as a
county officer or four years after the date of appointment as
a commissioner, whichever occurs sooner. The term of each
commissioner initially appointed by a city governing body
shall expire concurrently with such commissioner's tenure as
a city officer or two years after the date of appointment as
a commissioner, whichever occurs sooner. The term of each
commissioner succeeding a commissioner

[[Page H6739]]

initially appointed by a city governing body shall expire
concurrently with such successor commissioner's tenure as a
city officer or four years after the date of appointment as a
commissioner, whichever occurs sooner. The term of each
commissioner appointed by the governor of Kansas or the
governor of Missouri shall expire concurrently with the term
of the appointing governor, the commissioner's tenure as a
state officer, or four years after the date of appointment as
a commissioner of the district, whichever occurs sooner. Any
vacancy occurring in a commissioner position for reasons
other than expiration of terms of office shall be filled for
the unexpired term by appointment in the same manner that the
original appointment was made. Any commissioner may be
removed for cause by the appointing authority of the
commissioner.
``(b) The commission shall select annually, from its
membership, a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and a
treasurer. The treasurer shall be bonded in such amounts as
the commission may require.
``(c) The commission may appoint such officers, agents and
employees as it may require for the performance of its
duties, and shall determine the qualifications and duties and
fix the compensation of such officers, agents and employees.
``(d) The commission shall fix the time and place at which
its meetings shall be held. Meetings shall be held within the
district and shall be open to the public. Public notice shall
be given of all meetings.
``(e) A majority of the commissioners from each state shall
constitute, in the aggregate, a quorum for the transaction of
business. No action of the commission shall be binding unless
taken at a meeting at which at least a quorum is present, and
unless a majority of the commissioners from each state,
present at such meeting, shall vote in favor thereof. No
action of the commission taken at a meeting thereof shall be
binding unless the subject of such action is included in a
written agenda for such meeting, the agenda and notice of
meeting having been mailed to each commissioner by postage
paid first-class mail at least 14 calendar days prior to the
meeting.
``(f) The commissioners from each state shall be subject to
the provisions of the laws of the states of Kansas and
Missouri, respectively, which relate to conflicts of interest
of public officers and employees. If any commissioner has a
direct or indirect financial interest in any cultural
facility, organization or activity supported by the district
or commission or in any other business transaction of the
district or commission, the commissioner shall disclose such
interest in writing to the other commissioners and shall
abstain from voting on any matter relating to such facility,
organization or activity or to such business transaction.
``(g) If any action at law or equity, or other legal
proceeding, shall be brought against any commissioner for any
act or omission arising out of the performance of duties as a
commissioner, the commissioner shall be indemnified in whole
and held harmless by the commission for any judgment or
decree entered against the commissioner and, further, shall
be defended at the cost and expense of the commission in any
such proceeding.

``ARTICLE VI. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION

``(a) The commission shall adopt a seal and suitable bylaws
governing its management and procedure.
``(b) The commission has the power to contract and to be
contracted with, and to sue and to be sued.
``(c) The commission may receive for any of its purposes
and functions any contributions or moneys appropriated by
counties or cities and may solicit and receive any and all
donations, and grants of money, equipment, supplies,
materials and services from any state or the United States or
any agency thereof, or from any institution, foundation,
organization, person, firm or corporation, and may utilize
and dispose of the same.
``(d) Upon receipt of recommendations from the advisory
committee provided in subsection (g), the commission may
provide donations, contributions and grants or other support,
financial or otherwise, or in aid of cultural organizations,
facilities or activities in counties which are part of the
district. In determining whether to provide any such support
the commission shall consider the following factors:
``(1) economic impact upon the district;
``(2) cultural benefit to citizens of the district and to
the general public;
``(3) contribution to the quality of life and popular image
of the district;
``(4) contribution to the geographical balance of cultural
facilities and activities within and outside the district;
``(5) the breadth of popular appeal within and outside the
district;
``(6) the needs of the community as identified in an
objective cultural needs assessment study of the metropolitan
area; and
``(7) any other factor deemed appropriate by the
commission.
``(e) The commission may own and acquire by gift, purchase,
lease or devise cultural facilities within the territory
of the district. The commission may plan, construct,
operate and maintain and contract for the operation and
maintenance of cultural facilities within the territory of
the district. The commission may sell, lease, or otherwise
dispose of cultural facilities within the territory of the
district.
``(f) At any time following five years from and after the
creation of the metropolitan cultural district as provided in
paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of article IV, the commission
may borrow moneys for the planning, construction, equipping,
operation, maintenance, repair, extension, expansion, or
improvement of any cultural facility and, in that regard, the
commission at such time may:
``(1) issue notes, bonds or other instruments in writing of
the commission in evidence of the sum or sums to be borrowed.
No notes, bonds or other instruments in writing shall be
issued pursuant to this subsection until the issuance of such
notes, bonds or instruments has been submitted to and
approved by a majority of the qualified electors of the
district voting at an election called and held thereon. Such
election shall be called and held in the manner provided by
law;
``(2) issue refunding notes, bonds or other instruments in
writing for the purpose of refunding, extending or unifying
the whole or any part of its outstanding indebtedness from
time to time whether evidenced by notes, bonds or other
instruments in writing. Such refunding notes, bonds or other
instruments in writing shall not exceed in amount the
principal of the outstanding indebtedness to be refunded and
the accrued interest thereon to the date of such refunding;
``(3) provide that all notes, bonds and other instruments
in writing issued hereunder shall or may be payable, both as
to principal and interest, from sales tax revenues authorized
under this compact and disbursed to the district by counties
comprising the district, admissions and other revenues
collected from the use of any cultural facility or facilities
constructed hereunder, or from any other resources of the
commission, and further may be secured by a mortgage or deed
of trust upon any property interest of the commission; and
``(4) prescribe the details of all notes, bonds or other
instruments in writing, and of the issuance and sale thereof.
The commission shall have the power to enter into covenants
with the holders of such notes, bonds or other instruments in
writing, not inconsistent with the powers granted herein,
without further legislative authority.
``(g) The commission shall appoint an advisory committee
composed of members of the general public consisting of an
equal number of persons from both the states of Kansas and
Missouri who have demonstrated interest, expertise, knowledge
or experience in cultural organizations or activities. The
advisory committee shall make recommendations annually to the
commission regarding donations, contributions and grants or
other support, financial or otherwise, for or in aid of
cultural organizations, facilities and activities in counties
which are part of the district.
``(h) The commission may provide for actual and necessary
expenses of commissioners and advisory committee members
incurred in the performance of their official duties.
``(i) The commission shall cause to be prepared annually a
report on the operations and transactions conducted by the
commission during the preceding year. The report shall be
submitted to the legislatures and governors of the compacting
states, to the governing bodies of the counties comprising
the district, and to the governing body of each city that
appoints a commissioner. The commission shall publish the
annual report in the official county newspaper of each of the
counties comprising the district.
``(j) The commission has the power to apply to the congress
of the United States for its consent and approval of the
compact. In the absence of the consent of congress and until
consent is secured, the compact is binding upon the states of
Kansas and Missouri in all respects permitted by law for the
two states, without the consent of congress, for the purposes
enumerated and in the manner provided in the compact.
``(k) The commission has the power to perform all other
necessary and incidental functions and duties and to exercise
all other necessary and appropriate powers not inconsistent
with the constitution or laws of the United States or of
either of the states of Kansas or Missouri to effectuate the
same.

``ARTICLE VII. FINANCE

``(a) The moneys necessary to finance the operation of the
metropolitan culture district and the execution of the
powers, duties and responsibilities of the commission shall
be appropriated to the commission by the counties comprising
the district. The moneys to be appropriated to the commission
shall be raised by the governing bodies of the respective
counties by the levy of taxes as authorized by the
legislatures of the respective party states.
``(b) The commission shall not incur any indebtedness or
obligation of any kind; nor shall the commission pledge the
credit of either or any of the counties comprising the
district or either of the states party to this compact,
except as authorized in article VI. The budget of the
district shall be prepared, adopted and published as provided
by law for other political subdivisions of the party states.
No budget shall be adopted by the commission until it has
been submitted to and reviewed by the governing bodies of the
counties comprising the district and the governing body of
each city represented on the commission.
``(c) The commission shall keep accurate accounts of all
receipts and disbursements.

[[Page H6740]]

The receipts and disbursements of the commission shall be
audited yearly by a certified or licensed public accountant
and the report of the audit shall be included in and become a
part of the annual report of the commission.
``(d) The accounts of the commission shall be open at any
reasonable time for inspection by duly authorized
representatives of the compacting states, the counties
comprising the district, the cities that appoint a
commissioner, and other persons authorized by the commission.

``ARTICLE VIII. ENTRY INTO FORCE

``(a) This compact shall enter into force and become
effective and binding upon the states of Kansas and Missouri
when it has been entered into law by the legislatures of the
respective states.
``(b) Amendments to the compact shall become effective upon
enactment by the legislatures of the respective states.

``ARTICLE IX. TERMINATION

``This compact shall continue in force and remain binding
upon a party state until its legislature shall have enacted a
statute repealing the same and providing for the sending of
formal written notice of enactment of such statute to the
legislature of the other party state. Upon enactment of such
a statute by the legislature of either party state, the
sending of notice thereof to the other party state, and
payment of any obligations which the metropolitan culture
district commission may have incurred prior to the effective
date of such statute, including, but not limited to, the
retirement of any outstanding bonded indebtedness of the
district, the agreement of the party states embodied in the
compact shall be deemed fully executed, the compact shall be
null and void and of no further force or effect, the
metropolitan culture district shall be dissolved, and the
metropolitan culture district commission shall be abolished.

``ARTICLE X. CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY

``The provisions of this compact shall be liberally
construed and shall be severable. If any phrase, clause,
sentence or provision of this compact is declared to be
contrary to the constitution of either of the party states or
of the United States or the applicability thereof to any
government, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid,
the validity of the remainder of this compact and the
applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or
circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If this compact
shall be held contrary to the constitution of either of the
states party thereto, the compact shall thereby be nullified
and voided and of no further force or effect.
``(a) The board of county commissioners of any county which
has been authorized by a majority of the electors of the
county to create or to become a part of the metropolitan
culture district and to levy and collect a tax for the
purpose of contributing to the financial support of the
district shall adopt a resolution imposing a countywide
retailers' sales tax and pledging the revenues received
therefrom for such purpose. The rate of such tax shall be
fixed in an amount of not more than .25%. Any county levying
a retailers' sales tax under authority of this section is
hereby prohibited from administering or collecting such tax
locally, but shall utilize the services of the state
department of revenue to administer, enforce and collect such
tax. The sales tax shall be administered, enforced and
collected in the same manner and by the same procedure as
other countywide retailers' sales taxes are levied and
collected and shall be in addition to any other sales tax
authorized by law. Upon receipt of a certified copy of a
resolution authorizing the levy of a countywide retailers'
sales tax pursuant to this section, the state director of
taxation shall cause such tax to be collected within and
outside the boundaries of such county at the same time and in
the same manner provided for the collection of the state
retailers' sales tax. All moneys collected by the director of
taxation under the provisions of this section shall be
credited to the metropolitan culture district retailers'
sales tax fund which fund is hereby established in the state
treasury. Any refund due on any countywide retailers' sales
tax collected pursuant to this section shall be paid out of
the sales tax refund fund and reimbursed by the director of
taxation from retailers' sales tax revenue collected pursuant
to this section. All countywide retailers' sales tax revenue
collected within any county pursuant to this section shall be
remitted at least quarterly by the state treasurer, on
instruction from the director of taxation, to the treasurer
of such county.
``(b) All revenue received by any county treasurer from a
countywide retailers' sales tax imposed pursuant to this
section shall be appropriated by the county to the
metropolitan culture district commission within 60 days of
receipt of the funds by the county for expenditure by the
commission pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions
of the Kansas and Missouri metropolitan culture district
compact. If any such revenue remains upon nullification and
voidance of the Kansas and Missouri metropolitan culture
district compact, the county treasurer shall deposit such
revenue to the credit of the general fund of the county.
``(c) Any countywide retailers' sales tax imposed pursuant
to this section shall expire upon the date of actual
withdrawal of the county from the metropolitan culture
district or at any time the Kansas and Missouri metropolitan
culture district compact becomes null and void and of no
further force or effect. If any moneys remain in the
metropolitan culture district retailers' sales tax fund upon
nullification and voidance of the Kansas and Missouri
metropolitan culture district compact, the state treasurer
shall transfer such moneys to the county and city retailers'
sales tax fund to be apportioned and remitted at the same
time and in the same manner as other countywide retailers'
sales tax revenues are apportioned and remitted.''.

SEC. 2. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS.

The Congress expressly deserves the right to alter, amend,
or repeal this Act.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson).

General Leave

Mr. HUTCHINSON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4700, the bill
now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. HUTCHINSON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Gekas), I would like to address this particular bill, H.R. 4700.
This bill grants the consent of Congress to the Kansas and Missouri
Metropolitan Culture District to facilitate cultural development in the
greater Kansas City metropolitan area.
The compact being considered is uniquely designed to encourage cross-
state cultural and intellectual development. Like the original Kansas
and Missouri Metropolitan Culture Compact, approved by Congress in
1994, the compact proposed by H.R. 4700 allows voters from both States
to jointly support cultural activities benefiting the bistate region.
While nearly identical to the culture compact approved by Congress in
1994, the culture compact proposed by this bill expands the definition
of cultural programs to cover sport activities and facilities. It also
changes the composition of the culture commission to maintain balanced
representation from both States.
Finally, like its predecessor, the Congressional Budget Office has
estimated that implementation of the compact would have no fiscal
impact on the U.S. Treasury, and I will include the letter from the CBO
for the Record.
Passage of the 1994 Kansas and Missouri Culture Compact has brought
cultural and aesthetic renewal to residents of the Kansas City
metropolitan region, while obtaining a broad measure of bipartisanship
in the member States and in the Congress. With our help, Kansas and
Missouri will continue the cultural invigoration of the greater Kansas
City area, and I urge support of the bill.
U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC July 20, 2000.
Hon. Henry J. Hyde,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4700, a bill to
grant the consent of the Congress to the Kansas and Missouri
Metropolitan Culture District Compact.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Lanette J.
Keith.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson,
(For Dan L. Crippen).
Enclosure.
H.R. 4700.--A bill to grant the consent of the Congress to
the Kansas and Missouri Metropolitan Culture District
Compact
H.R. 4700 would give Congressional consent to the Kansas
and Missouri Metropolitan Culture District Compact entered
into by Kansas and Missouri. A similar agreement was approved
by the Congress in 1994 but that agreement will end in 2001.
Enacting H.R. 4700 would enable certain counties in the two
states to continue to apply a local sales tax to fund
historical preservation activities within the district.
Enacting the resolution would result in no cost to the
federal

[[Page H6741]]

government. Because enactment of H.R. 4700 would not affect
direct spending or receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would
not apply. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-
sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Lanette J.
Keith. This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the
gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. McCarthy), who has done so much work on
this important issue affecting her district, be allowed to control the
time on this side.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from
Missouri (Ms. McCarthy) is recognized for 20 minutes.
There was no objection.
Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume, and I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) very
much for that gracious introduction. I would also like to thank the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson), who so eloquently described
this very positive and special bill.
I would also like to take a moment, Madam Speaker, to thank the
chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Hyde); and the ranking member, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Conyers); as well as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Commercial and
Administrative Law, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gekas); and
the subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Nadler), for expediting this very important effort for my community.
Last Tuesday, the bill was heard in the subcommittee and marked up;
last Wednesday in the full committee and marked up; and here we are on
Monday, Madam Speaker, back to the floor for a vote by the full
membership on consideration of the renewal of this important bistate
compact.
In the 1980s, when I served in the Missouri legislature in the House
and chaired the Ways and Means Committee there, I and others of like
mind, who realized that the uniqueness of Kansas City, with its State
line dividing both a Kansas community and a Missouri community with
common interests, might require some creative taxing mechanism in order
to restore and to secure the very beautiful landmarks that we have
there, both in culture, the arts, and also in our heritage, and yet not
any one community could do it alone, so we created this bistate
cultural compact that needed the approval by the people of greater
Kansas City, which is, of course, home to 1.7 million supporters.
We initially proposed this in the Kansas and Missouri legislatures, I
happened to handle it in the Missouri House, and gained the approval of
those two bodies in 1987, when we introduced it, and then again as we
revised it. In 1994, when we finally agreed to it and passed it and it
was signed into law by both governors, I came here as a State
legislator to advocate for it before the Committee on the Judiciary and
was very pleased for its passage in the House then.
It is being renewed now because it needs to have some changes made to
it. We sunset it, quite appropriately then, to make sure it would work
successfully, and it has. Now we want to take it back to the community
with the changes that the gentleman from Arkansas described in order
for the voters to approve its continuance.
The major success story of this effort, this rather unique effort,
has been the restoration of our Union Station, a very important
structure to both communities, located on the Missouri side. It is
second in the Nation in size and history to Grand Central Station. It
had fallen into great disrepair and deterioration, was looking for some
current use, and this bistate cultural tax raised almost half the money
needed to restore the building. It has been turned into a wonderful
science center and museum and is a great gathering place for many, many
cultural events in the community.
It has been such a great bringing together of people on both sides of
the State line, rallying around the importance of maintaining this
important structure, that we want to go back now and let the commission
discuss future use that might include comprehensive projects to support
the arts for school-aged children and renovation or rehabilitation of
arts facilities on both sides of the State line. Youth athletic
facilities projects are desperately needed and seriously contemplated
by the commission. And of course maintenance on existing athletic
facilities will be included under new language in the compact.
So I am very, very pleased today to be here in support of this
effort, and I would like again to thank the members of the committee
for their bipartisan effort in making this a priority and moving so
expeditiously.
Madam Speaker, I am providing for the Record some letters of support
from individuals and organizations involved in this back home in Kansas
and Missouri.

Greater Kansas City

Chamber of Commerce,

Kansas City, MO, July 17, 2000.
Hon. Karen McCarthy,
Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative McCarthy: The Greater Kansas City
Chamber of Commerce has been a strong supporter of the Kansas
and Missouri Metropolitan Culture District Compact since it
was first proposed more than 10 years ago by a civic task
force organized by Kansas City Consensus. From the very
beginning, the concept of a multijurisdiction tax for common
purposes in a bistate region like Greater Kansas City has had
great appeal.
The Chamber was a principal player in the passage of the
bistate tax to restore Kansas City's Union Station and
establish Science City at the station. The success of that
project has naturally led to speculation about other regional
needs that might be met through this innovative approach.
Consequently, The Chamber was a leader in the effort to
expand the eligible use of bistate tax revenues through
legislation in Kansas and Missouri to include sports and
sports facilities as well as the cultural arts.
The Chamber continues to be an enthusiastic supporters of
the bistate tax concept and urges appropriate action by the
Congress to facilitate the further use of this creative
multijurisdictional initiative for regional purposes.
Sincerely,
Peter S. Levi,
President.
____

Kansas City

Area Development Council,

Kansas City, MO, July 17, 2000.
Hon. Karen McCarthy,
U.S. Representative,
Kansas City, MO.
Dear Congresswoman McCarthy: I'm writing to let you know
the support of the Kansas City Area Development Council
(KCADC) for HR 4700 granting congressional approval for the
bistate compact that would authorize the creation of the
Metropolitan Cultural District in the Kansas City area.
KCADC, from its inception in 1976, has been a bistate
organization. As you know, we serve 15 counties in both
Kansas and Missouri. We approach business attraction and the
growth of the economy from a bistate perspective because our
community is truly one community that simply happens to be
joined by a state line. Nothing could be more important to us
than the approval of this legislation. The furtherance of
regional cooperation and funding key cultural assets assuming
voter approval is critical to the ongoing development of our
community. The fact that the legislation has received support
in the legislatures of both Kansas and Missouri and would
only be enacted upon a vote of the people, provides both
evidence of broad support and all necessary safeguards.
We are appreciative of your leadership in this effort and
ask that you will do all that is possible to encourage the
approval of this legislation initially by the House Judiciary
Committee and then by the full House and Senate.
Best regards,
Robert J. Marcusse,
President and CEO.
____

Mid-America Regional Council,

Kansas City, MO, July 17, 2000.
Hon. Karen McCarthy,
U.S. Representative,
Kansas City, MO.
Dear Congresswoman McCarthy: This letter is to convey the
support of the Mid-America Regional Council for HR 4700 to
grant congressional approval for the bistate compact
authorizing creation of the Metropolitan Culture District in
the Kansas City area.
As the council of governments and metropolitan planning
group for Greater Kansas City, MARC has keen interest in
seeing the continuance of this important mechanism to allow
for voter-approved regional cooperation in funding key
cultural assets. MARC has played an active role in supporting
this initiative over the years, and we are eager to see this
tool continue to serve our regional community. The proposed
changes to the bistate compact enjoy broad public support and
have already been approved by the legislatures of both Kansas
and Missouri.

[[Page H6742]]

We appreciate your leadership in ensuring continuation of
this issue so important to our metropolitan progress.
Sincerely,
David A. Warm,
Executive Director.
____

Overland Park

Chamber of Commerce,

Overland Park, KS, July 17, 2000.
Hon. Henry J. Hyde,
Chairman, Committee on Judiciary, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of the Overland Park Chamber
of Commerce and its 1,100 members, I want to thank you for
granting a timely hearing on HR 4700.
The Overland Park business community wishes to declare its
support for the passage of HR 4700. Its passage will complete
a legislative process that provides increased flexibility and
expanded options for the Kansas City metropolitan area in
future bi-state efforts.
Citizens and businesses in both Kansas and Missouri, with
the Union Station bi-state success, have demonstrated an
ability to reach consensus and support for important
projects. This bill, supported by both state legislatures,
enhances that unique relationship.
We appreciate your support in addressing this important
community issue.
Sincerely,
Mary Birch CCE,
President.
____

January 4, 2000.
To: Johnson County Commission.
From: Johnson County Chambers Presidents Council, Linda
Leeper, Chairman.
Re: Bi-State Efforts.
As strong supporters of the bi-state initiative to renovate
Union Station and construct Science City, the chambers of
commerce in Johnson County wish to commend the voters of the
four counties, the Bi-State Commission, the Union Station
Assistance Corporation, the Union Station Project Council and
civic leaders for a job well done. This phenomenal project
will serve as an excellent first effort toward future
partnerships that identify, pursue and support other bi-state
efforts.
At this time, the Johnson County Chambers Presidents
Council has discussed future bi-state efforts and would like
to convey the following concepts to be considered as
developments and ideas proceed.
We believe:
1. The current \1/8\ cent bi-state sales tax for Union
Station/Science City should sunset (end) as promised to the
voters.
2. The bi-state tax should be used to enhance quality-of-
life components that are not traditionally funded by
government, such as the arts, and to preserve major community
institutions.
3. The bi-state tax cannot and should not be seen or used
as ``the'' solution for all the problems of the metro-plex.
4. If there is a second bi-state effort, it should include
both the arts as was originally intended and consideration of
efforts in Kansas. Serious consideration should be given to
the renovation or construction of a building in Johnson
County for an arts venue.
5. Also, consideration should be given to including sports
facilities as a beneficiary of the next bi-state effort.
There is no doubt that Kansas City's professional sports
teams are a significant economic development component for
the entire metropolitan area. The bi-state component,
however, similar to Union Station, should be only one part of
a larger multi-source funded effort.
____

Labor-Management Council

of Greater Kansas City,

Kansas City, MO, July 17, 2000.
U.S. Rep. Karen McCarthy,
E. 9th St., Suite 9350,
Kansas City, MO.
Dear Rep. McCarthy: The Labor-Management Council of Greater
Kansas City urges support from the U.S. Congress for ``Bi-
State II'' legislation. We supported passage of the revised
bi-state approach in both the Missouri and Kansas
legislatures, and we thank you for your support for the
successful first bi-state project as well as for this effort.
As an organization comprised of more than 80 businesses,
unions, nonprofits and governments from throughout the Kansas
City area, the Labor-Management Council focuses on efforts
that enhance the entire metropolitan community. Bi-State II
will allow us the opportunity to explore and possibly
implement public improvement projects that benefit citizens
in both states.
The Labor-Management Council requires a unanimous vote of
its Board of Directors to take a public issue position. Bi-
State II's achievement of such unanimous support from our
diverse leadership demonstrates its strong appeal to labor
and to management, to Missourians and to Kansas, to Democrats
and to Republicans, to urban and to suburban residents.
We are very pleased that Congress is appropriately
considering this legislation to help address our community's
needs that cross state, county and municipal lines. Passage
of Bi-State II by Congress would allow us to continue our
work to benefit the entire metropolitan community.
Please feel free to share our position with your
colleagues, and to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Bob Jacobi, Jr.,
Executive Director.
____

Jackson County Executive,

Kansas City, MO, July 17, 2000.
Hon. Karen McCarthy,
U.S. Representative,
Kansas City, MO.
Dear Congresswoman McCarthy: I am writing to express my
support for HR 4700, which would grant congressional approval
for the bi-state compact authorizing creation of the
Metropolitan Culture District in the Kansas City area.
Jackson County is proud of its role in the development and
implementation of the successful initiative at Kansas City's
Liberty Memorial, and looks forward to the opportunity to
extend a bi-state solution into other long term capital needs
of the entire Kansas City metropolitan area.
We appreciate your efforts in ensuring the continuation and
expansion of this cooperative effort among local governments
across our region.
Sincerely,
Katheryn J. Shields,
County Executive.
____

State of Kansas,

Office of the Governor,

Topeka, KS.

Communications Office Fax

From: Don Brown, Communications Director.
Governor Graves made the following comments shortly before
signing the Bi-State II legislation:
``I am extremely pleased with the success of our first Bi-
State project. The Science City at Union Station, quite
frankly, would not exist as we know it today without the
funding from this arts and culture initiative. I am pleased
to be able to sign the Bi-State II legislation into Kansas
Law. This is just one step in the process, of course. I'm
confident the government leaders and voters in the respective
counties in and around Kansas City will make good choices as
they explore another phase of this cooperative effort.''
____

Carnahan Signs Bill To Expand Metropolitan Culture District

Gov. Mel Carnahan gave final approval today to a new law
that expands the Kansas and Missouri Metropolitan Culture
District to include sports facilities and events.
Carnahan signed the legislation (Senate Bill 719) at Union
Station, which reopened last year after being restored
through the efforts of the Culture District--a four-county
area encompassing Kansas City.
``Bringing Union Station back to life is a testimony to the
tremendous success the Culture District has experienced,''
Carnahan said. ``This legislation will allow the district to
build upon that success by including sports facilities and
events.''
The new legislation will allow sporting events and sports
facilities to qualify as approved projects for the Culture
District. This will enable voters in the district to approve
funding for sports-related activities in addition to other
cultural facilities and events.
The legislation also adds two members to the Culture
District Commission, the district's governing body. That
provision was necessary due to the consolidation of Kansas
City, Kan., and Wyandotte County governments. The additional
two members will ensure equal representation from Kansas and
Missouri on the commission.
``Many Kansas Citians from both sides of the state line are
proud of the accomplishments that have been achieved through
the bistate Culture District,'' Carnahan said. ``The work of
the district and its commission is proof that great things
can be done when the spirit of cooperation is a prominent
force.''
____

[From the Kansas City Star, Nov. 8, 1999]

Donors Praise Union Station

(By Brian Burnes)

Union Station's opening week continued Sunday as about
1,200 benefactors who had contributed $1,000 or more to the
renovation project gathered for an early look at the
landmark.
The reviews were good.
``I think it's wonderful. It's fabulous,'' said Betty
Shouse of Kansas City as she stood in the old North Waiting
Room, now Festival Plaza.
``I'm in awe of the ceiling,'' said Carson Ross, a Missouri
state representative from Blue Springs, referring to the
restored and repainted ceiling in the Grand Hall.
Shouse and Ross also offered praise for the bistate
cooperation that led to $118 million in taxpayer
contributions to the renovation from a one-eight-cent sales
tax passed in Jackson, Johnson, Clay and Plate counties in
1996.
``I'm so glad that we were able to have that kind of
cooperation among the various parts of Kansas City,'' Shouse
said.
``Being, able to bring both states together for this was
historic,'' Ross said. ``I tell people from other states
about this and they can't believe it.''
As the late afternoon sun poured through the west windows,
most visitors could be seen looking up at the ceiling or at
the huge clock hanging from it.
``What's fun about this is that each person who comes
through feels that they had a piece of the project, so it's
exciting for them to see it all come together now,'' said
Bill Musgrave, a vice president of the Kansas City Museum,
which is developing Science City inside the station.

[[Page H6743]]

Renovation officials said Sunday's crowd--much smaller than
the crowd of approximately 3,700 who jammed in Friday night--
had its virtues.
``Friday night was elbow to elbow,'' said John Patrick
Burnett, a member of the project's Bistate Commission, which
oversaw the spending of taxpayer money. ``But this was very
nice today, and you could actually see some of the exhibits
of Science City.''
Within Science City, benefactors mingled with some of the
approximately 25 ``interactors,'' or costumed performers who
will visit with Science City guests in front of some of the
approximately 50 ``environments.''
Interspersed with the interactors were construction
workers, some of whom continued working on the Festival Plaza
fountain as the party went on around them. The stations
opening week continues Tuesday with a preview for volunteers
scheduled for 5 to 9 pm.
The grand opening of Science City at Union Station is
scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday on the station's south plaza.
____

[From Preservation, November/December 1999]

Hope Rides on the $250 Million Makeover of Kansas City's Union Station

(By Steve Paul)

Kansas City, MO.--Kansas citizens have been waiting decades
for life to return to the 1914 Union Station, once among the
nation's busiest monuments to rail travel. Now the wait is
over. Science City, a so-called edutainment complex appended
to the newly restored station, has its grand opening on Nov.
10.
A private-public partnership partly funded by taxpayers in
two states spurred the ambitious project with a price tag of
$250 million, so there's an extraordinary amount of breath
holding. Can the enormous building again become the city's
premier gathering place? If revelers return to the station's
cavernous spaces this New Year's Eve, the turn of the
millennium may be less meaningful than the emotional
reconnection to a cherished monument the public didn't know
what to do with.
Preservation purists are hoping Science City's
idiosyncrasies won't undermine the reception given to
restoration of the decayed station itself, second in size
only to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. Still, the
ultimate test of success will be whether tourist dollars can
underwrite local pride and any sense that such gathering
place is needed.
Andy Scott, executive director of the Union Station
Assistance Corp., the building's private, nonprofit owner
since 1994, hopes the restoration will redefine downtown.
Ever optimistic, Scott is already envisioning more
redevelopment. A new pedestrian bridge, designed by Siah
Armajani, has been proposed to link the station with the
Crossroads district across the rail yards to the north. A
lively renaissance of art galleries, restaurants, and
residential lofts is under way in that neighborhood of
converted warehouses and industrial buildings.
Scott's optimism also stems from the statute of the station
itself, designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt in a
restrained Beaux-Arts style with well-proportioned columns,
windows, and entablature. With all the personal interaction
that took place within, Scott says, Union Station means a lot
to people in the metropolitan area of 1.7 million. ``This
building,'' he says, ``was built with such vision and care
and love of beauty and architecture that it can inspire
people.''
Union Station was nearly comatose long before it closed
more than a decade ago. In the '80s it suffered a kick in the
architectural groin when an office building was crammed into
a corner of its T-shaped plan.
That building remains, but the reflections in its mirror-
glass reds and blues outlined by cream trim and gold-hued
plaster foliage. It also suspends a trio of respected
3,000-pound chandeliers from ornate rosettes.
Science City, a project of the Kansas City Museum, will
occupy a new glass-topped annex abutting the station's former
North Waiting Room. Responding to focus groups who said they
wanted to have fun, the museum made something akin to an
amusement park involving science as adventure.
``It's not a museum, it's not a science center, it's not a
themes park, it's not theater,'' says Science City President
David A. Ucko. ``The phrase I've been using is `recreational
learning.' ''
The station's North Waiting Room, more than 100 yards long,
serves as the entry to the multilevel maze of Science City.
Visitors will be deposited into a series of environments--a
hospital, a crime scene, a cave--with actors conducting
learning experiences.
There will be a historical streetscape providing a memory
lane of pop culture: old televisions showing period programs
in an appliance-store window, for instance. A live stage will
present science and historical shows. A large-screen Iwerks
theater is being installed for science and nature films in 2-
D and 3-D formats. And a planetarium will put a laser-show
spin on sky gazing lessons.
Nighttime activities are crucial to the return of a
constant flow of people--and their dollars--to the station.
So the theaters will do double duty, showing Science City
films by day and general-interest, date-inducing movies by
night. The North Waiting Room, available for special events,
can accommodate as many as 1,200 diners. Several restaurants
are opening in and off the cavernous Grand Hall.
For the multitudes who passed through there, Union Station
is something like a memory bank. Emotional departures and
returns were plentiful for several generations before
passenger-train traffic and the station itself began to began
to decline after World War II. ``In many ways,'' says Dave
Boutras of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection in
Kansas City, ``it is about the only public place that
represents the metro area.''
The feeling of a shared history--and the vision of a shared
future--helped persuade taxpayers in Johnson County, Kan., an
affluent Kansas City suburb, to contribute to the project
through a one-eighth-cent bistate sales tax. They joined
voters in the three Missouri countries through which Kansas
City sprawls to pony up $118 million in tax money. The rest
of the construction funding came from more than $30 million
in federal grants and $100 million in private donations.
Significant participation ($20 million) came from Hallmark
Cards, Inc., and the Hall Family Foundation. Hallmark's
headquarters and Crown Center, a complex with two hotels,
restaurants, a shopping mall, and an updated bus waiting
area, will be linked to the station by an elevated, glass-
enclosed walkway.
An important aspect of the redevelopment is Union Station's
revival as a transportation center. Local buses, tourist
trolleys, and planned commuter-rail line from Johnson County
will stop there, as will a light-rail line in Kansas City, if
it ever gets built. Amtrak service may return to the building
after its long exile on the bottom level of an underground
parking garage.
Long a prominent symbol of inner-city deterioration and
dis-investment as it sat rotting, Union Station is ready to
be embraced with the pride and excitement it was born to 85
years ago.

[From the New York Times, Nov. 12, 1999]

In Kansas City, Few Trains, But New Life in the Station

(By Shirley Christian)

Kansas City, MO, Nov. 14--It required new laws in two
states, sales-tax elections in five counties and an act of
Congress, as well as a major corporate giving campaign, but
Kansas City's monumental Union Station has finally been
restored to the grandeur it once enjoyed as a centerpiece of
the nation's passenger rail network.
Even as construction crews raced to finish the $250 million
restoration and expansion of the station, the completed
portions opened to the public last week after a spate of
events toasting large donors and volunteers.
Very few passenger trains pass through Kansas City now, so
the station's restored Grand Hall, with its 95-foot ceiling
and three 3,000-pound chandeliers, is to serve as a public
space, surrounded by new restaurants, shops and offices. The
station, second in size in this country only to Grand Central
Terminal in Manhattan, is envisioned as a vast indoor plaza,
a gathering place intended to help draw people back to the
center of the city.
The station opened in 1914 with nearly one million square
feet of space. It has been expanded in this new incarnation
with a 300,000-square-foot wing on the west side to house
Science City, described by its creators as a place of
``recreational learning.'' Science City is projected to draw
a million paying visitors a year.
``We are creating an educational attraction for all ages,''
said David A. Ucko, president of Science City and the Kansas
City Museum, which will manage it. ``There will a high degree
of emotional engagement, and everything will be contextual,
nothing abstract. There will be a lot of humor. This won't be
a deadly serious place.''
Those who planned, argued and campaigned for years to put
together the complicated financing package for Union Station
are so pleased with the results that even before the
reopening they were talking of returning to the voters and
asking them to extend the culture sales tax, which made the
restoration possible. The idea would be to use the tax to
finance a wider array of cultural offerings. Supporters said
the rebirth of the station, whose architectural features are
similar to those of Grand Central and Union Station in
Washington, has brought a new sense of metropolitan spirit on
both sides of the Missouri-Kansas line, a border across which
some of the vilest actions of the Civil War occurred.
Civil leaders are daring to dream of what else might be
financed by extending the eighth-of-a-cent culture tax beyond
2002, when the station restoration will be paid off.
Possibilities include creation of a publicly financed arts
endowment, which could benefit museums like the Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art, performance groups like the Lyric Opera and
the Kansas City Symphony, and smaller organizations.
Other noncultural possibilities include up-dating the
stadiums in which the football Chiefs and baseball Royals
play and improving the very limited public transportation
system, which serves one of the most sprawled metropolitan
areas in the country.
The new Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City was formed
partly to look at how a culture tax or other public money
might be sought for the arts.
``Kansas City is in the top quartile of cities for private
funding of the arts,'' said Jan Kreamer, president of the
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and an organizer of
the arts council. ``But we are near the bottom of public
funding.''

[[Page H6744]]

Two regional neighbors, Denver and St. Louis, have adopted
taxes for cultural purposes, she said. But she added that no
specific proposals would be formulated here until public
surveys on the issue are completed. Joan Israelite, president
of the Arts Council, said its creation was part of a great
expansion of arts and cultural activity. ``We're on the verge
of a cultural renaissance,'' she said.
The financing of the area's cultural and other needs has
grown increasingly complicated as development has spread into
the five counties in Kansas and Missouri that make up the
metropolitan region, and into a second tier of surrounding
counties in both states as well. More than 100 municipal and
other governmental entities are involved, and the principal
city, Kansas City, Mo., has become a smaller piece of the
whole even though its population is growing slightly.
Unlike most other metropolitan areas that reach across
state lines, this region's population of 1.7 million is
fairly evenly divided between the two states, as are business
and industry, and people here seem to view the state line as
the de facto heart of the city. Booming Johnson County, Kan.,
with 20-some suburban cities, rivals Kansas City proper in
size and economic clout, Kansas City, Kan., much smaller and
poorer than Kansas City, Mo., or Johnson County, maintains a
strong industrial base.
A century and a half ago civic leaders of the two Kansas
Cities laid out their principal arteries within walking
distance of the other state; Union Station was built just
blocks east of the state line.
``The fact is that we function as an economic city-state,''
said Jack Holland, an investment banker who began working on
the bistate financing concept 15 years ago.
He was part of a group called Kansas City Consensus, which
formed in the early 1980's to look at how Kansas City could
continue to pay for cultural and recreational offerings while
much of the core city's economic power was being lost to the
suburbs. From that group the idea of the bistate tax emerged
in 1985.
The group recommended a sales tax instead of a property tax
because a sales tax could be applied uniformly throughout the
metropolitan area. By contrast, assessed valuation for a
similar piece of property might vary from country to
county and state to state.
Supporters of the bistate tax said they found many examples
around the country of culture taxes and of metropolitan area
taxes that crossed county lines, but no examples of a tax
that crossed a state line.
After passage of the enabling legislation in Kansas and
Missouri in 1993, representatives from each state decided
what projects to propose to voters. Although arts and other
culture groups had been the driving force behind passage of
the legislation, they had trouble agreeing on a package of
programs and institutions to support.
In the end everybody could agree only on raising money to
restore Union Station. Its beauty, even in its abandoned and
unmaintained state, and the emotional attachment felt by
people across the area made the station ``the perfect
candidate for election,'' said Jack Craft, a lawyer who led
the culture-tax campaign in Missouri. ``It's handsome, and it
doesn't talk.''
Next, advocates of the tax had to deal with the almost
legendary distrust that Kansans have of the politicians in
Kansas City, Mo. ``So a lot of safeguards were built into the
Union Station operating agreement,'' said State Rose, a
suburban newspaper publisher who ran the culture-tax campaign
in Kansas.
A separate legal entity was created to own and operate the
station, and an agreement was drawn up that, if the
restoration project should fail at some point, ownership of
Union Station would pass not to the city of Kansas City, Mo.,
but to he community foundation headed by headed by Ms.
Kreamer. Still nervous about the outcome of the voting, the
advocates of the tax mounted what Mr. Craft said was the most
expensive political campaign ever conducted in the Kansas
City region, costing slightly more than $1 million. Some
advertising and public relations concerns donated services.
On Nov. 5, 1996, the culture tax went before the voters in
the five counties. It passed with more than 60 percent of the
vote in four, losing only in Wyandotte County, site of Kansas
City. Kan., the poorest county in the metropolitan area.
The tax is raising $118 million of the cost of restoring
and expanding the station. An additional $100 million was
raised from private contributors; the rest is coming from
federal money.
Forty million dollars of the estimated $250 million price
tag was set aside as an endowment whose income will pay part
of the operating costs for Science City and Union Station.
The rest of the $18 million operating budget is to come from
paying visitors to Science City and from leasing the office
and commercial space.
Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R.
4700, to grant the consent of the Congress to the Kansas and Missouri
Metropolitan Culture District Compact. This bipartisan legislation
would allow the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte
County to continue the progress of successful arts and cultural
initiatives.
Extending the present compact, which is set to expire in 2001, would
include sports facilities in the cultural definition. It would also
correct the inequity created by the consolidation of the governments of
the City of Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County, Kansas which gave
Missouri and advantage of two votes over Kansas. Finally, the extension
would give states the authority to continue local revenue stream of a
.125% sales tax used to support cultural activities in the bi-state
region.
I commend Representative McCarthy from Missouri for her hard work and
dedication to moving this legislation through the legislative process.
This an excellent example of a bi-state, private-public, local-federal
partnership which works well. The continuation of the compact will
allow the metropolitan area to further this productive alignment for
successful arts and cultural initiatives in the bi-state region and I
strongly support the effort.
Mr. GEKAS. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4700 grants the consent of Congress to
the Kansas and Missouri Metropolitan Culture District to facilitate
cultural development in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The
Compact being considered is uniquely designed to encourage cross-state
cultural and intellectual development. Like the original Kansas-
Missouri Metropolitan Culture Compact approved by Congress in 1994, the
Compact proposed by H.R. 4700 allows voters from both states to jointly
support cultural activities benefiting the bistate region.
While nearly identical to the Culture Compact approved by Congress in
1994, the Culture Compact proposed by H.R. 4700 expands the definition
of cultural programs to cover sport activities and facilities. It also
changes the composition of the Culture Commission to maintain balanced
representation from both states. Finally, like its predecessor, the
Congressional Budget Office has estimated that implementation of the
Compact would have no fiscal impact on the U.S. Treasury.
Passage of the 1994 Kansas and Missouri Culture Compact has brought
cultural and aesthetic renewal to residents of the Kansas City
metropolitan region while obtaining a broad measure of bipartisanship
in the member states and in the Congress. With our help, Kansas and
Missouri will continue the cultural invigoration of the greater Kansas
City area and I urge your support of the bill.
Mr. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I rise to share my support for H.R. 4700,
which would grant the consent of Congress to the Kansas and Missouri
Metropolitan Cultural District Compact. I like to start by thanking my
friend and colleague, Congresswoman Karen McCarthy, for her leadership
on this issue. Her tireless work for the Fifth District of Missouri and
the people of the Kansas City metropolitan area should be commended.
Over the past four years, we have enjoyed the successes of the
original bi-state compact that was passed by Congress in 1994, that
continues to receive tremendous support from individuals and
organizations on both sides of the state line. This agreement is
essential to a unique city with a state line running through the middle
of town. Many residents work on one side of state line and reside on
the other. The economy and culture of the region are vitally important
to all residents of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
This compact made possible the restoration of Union Station and the
completion of Science City, now one of the Kansas City metropolitan
area's most important cultural and education facilities. Union Station
is a remarkable example of what can be accomplished when federal,
state, and local governments work with private and public contributors
to improve our communities.
As the existing compact is scheduled to conclude at the end of 2001,
it is our responsibility to see to it that a new compact is approved to
continue this successful venture. Furthermore, it is important to take
this opportunity to correct the advantage of two votes that Missouri
currently holds on the Bi-State Board, due to the consolidation of the
governments of the Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County, Kansas,
into the new Unified Government. This inequity should be resolved to
preserve the balance and harmony of the Compact.
As we move into the twenty-first century, it is even more important
to take steps to preserve our common history and strengthen our great
community. The Bi-State Compact will enable us to take on cultural
initiatives, improve education, develop transportation proposals, and
improve the lives of those in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
I support this legislation, which I have cosponsored, because I
believe the residents of the metropolitan area should be able to decide
for themselves if they want to participate in this project. I can think
of no better way to decide the issue than to give the authority
directly to voters on both sides of the state line.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R.
4700, which gives Congressional approval to the Kansas and Missouri
Metropolitan Cultural District Compact.

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One of the hallmarks of this Republican Congress has been its
commitment to empowering state and local governments to address local
and regional challenges. This legislation is a great example of that
commitment. H.R. 4700 imposes no federal mandates on the states of
Kansas and Missouri, or on the local governments which have endorsed
the compact. It does not call for the use of federal dollars. It does
not require that the Compact be extended into the future. Instead, it
simply gives the necessary Congressional approval to the Kansas and
Missouri Metropolitan Cultural District Compact.
The Compact is a unique effort to provide a secure source of local
funding for metropolitan cooperation across state lines to restore
historic structures and cultural facilities. Since it was established a
few years ago, local leaders have worked through the Compact to restore
Kansas City's Union State, one of the Midwest's important historic
landmarks. It has also led to the addition of the Kansas City Museum's
Science City Project. When the Compact was initially created in 1994,
sanctioning legislation sped through both the House and Senate by voice
votes in just a few months.
As other advocates of H.R. 4700 have noted, the breadth of support
for the Compact is overwhelming. It is supported by the legislatures of
both Kansas and Missouri, the Governors of both states, and by both
Republican and Democratic elected officials. I commend the gentlelady
from Kansas City for bringing this measure forward, and I encourage all
my colleagues to join me in voting for it.
Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Gekas) is recognized to control the time of the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson).
There was no objection.
Mr. GEKAS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4700.
The question was taken.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.

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