[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 133 (Monday, October 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H10496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HOOVER DAM MISCELLANEOUS SALES ACT

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill (S. 1275) to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to produce and sell products and to sell publications relating 
to the Hoover Dam, and to deposit revenues generated from the sales 
into the Colorado River Dam fund.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1275

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Hoover Dam Miscellaneous 
     Sales Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) the sale and distribution of general public information 
     about the use of public land and water areas for recreation, 
     fish, wildlife, and other purposes serve significant public 
     benefits;
       (2) publications and other materials educate the public and 
     provide general information about Bureau of Reclamation 
     programs and projects;
       (3) in 1997, more than 1,000,000 visitors, including 
     300,000 from foreign countries, toured the Hoover Dam;
       (4) hundreds of thousands of additional visitors stopped to 
     view the dam;
       (5) visitors often ask to purchase maps, publications, and 
     other items to enhance their experience or serve educational 
     purposes;
       (6) in many cases the Bureau of Reclamation is the sole 
     source of those items;
       (7) the Bureau is in a unique position to fulfill public 
     requests for those items; and
       (8) as a public agency, the Bureau should be responsive to 
     the public by having appropriate items available for sale.

     SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to offer for 
     sale to members of the public that visit the Hoover Dam 
     Visitor Center educational materials and memorabilia; and
       (2) to use revenue from those sales to repay the costs 
     relating to construction of the Hoover Dam Visitor Center.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT SALES.

       With respect to the Hoover Dam, the Secretary of the 
     Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, 
     may--
       (1) conduct sales of--
       (A) materials generated by the Bureau of Reclamation such 
     as posters, maps, brochures, photographs, and similar 
     publications, videotapes, and computer information discs that 
     are related to programs or projects of the Bureau; and
       (B) memorabilia and other commemorative items that depict 
     programs or projects of the Bureau;
       (2) convert unneeded property or scrap material into Bureau 
     memorabilia for sale purposes; and
       (3) enter into agreements with nonprofit organizations, 
     other Federal agencies, State and local governments, and 
     commercial entities for--
       (A) the production or sale of items described in paragraphs 
     (1) and (2); and
       (B) the sale of publications described in paragraph (1).

     SEC. 5. COSTS AND REVENUES.

       (a) Costs.--All costs incurred by the Bureau of Reclamation 
     under this Act shall be paid from the Colorado River Dam fund 
     established by section 2 of the Act of December 21, 1928 (43 
     U.S.C. 617a).
       (b) Revenues.--
       (1) Use for repayment of sales costs.--All revenues 
     collected by the Bureau of Reclamation under this Act shall 
     be credited to the Colorado River Dam fund to remain 
     available, without further Act of appropriation, to pay costs 
     associated with the production and sale of items in 
     accordance with section 4.
       (2) Use for repayment of construction costs.--All revenues 
     collected by the Bureau of Reclamation under this Act that 
     are not needed to pay costs described in paragraph (1) shall 
     be transferred annually to the general fund of the Treasury 
     in repayment of costs relating to construction of the Hoover 
     Dam Visitor Center.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George 
Miller) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 1275 will enable the Bureau of Reclamation to provide 
visitors to Hoover Dam an opportunity to buy educational materials. It 
also will allow material removed from the dam during recent 
rehabilitation work to be used to create memorabilia, otherwise such 
material would become surplus and require alternate disposal. Sales 
authorized by this legislation are expected to generate revenues which 
will reduce the cost overruns incurred in constructing the visitors 
center.
  I urge support of S. 1275.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we have no objection to this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill, S. 1275.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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