[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 25, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3520-H3521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK CENTRAL PARKING FACILITY 
                           AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on House Administration and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 4009) to authorize the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 
Institution to plan, design, and construct a central parking facility 
on National Zoological Park property in the District of Columbia, and 
ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hollingsworth). Is there objection to 
the request of the gentleman from Mississippi?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4009

       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 ``Smithsonian National 
     Zoological Park Central Parking Facility Authorization Act''.

     SEC. 2. FACILITY FOR IMPROVED VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND ACCESS 
                   AT THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK.

       (a) In General.--In order to improve visitor experience and 
     multi-modal access to the Smithsonian National Zoological 
     Park, the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution is 
     authorized to plan, design, and

[[Page H3521]]

     construct a central parking facility on National Zoological 
     Park property in the District of Columbia.
       (b) Central Parking Facility.--The facility authorized 
     under this section may include parking, transportation 
     improvements, visitor amenities including restrooms, a 
     pedestrian bridge to a midpoint entry of the National 
     Zoological Park, and ancillary works to accommodate 
     alternative uses of the facility.
       (c) Funding.--Construction of the facility described in 
     this section shall be conducted with funds from 
     nonappropriated sources.

  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4009, which 
authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan, 
design, and construct a central parking facility on National Zoological 
Park property in the District of Columbia using non-appropriated funds.
  Established by Congress in 1889, the National Zoo was incorporated as 
a unit of the Smithsonian Institution in 1890. Today, the National Zoo 
consists of two components: the 3,200-acre Conservation Biology 
Institute in Front Royal, Virginia and the public National Zoological 
Park (Zoo) located at the 163-acre Rock Creek campus in Washington, 
D.C. Admission is free of charge and with more than two million people 
visiting the Rock Creek facility in 2017, the Zoo remains a favorite 
tourist and local destination in the nation's Capital.
  While public transit is an option for some visitors, many others rely 
on private vehicles to reach the Zoo. Currently, parking at the Zoo 
includes several paved surface lots spread across the campus, which 
often fill up early in the day during peak season. To better serve 
these visitors, the proposed new parking facility consolidates public 
parking into a multi-level parking garage located at the midpoint of 
the Zoo.
  Included in the Zoo's 2008 Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan, the 
parking facility will provide a number of benefits that both further 
the Zoo's mission and improve the visitor experience. These benefits 
include expanding animal habitat space through repurposing existing 
surface lots; improving visitor access with a centralized and 
accessible arrival point; increasing security through consolidation of 
access points; improved pedestrian safety; and expanding the number of 
on-site visitor parking spaces which reduces the number of days the Zoo 
must turn away visitors due to lack of parking. The additional parking 
spaces will help accommodate a projected increase in the number of 
visitors to the Zoo.
  No appropriated funds will be expended for the project. The 
Smithsonian intends to enter into a public-private-partnership for the 
construction and operation of the parking facility. The developer would 
be responsible for design, construction, maintenance, and operations 
for a fixed term of 35 years after which ownership is retained by the 
Zoo. Financing is the sole responsibility of the developer, with 
construction cost estimated at $70-75 million and annual operating 
costs at $1.5 million. As part of the agreement, the Zoo receives an 
initial annual payment of $7 million and a recurring annual payment 
based on revenues with a guaranteed minimum of $1 million. Design, 
construction, operations and maintenance will be conducted in 
accordance with the contract and plans approved by the Smithsonian.
  The Committee on House Administration held a markup on this bill on 
December 13, 2017 and ordered the bill reported favorably to the House, 
by voice vote, with no amendments. In its December 21, 2017 cost 
estimate, the Congressional Budget Office states that enacting H.R. 
4009 would not affect the federal budget and would not affect direct 
spending or revenues. Additionally, the Committee on House 
Administration exchanged jurisdiction letters with the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4009.

                                                    U.S. Congress,


                                  Congressional Budget Office,

                                Washington, DC, December 21, 2017.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     Chairman, Committee on House Administration,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4009, the 
     Smithsonian National Zoological Park Central Parking Facility 
     Authorization Act.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Meredith 
     Decker.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Keith Hall,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosure.

    H.R. 4009--Smithsonian National Zoological Park Central Parking 
                       Facility Authorization Act

 As ordered reported by the House Committee on House Administration on 
                           December 13, 2017

       H.R. 4009 would authorize the Smithsonian Institution to 
     plan, design, and construct a central parking facility on the 
     National Zoological Park's property in the District of 
     Columbia. Construction would be financed with nonappropriated 
     funds.
       CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4009 would not affect 
     the federal budget. Because enacting the legislation would 
     not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go 
     procedures do not apply.
       CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4009 would not increase 
     net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
     consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
       H.R. 4009 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
     mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
       The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Meredith Decker. 
     The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
     Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                            Committee on House Administration,

                                  Washington, DC, April 24, 2018.-
     Hon. Bill Shuster,-
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Shuster: I am writing in regard to H.R. 4009, 
     Smithsonian National Zoological Park Central Parking Facility 
     Authorization Act. As you know, the bill was introduced on 
     October 11, 2017, and referred to the Committee on House 
     Administration, with an additional referral to the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure. The bill authorizes the 
     Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan, 
     design, and construct a central parking facility on National 
     Zoological Park property in the District of Columbia using 
     non-appropriated funds. On December 13, 2017 the Committee on 
     House Administration reported H.R. 4009 favorably out of 
     Committee by voice vote without amendment.
       The Committee on House Administration recognizes that the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has an 
     additional referral of H.R. 4009. We ask that the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from 
     consideration of H.R. 4009 to expedite the bill. It is the 
     understanding of the Committee on House Administration that 
     forgoing action on H.R. 4009 will not prejudice the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure with respect to any 
     future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters 
     contained in the bill that fall under your Committee's Rule X 
     jurisdiction.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Gregg Harper,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and 
           Infrastructure,
                                   Washington, DC, April 24, 2018.
     Hon. Gregg Harper,
     Chairman, Committee on House Administration, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Harper: Thank you for your letter concerning 
     H.R. 4009, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Central 
     Parking Facility Authorization Act. As noted, the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure received an additional 
     referral on this legislation.
       In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 4009, the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to 
     forgo action on this bill. However, as you noted, this is 
     conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing 
     consideration of the bill would not prejudice the Committee 
     with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future 
     jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in 
     the bill or similar legislation that fall within the 
     Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. Should a conference on the 
     bill be necessary, I appreciate your agreement to support my 
     request to have the Committee represented on the conference 
     committee.
       Thank you for your cooperation on this matter and for 
     agreeing to place a copy of this letter and your response 
     acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the 
     Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on 
     the House floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bill Shuster,
                                                         Chairman.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

                          ____________________