[Senate Report 104-262]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 396
104th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE

 2d Session                                                     104-262
_______________________________________________________________________


 
                     LAURA C. HUDSON VISITOR CENTER

                                _______


                  May 9, 1996.--Ordered to be printed

_______________________________________________________________________


  Mr. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1627]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 1627) to designate the visitor center at 
Jean Lafitte National Historic Park in New Orleans, Louisiana 
as the ``Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center'', having considered 
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the bill do pass.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of S. 1627 is to designate the visitor center 
at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park as the ``Laura C. 
Hudson Visitor Center.''

                          background and need

    For twenty years, Laura C. Hudson served on the staff of 
Senator J. Bennett Johnston. Ms. Hudson completed her Senate 
service last August as Senator Johnston's legislative director 
and indispensable right hand. There are parks, wildlife 
refuges, historic preservation projects, and other important 
projects in Louisiana and beyond which exist in very large 
measure because of the personal dedication and legislative 
skill of Laura Hudson. In addition, Ms. Hudson was the moving 
force behind the passage in the last Congress of the Lower 
Mississippi Delta Region Initiatives Act. This legislation will 
help implement a number of important recommendations contained 
in the 1990 report of the Lower Mississippi Delta Development 
Commission, chaired by then Governor Bill Clinton.
    Jean Lafitte National Historical Park in Louisiana is a 
unique unit of the National Park System. It comprises a number 
of resources, both natural and historic. Like a wheel with 
several spokes, the new hub of the park is located in the 
French Quarter of New Orleans in a beautifully renovated 
building at 419 Rue Decatur. This building will serve as a 
visitor contact point, museum and interpretive center. Jean 
Lafitte National Historical Park was one of the first 
significant park projects Laura Hudson took on as a member of 
Senator Johnston's staff. Given her pivotal role in the 
establishment, development, and growth of this unique park, it 
is appropriate that the new visitor facility at the park bear 
her name.

                          legislative history

    S. 1627 was introduced by Senator Johnston on March 20, 
1996. The bill was favorably reported at the May 1, 1996 
business meeting of the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources without amendment. Identical legislation is included 
in H.R. 1296, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent on 
May 1, 1996.

           committee recommendations and tabulation of votes

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on May 1, 1996, by a unanimous voice vote of a 
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1627 without 
amendment.

                      section-by-section analysis

Section 1

    Designates the visitor center at Jean Lafitte National 
Historical Park, located at 419 Rue Decatur in New Orleans, 
Louisiana, as the ``Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center.''

Section 2

    Directs that the Center be referenced as such in law, maps, 
regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United 
States.

                   cost and budgetary considerations

    On May 7, 1996 the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources requested a Congressional Budget Office estimate on 
S. 1627. This estimate had not been received at the time the 
report on S. 1627 was filed. When this estimate becomes 
available, the Chairman will request that it be printed in the 
Congressional Record for the advice of the Senate.

                      regulatory impact evaluation

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out S. 1627. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals 
and businesses.
    No personal information would be collected in administering 
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal 
privacy.
    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the 
enactment of S. 1627, as ordered reported.

                        executive communications

    On May 8, 1996, the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of 
the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting 
forth Executive agency recommendations on S. 1627. These 
reports had not been received at the time the report on S. 1627 
was filed. When these reports become available, the Chairman 
will request that they be printed in the Congressional Record 
for the advice of the Senate.

                        changes in existing law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by S. 1627, as ordered 
reported.