[House Report 105-459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
 2d Session             HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                105-459
_______________________________________________________________________


 
    NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS INTERPRETIVE CENTER IN CASPER, WYOMING

                                _______
                                

 March 24, 1998.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______


  Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2186]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 2186) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
provide assistance to the National Historic Trails Interpretive 
Center in Casper, Wyoming, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 2186 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to provide assistance to the National Historic 
Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 2186 was introduced in an effort to preserve and 
interpret several historic trails which crossed Western America 
during the 1800s. These historic trails, including four 
Congressionally designated trails, form a distinctive part of 
our Nation's history and represent valuable historic and 
cultural themes which helped shaped the West.
    This bill is the result of a cooperative partnership which 
began in 1992 between federal and non-federal interests to help 
fund, construct, operate, and maintain the Trails Center. The 
partnership includes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the 
City of Casper, Wyoming, and the non-profit National Historic 
Trails Foundation. Significant financial contributions have 
also been made by the State of Wyoming. The non-federal 
partners have made a clear commitment to share approximately 
one-half of the total costs to construct, maintain, and operate 
the Trails Center. The cooperative agreement between the BLM 
and the other non-federal partners requires the establishment 
of a $1 million endowment, the interest of which will be used 
to maintain the Trail Center exhibits.
    Federal involvement is authorized by the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act (Section 307(b)), the National 
Historic Preservation Act (Sections 1(b)(3), 2, and 302), and 
the National Trails System Act (Section 11(b)(1) and (2)). The 
BLM has already expended a considerable amount completing the 
design work and engineering blueprints for the Trails Center. 
With the design work done, the land available, and most of the 
non-federal funds accrued, the actual building needs to be 
constructed. H.R. 2186 authorizes the appropriation of funds to 
complete this construction.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2186 was introduced on July 17, 1997, by Congresswoman 
Barbara Cubin (R-WY). H.R. 2186 was referred to the Committee 
on Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks and Public Lands. On October 9, 1997, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 2186. The Administration, 
represented by Matt Millenbach, Deputy Director of the BLM, 
endorsed the concept of the Trails Center; however, he stated 
that funds were currently unavailable for its construction. On 
October 30, 1997, the Subcommittee met to mark up H.R. 2186. No 
amendments to H.R. 2186 were offered and the bill was then 
ordered favorably reported to the Full Committee by voice vote. 
On March 11, 1998, the Full Resources Committee met to consider 
H.R. 2186. No amendments were offered. The bill was then 
ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by 
voice vote.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 2(l)(3) of rule 
XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and clause 
2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, 
the Committee on Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8 and article IV, section 3 of the 
Constitution of the United States grant Congress the authority 
to enact H.R. 2186.

                        COST OF THE LEGISLATION

    Clause 7(a) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the 
Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out 
H.R. 2186. However, clause 7(d) of that Rule provides that this 
requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in 
its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
under section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XI

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(B) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, H.R. 
2186 does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in tax 
expenditures. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 
enactment of H.R. 2186 will increase offsetting receipts from 
concessions and visitor fees beginning in 2002, but the 
increase will be less than $500,000 per year.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(D) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee has received no report of oversight findings and 
recommendations from the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight on the subject of H.R. 2186.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(C) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R. 
2186 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, March 19, 1998.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2186, a bill to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance 
to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, 
Wyoming.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Victoria V. 
Heid.
            Sincerely,
                                         June E. O'Neill, Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 2186--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide 
        assistance to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center 
        in Casper, Wyoming

    Summary: H.R. 2186 would direct the Secretary of the 
Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), to construct, operate, and maintain a 
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, 
Wyoming. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost 
BLM about $2 million in fiscal year 2000 and about $6 million 
over the 2000-2003 period, assuming appropriation of the 
necessary amounts. Because enacting the bill would increase 
offsetting receipts beginning in fiscal year 2002, pay-as-you-
go procedures would apply, but we estimate the increase would 
total less than $500,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 
2002.
    H.R. 2186 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of H.R. 2186 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment).

                                    [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]                                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        1998      1999      2000      2001      2002      2003  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION                                  
                                                                                                                
Estimated authorization level.......................         0         0         5         0     (\1\)     (\1\)
Estimated outlays...................................         0         0         2         3     (\1\)     (\1\)
                                                                                                                
Estimated budget authority..........................         0         0         0         0     (\1\)     (\1\)
Estimated outlays...................................         0         0         0         0     (\1\)    (\1\) 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Less than $500,000.                                                                                         

Basis of estimate

    Under H.R. 2186, BLM would construct, operate, and maintain 
a National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, 
Wyoming. BLM would build the center on land provided by the 
city of Casper, Wyoming. The agency would construct and operate 
the center in cooperation with the city and the National 
Historic Trails Interpretive Center Foundation, and in 
accordance with certain agreements made between the city, the 
foundation, and BLM.
            Spending subject to appropriation
    H.R. 2186 would authorize the appropriation of $5 million 
to construct, operate, and maintain the National Historic 
Trails Interpretive Center. The bill also would authorize the 
Secretary to collect an entrance fee from visitors, to allow 
private concessionaires to operate at the center, and to use 
income from visitor fees, concession collections, and donations 
to develop and operate the center, subject to appropriation.
    Based on information from BLM and the foundation, CBO 
estimates that total discretionary outlays to construct and 
operate the center would be about $2 million in fiscal year 
2000 and would total about $6 million over the 1999-2003 
period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amount for 
construction and the estimated amounts for annual operations 
beginning in 2002. We estimate BLM's outlays to construct the 
center would be about $2 million in fiscal year 2000 and about 
$3 million in fiscal year 2001. Once construction is complete, 
BLM's outlays to operate the center would total about $300,000 
per year. Forpurposes of this estimate, we assume that H.R. 
2186 would be enacted by the beginning of fiscal year 1999 and that the 
Congress would appropriate funds to construct the center in fiscal year 
2000.
            Direct spending (including offsetting receipts)
    Based on information from BLM and the foundation, CBO 
estimates that offsetting receipts from visitor fees and 
concessions would total about $200,000 per year once 
construction is complete and the center opens in fiscal year 
2002. The spending of such receipts would be subject to 
appropriation.
    Pay-as-you-go considerations: Section 252 of the Balanced 
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 sets up pay-
as-you-go procedures for legislation affecting direct spending 
or receipts. H.R. 2186 would decrease direct spending because 
it would result in offsetting receipts from entrance fees and 
concessions at the National Historic Trails Interpretive 
Center. Hence, pay-as-you-go procedures apply to the bill, but 
we estimate that the increase in offsetting receipts would not 
be significant.
    Estimated impact on State, local, and tribal governments: 
H.R. 2186 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in 
UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments. The state of Wyoming and local governments within 
the state have already agreed to provide considerable support 
for the center, but this support is, and would continue to be, 
voluntary. These governments have committed over $3 million 
towards the project, including land to be donated by the city 
of Casper.
    Estimated Impact on the private sector: This bill would 
impose no new private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Victoria V. Heid; 
Impact on State, local, and tribal governments: Marjorie 
Miller.
    Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    H.R. 2186 contains no unfunded mandates.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, H.R. 2186 would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                
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