[House Report 105-666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
105th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 105-666
_______________________________________________________________________
MEMORIAL TO HONOR MAHATMA GANDHI
_______
July 31, 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. 4284]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 4284) to authorize the Government of India to establish a
memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi in the District of Columbia,
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. 4284 is to authorize the Government of
India to establish a memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi in the
District of Columbia.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
H.R. 4284 authorizes the Government of India to establish a
memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi on federal property in the
District of Columbia. The establishment of the memorial shall
be in basic accordance with the Commemorative Works Act (40
U.S.C. 1001 et seq.). H.R. 4284 also authorizes the federal
government to enter into cooperative agreements with the
Government of India to maintain features associated with the
memorial. The federal government shall not pay any expense for
the establishment or maintenance of the memorial.
Mahatma Gandhi was born in India in 1869. He was best known
for his civil disobedience that took shape in non-violence and
passive resistance. Gandhi was instrumental in helping India
achieve its independence from England and is revered by
millions throughout the world for his insatiable fight for
personal freedom and human rights.
The memorial is to be a gift to the people of the United
States, as a part of the celebration of India's 50 years of
freedom. Although certain minority groups from within India are
opposed to the creation of any memorials of Gandhi, the
Government of India is in full support of this legislation.
This bill would give the necessary authorization for the Indian
Government to build the memorial.
H.R. 4284 is in basic compliance with the Commemorative
Works Act, with two exceptions: (1) the memorial is not
required to be a significant element of American history; and
(2) the memorial is not required to be of lasting historical
significance to the American people.
Lastly, the bill specifically states that the federal
government shall bear none of the expenses associated with the
establishment or maintenance of the Gandhi memorial. However,
the bill does authorize the Secretary of the Interior or the
head of another federal agency to enter into cooperative
agreements with the Government of India to maintain the
memorial.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 4284 was introduced on July 21, 1998, by Congressman
Bill McCollum (R-FL). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Resources. On July 22, 1998, the Full Resources Committee met
to consider H.R. 4284. No amendments were offered and the bill
was 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,
theCommittee 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. 4284.
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. 4284. 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.
4284 does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
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. 4284.
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.
4284 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, July 30, 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. 4284, a bill to
authorize the government of India to establish a memorial to
honor Mahatma Gandhi in the District of Columbia.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
Sincerely,
June E. O'Neill, Director.
Enclosure.
H.R. 4284--A bill to authorize the government of India to establish a
memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi in the District of Columbia
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4284 would have no impact
on the federal budget. The bill would not affect direct
spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would
not apply. H.R. 4284 contains no intergovernmental or private-
sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
H.R. 4284 would authorize the government of India to
establish a memorial honoring Mahatma Gandhi on federal land in
Washington, D.C. The bill would allow the Department of the
Interior or another federal agency to execute a cooperative
agreement with India under which that country would maintain
the memorial. No federal funds could be used for the purpose.
The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. This estimate was
approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant Director for
Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
H.R. 4284 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.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, H.R. 4284 would make no changes in existing
law.