[House Report 105-753]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 2d Session                                                     105-753
_______________________________________________________________________


 
   TO AUTHORIZE THE PYRAMID OF REMEMBRANCE FOUNDATION TO ESTABLISH A 
 MEMORIAL IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OR ITS ENVIRONS TO SOLDIERS WHO 
        HAVE DIED IN FOREIGN CONFLICTS OTHER THAN DECLARED WARS

                                _______
                                

 September 28, 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. 1608]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 1608) to authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation 
to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia or its 
environs to soldiers who have died in foreign conflicts other 
than declared wars, 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. 1608 is to authorize the Pyramid of 
Remembrance Foundation to establish a memorial in the District 
of Columbia or its environs to soldiers who have died in 
foreign conflicts other than declared wars.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 1608 would authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance 
Foundation to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia 
or its environs to honor members of the Armed Forces of the 
United States who have been killed while engaged in military 
operations, other than declared wars, which involved conflict 
with an opposing force. In establishing the memorial the 
Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation shall abide by all the 
provisions of the Commemorative Works Act of 1986. No federal 
funds would be used to pay any expense of the establishment of 
the memorial.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 1608 was introduced on May 14, 1997, by Congressman 
Steve LaTourette (R-OH). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Resources and within the Committee, to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks and Public Lands. On September 16, 1998, the 
Full Resources Committee met to consider H.R. 1608. The 
Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands was discharged 
from further consideration of the bill by unanimous consent. No 
amendments were offered and H.R. 1608 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)(l) 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. 1608.

                        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. 1608. 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. 
1608 does not contain any new budget authority, credit 
authority, or an increase or decrease in tax expenditures. 
According to the Congressional Budget Office, enactment of H.R. 
1608 would affect direct spending because a portion of the 
funds received by the Foundation would be deposited in the U.S. 
Treasury and spent by the National Park Service for maintenance 
of the memorial. However, this direct spending is expected to 
be less than $500,000 annually.
    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. 1608.
    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. 
1608 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 23, 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. 1608, a bill to 
authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation to establish a 
memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to 
soldiers who have died in foreign conflicts other than declared 
wars.
    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. 1608--A bill to authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation to 
        establish a memorial in the District of Columbia or its 
        environs to soldiers who have died in foreign conflicts other 
        than declared wars

    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1608 would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget. Because the bill 
could affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures would 
apply. CBO estimates, however, that any such effect would be 
less than $500,000 annually. The bill 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. 1608 would authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance 
Foundation to establish a memorial in accordance with the 
Commemorative Works Act, and without the use of federal funds. 
Under that act, any association that receives a permit to 
construct a memorial in the District of Columbia or its 
environs must deposit an amount equal to 10 percent of the 
memorial's estimated construction cost in the U.S. Treasury. 
The funds deposited are then available without further 
appropriation for maintenance and preservation of the memorial.
    Based on information provided by the Foundation and the 
National Park Service, CBO estimates that the federal 
government would receive a deposit of less than $500,000. The 
NPS would spend a portion of this amount each year to maintain 
the memorial. Based on the experience with similar 
commemorative projects, CBO expects that no amounts would be 
received or spent by the federal governments for several years 
after the bill is enacted. In any case, the collections and 
spending would offset each other over time.
    The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. This estimate was 
approved by Paul N. Van de Water, Assistant Director for Budget 
Analysis.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    H.R. 1608 contains no unfunded mandates.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, H.R. 1608 would make no changes in existing 
law.