[Senate Report 105-322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 563
105th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 105-322
_______________________________________________________________________
TO ESTABLISH THE FOUR CORNERS INTERPRETIVE CENTER ACT, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
_______
September 9, 1998.--Ordered to be printed
_______________________________________________________________________
Mr. Campbell, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1998]
The Committee on Indian Affairs, to which was referred the
bill (S. 1998) to establish the Four Corners Interpretive
Center Act, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the bill do pass.
purposes
The purpose of S. 1998 is to establish the Four Corners
Interpretive Center within the boundaries of the existing Four
Corners Monument Tribal Park to interpret and commemorate the
Four Corners Monument, to highlight the natural splendor and
beauty of the American southwest for tourism and related
purposes. The Four Corners area is the only location in the
United States linking four states: Arizona, Colorado, New
Mexico and Utah.
background
The Four Corners Monument was erected in 1899 to honor the
only geographic location in the nation where the boundaries of
four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) meet. The
Four Corners Monument Tribal Park itself is located on lands
that fall within the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute
reservations. In 1996, these tribes entered a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) governing future development of the park.
Once the house of the Anasazi people, the Four Corners Area
is unique in terms of it's geography, history, culture, and
archaeology, and is visited each year by more than 250,000
domestic and international travelers. Though endowed with
natural assets, permanent facilities such as restrooms,
roadways, parking, water, electrical services, telephone, and
sewage at the park are sorely lacking and are thought to hinder
the full development of the park and surrounding economies.
summary of the provisions of s. 1998
This legislation would establish the Four Corners
Interpretive Center within the boundaries of the tribal park on
lands to be provided by the Navajo Nation or the Ute Mountain
Ute Tribe. The Interpretive Center is to serve as an
educational hub providing cultural, historical, and
archaeological information, and is to be complemented by an
array of amenities to attract domestic and international
visitors to the area.
The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to award
federal construction grant funds in an amount not to exceed two
million dollars ($2,000,000) to any of the four states involved
or a consortium of two or more of such states for up to fifty
percent (50%) of the total cost of construction of the center.
To be eligible for such grant funds, the states must supply
matching funds for planning, design, construction, furnishing,
startup and operational expenses in equal contributions of five
hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) per state. Such matching
funds may be made in cash or in kind, and may be provided by
the states, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, or
private sources.
Grant applications must include provisions regarding
applicable laws, building codes and regulations. Grant
applicants must enter into memoranda of understanding with the
Secretary of Interior regarding the planning and construction
of the center, and specifications for the operation of the
center. Such applicants must also include a financing plan
developed jointly by the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute
Tribe regarding leveraged funding sources; fee assessments by
the center to cover operating expenses; a strategic objective
of center self-sufficiency no later than 5 years after
enactment; and defined vendor standards and business activities
at the tribal park.
legislative history
The Four Corners Center Interpretive Act (S. 1998) was
introduced on April 28, 1998, by Senator Orrin Hatch, for
himself, and for Senators Robert Bennett and Jeff Bingaman. The
bill was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. On June
24, 1998, the Committee on Indian Affairs convened a business
meeting to consider S. 1998 and other measures that had been
referred to it. The Committee reported the bill favorably
without amendment
committee recommendation and tabulation of vote
On June 24, 1998, the Committee on Indian Affairs, in an
open business session, considered S. 1998 and ordered it
favorably reported without amendment, with a recommendation
that the bill do pass.
cost and budgetary consideration
The cost estimate for S. 1998 as calculated by the
Congressional Budget Office, is set forth below:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, July 21, 1998.
Hon. Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
Chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared that enclosed cost estimate for S. 1998, the Four
Corners Interpretive Center Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Kristen
Layman.
Sincerely,
June E. O'Neill, Director.
Enclosure.
S. 1998--Four Corners Interpretive Center Act
S. 1998 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
establish the Four Corners Interpretive Center to commemorate
the Four Corners Monument, located where the boundaries of
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. The interpretive
center would be built on land made available by the Navajo
Nation or the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe within Four Corners
Monument Tribal Park S. 1998 would authorize the Secretary to
award a federal grant to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah,
or any consortium of these states for up to 50 percent of the
cost of constructing the center. S. 1998 would authorize the
appropriation of $2.25 million over fiscal years 1999 through
2004 to carry out the bill. In addition, the bill would
authorize the Secretary to accept donations from private or
public entities for planning, building, and operating the
interpretive center.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 1998 would increase
discretionary outlays by about $2 million over the 1999-2000
period, and by about $50,000 a year for fiscal years 2001
through 2004, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.
Because enacting the bill could affect direct spending and
governmental receipts; pay-as-you-go procedures would apply,
but CBO estimates that any such effects would be insignificant.
The legislation 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.
The CBO staff contact is Kristen Layman. This estimate was
approved by Paul N. Van de Water, Assistant Director for Budget
Analysis.
regulatory impact statement
Paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the
Senate requires that each report accompanying a bill to
evaluate the regulatory paperwork impact that would be incurred
in implementing the legislation. The Committee has concluded
that enactment of S. 1998 will create only de minimis
regulatory or paperwork burdens.
Executive Communications
The Committee has received no official communications from
the Administration on the provisions of the bill.
changes in existing law
In compliance with subsection 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of Senate, changes in existing law made by the
bill are required to be set out in the accompanying Committee
report. The Committee states that enactment of S. 1998 will not
result in any changes in existing law.