[Senate Report 106-144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 265
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                    106-144

======================================================================



 
   AUTHORIZING AN INTERPRETIVE CENTER AND RELATED VISITOR FACILITIES 
  WITHIN THE FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT TRIBAL PARK, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

                August 27, 1999.--Ordered to be printed

   Filed under authority of the order of the Senate of August 5, 1999

                                _______


   Mr. Campbell, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                          [To accompany S. 28]

    The Committee on Indian Affairs, to which was referred the 
bill (S. 28) to authorize an interpretive center and related 
visitor facilities within the Four Corners Monument Tribal 
Park, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute, and recommends that the bill as amended do pass.

                                purposes

    The purpose of S. 28 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, and 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 the Ute Mountain 
reservations. In 1996, these Indian tribes entered into a 
memorandum of understanding governing future development of the 
park.
    Once the home of the Anasazi people, the Four Corners Area 
is unique in terms of its geography, history, culture, and 
archaeology, and is visited each year by more than 250,000 
domestic and international travelers. Although the area is 
endowed with natural assets, a lack of permanent facilities 
such as restrooms, roadways, parking, water, electrical 
services, telephone, and sewerage at the park is thought to 
hinder the full development of the park and surrounding 
economies.

                   summary of the provisions of s. 28

    This legislation would establish the Four Corners 
Interpretive Center within the boundaries of the tribal park on 
land 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 with an array of 
amenities to attract domestic and international visitors to the 
area.
    The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award 
federal grant funds to a state or a consortium of two or more 
states (of the four states involved) for purposes of 
construction. This construction grant will not exceed 
$2,000,000 and can provide for up to fifty percent (50%) of the 
total cost of construction of the center.
    To be eligible for such grant funds, the recipient state or 
states must supply matching funds for planning, design, 
construction, furnishing, start-up and operational expenses. 
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.
    The bill requires that grant applications include 
provisions regarding the application of local laws, including 
building codes and regulations. Also, grant applicants must 
enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of 
the Interior regarding the planning and construction of the 
Interpretive Center, as well as specifications for the 
operation of the Interpretive Center.
    Grant applications must also include a financing plan to be 
developed jointly by the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute 
Tribe regarding leveraged funding sources; fee assessments by 
the Center to cover operating expenses; plans to achieve the 
strategic objective of Center self-sufficiency no later than 
five years after enactment; and defined vendor standards and 
business activities at the Park.

                  section-by-section analysis of s. 28

    Sec. 1. Short Title. The title of this bill is the Four 
Corners Interpretive Center Act.
    Sec. 2. Findings and Purpose. The Four Corners Monument is 
the only geographic location where four state boundaries meet; 
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It is estimated that 
250,000 people visit the Four Corners Tribal Park each year. 
The Four Corners Monument is located on land within the Navajo 
Nation or Ute Mountain Ute Tribe reservations. In 1996, the 
Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe entered into a 
memorandum of understanding governing the planning and future 
development of the Four Corners Monument Tribal Park.
    There are four purposes of this bill: (1) to recognize the 
distinct heritage of the area, (2) to help build much-needed 
facilities for the general public, (3) to highlight the 
collaborative resource stewardship of the parties involved, and 
(4) to promote the cultural diversity of the region.
    Sec. 3. Definitions. The definitions contained in this 
section include: Center, Eligible Entity, Four Corners Heritage 
Council, Four Corners Monument, Four Corners Monument Tribal 
Park, and Secretary.
    Sec. 4. Four Corners Interpretive Center. The Secretary is 
authorized to establish a Four Corners Interpretive Center on 
lands made available by the Navajo Nation or the Ute Mountain 
Ute Tribe. The Interpretive Center will include exhibits, 
educational and informational venues, and visitor amenities.
    Sec. 5. Construction Grants. The Secretary is authorized to 
award a grant for up to fifty percent (50%) of the construction 
of the Interpretive Center and this grant will not exceed 
$2,000,000. An eligible grant recipient is either one of the 
four states involved or a consortium of two or more of these 
states. The grant recipient will meet the remaining 
construction costs through state, private, or tribal sources. 
In addition, the recipient's contribution will not be less than 
$2,000,000 and can be met in cash or in kind.
    In order for a state or consortium of states to receive 
this grant, the proposal must meet all applicable requirements 
and also the recipient must enter into a memorandum of 
understanding with the Secretary regarding certain provisions. 
The provisions in the memorandum will include a timetable for 
completion of construction; assurances that construction 
contracts are competitively awarded; specifications meeting all 
applicable laws; arrangements for the operation and maintenance 
of the Interpretive Center; a description of the Interpretive 
Center's collections and educational programming; a plan for 
the designs of exhibits that is in accordance with professional 
museum standards; an agreement with the Navajo Nation and the 
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe relative to the site selection and 
public access to the facility; and a financing plan outlining 
the long-term management of the Interpretive Center.
    Sec. 6. Selection of Grant Recipient. The Four Corners 
Heritage Council may make recommendations to the Secretary on 
grant proposals regarding the design of the Four Corners 
Interpretive Center and its facilities.
    Sec. 7. Authorization of Appropriations. The Department of 
the Interior is authorized to appropriate $2,000,000 in fiscal 
year 2000 and $50,000 for each of the following fiscal years 
2001-2005. The funds awarded in fiscal year 2000 can be carried 
over until fiscal year 2002. The Secretary may reserve funds 
until September 30, 2001 while waiting for a grant proposal 
that meets the requirements of this Act.
    Sec. 8. Donations. The Secretary may accept, retain, and 
expend donated funds and use donated property or services from 
private or public entities.
    Sec. 9. Statutory Construction. Nothing in this Act is 
intended to abrogate or modify any right/claim of the Navajo 
Nation or the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (including any treaty, 
Executive order, agreement, or Act of Congress).

                          legislative history

    S. 28, the Four Corners Interpretive Center Act, was 
introduced on January 19, 1999, by Senator Hatch, for himself, 
and for Senators Bingaman and Bennett with Campbell, Domenici, 
and Allard joining as co-sponsors on January 28, 1999. The bill 
was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. On June 16, 
1999, the Committee on Indian Affairs convened a business 
meeting to consider S. 28 and other measures that had been 
referred to it. The committee favorably reported a substitute 
amendment to S. 28 to the full Senate.

            committee recommendation and tabulation of vote

    On June 16, 1999, the Committee on Indian Affairs, in an 
open business session, adopted an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute to S. 28 by voice vote and ordered the bill, as 
amended, reported favorably to the Senate.

                    cost and budgetary consideration

    The cost estimate for S. 28 as calculated by the 
Congressional Budget Office, is set forth below:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, June 23, 1999.
Hon. Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
Chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 28, 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 Megan 
Carroll.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

S. 28--Four Corners Interpretive Center Act

    S. 28 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. 28 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. 28 would authorize the 
appropriation of $2.25 million over fiscal years 2000 through 
2005 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. 28 would increase 
discretionary outlays by about $2 million over the 2000-2001 
period and by about $50,000 a year for fiscal years 2001 
through 2005, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts. 
Because enacting the bill could affect direct spending and 
government receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply, but 
CBO estimates that any such effects would be insignificant. S. 
28 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. State and tribal 
governments might incur some costs as a result of the bill's 
enactment, but these costs would be voluntary.
    The CBO staff contact is Megan Carroll. 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. 28 will create only de minimis regulatory 
or paperwork burdens.

                        executive communications

    The Committee has received no official communication 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 the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill are required to be set out in the accompanying 
Committee report. The Committee finds that enactment of S. 28 
will not result in any changes in existing law.

                                
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