[Senate Report 106-268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 498
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     106-268

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                WOMEN'S RIGHTS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

                                _______
                                

                 April 12, 2000.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1910]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 1910) to amend the act establishing 
Women's Rights National Historical Park to permit the Secretary 
of the Interior to acquire title in fee simple to the Hunt 
House located in Waterloo, New York, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and 
recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
    The amendments are as follows:
    On page 1, line 5, strike ``97-607'' and insert in lieu 
thereof ``96-607''.
    On page 2, line 5, strike ``97-607'' and insert in lieu 
thereof ``96-607''.

                         Purpose of the Measure

    The purpose of S. 1910 is to amend the enabling legislation 
for the Woman's Rights National Historical Park to authorize 
the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the Hunt House in 
Waterloo, New York for inclusion in the park's boundary.

                          Background and Need

    Women's Rights National Historical Park was established in 
1980 by Public Law 96-607. The park was established to preserve 
and interpret for the education, inspiration, and benefit of 
present and future generations the nationally significant 
historical and cultural sites and structures associated with 
the struggle for equal rights for women and to cooperate with 
State and local entities to preserve the character and historic 
setting of such sites and structures.
    The enabling legislation provided that the park would 
consist initially of a number of designated sites in Seneca 
Falls and Waterloo, New York, including the Hunt House. The 
Act, however, limited the Secretary of the Interior to 
acquiring less than fee title to the Hunt House.
    During the summer of 1999, the Hunt House was placed on the 
market, and was subsequently acquired by the National Trust for 
Historic Preservation. S. 1910 would remove the restriction 
against fee simple acquisition by the Secretary and allow the 
house to be acquired for inclusion within the boundaries of the 
historical park.

                          Legislative History

    S. 1910 was introduced by Senators Moynihan and Schumer on 
November 10, 1999. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic 
Preservation and Recreation held a hearing on S. 1910 on March 
8, 2000.
    At its business meeting on April 5, 2000, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 1910 favorably 
reported, with an amendment.

                        Committee Recommendation

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on April 5, 2000, by a unanimous voice 
vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 
1910, if amended as described herein.

                          Committee Amendment

    During its consideration of S. 1910, the Committee adopted 
a technical amendment to correct the references to the park's 
enabling legislation in the bill from Public Law 97-607 to 
Public Law 96-607.

                         Summary of the Measure

    S. 1910 amends Public Law 96-607 by removing the 
restrictions placed on fee simple acquisition of the Hunt House 
and other properties. It also makes a technical correction to 
correct the name of ``Williams Street'' to ``Main Street'' in 
paragraph (c) of the act which established the historical park. 
The section also repeals language that requires the Secretary 
of the Interior to remove all structures not relevant to the 
historic integrity of the McClintock House within two years of 
acquisition of the property.

                   Cost and Budgetary Considerations

    The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the costs of 
this measure has been requested but was not received at the 
time the report was filed. When the report is available, the 
Chairman will request it to be printed in the Congressional 
Record for the advice of the Senate.

                      Regulatory Impact Evaluation

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out S. 1910. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government established standards or 
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals 
and businesses.
    No personal information would be collected in administering 
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal 
privacy.
    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the 
enactment of S. 1910.

                        Executive Communications

    The legislative report received by the Committee from the 
Department of the Interior setting forth Executive agency 
recommendation relating to S. 1910, is set forth below:

                   U.S. Department of the Interior,
                                   Office of the Secretary,
                                    Washington, DC, March 20, 2000.
Hon. Frank Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter presents the Department's 
views on S. 1910, a bill that amends the enabling legislation 
for the Women's Rights National Historical Park in New York by 
authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to acquire title in 
fee simple to the Hunt House in Waterloo, New York.
    The Department supports enactment of this legislation.
    S. 1910 authorizes the Secretary to acquire, without 
restriction, the Hunt House at Women's Rights National 
Historical, the last remaining site in private ownership that 
the Congress has identified as significant to the story of the 
park. The Women's Rights National Historical Park, established 
in 1980 through Public Law 96-607, was created to preserve and 
interpret the important sites associated with the First Women's 
Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. That 
legislation originally identified nine sites that would make up 
the features of the park. The Secretary was authorized to 
acquire a fee simple title to six of those nine sites. With 
regard to the remaining three sites, the Secretary was 
authorized only to acquire a less-than-fee interest in the 
sites. The home of Jane Hunt, located in Waterloo, New York, 
was one of the sites.
    On July 9, 1848, Jane Hunt hosted a tea during which 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and her sister Martha 
Wright, and Mary Ann M'Clintock decided to hold the nation's 
first women's rights convention. Stanton and M'Clintock met at 
M'Clintock's house on July 14, 1848, to draft the Declaration 
of Sentiments presented at the convention on July 19 and 20, 
1848. Richard and Jane Hunt contributed to the development of 
education in Waterloo by founding the Waterloo Academy in 1844, 
with Richard Hunt on the Board of Trustees. The Waterloo Woolen 
Mill, partly owned by Hunt, produced slave-free woolen cloth. 
The Hunts were active reformers and abolitionists and their 
home was a likely stop in the Underground Railroad.
    When Women's Rights National Historical Park was 
established, the Hunt House was in private ownership. One 
family had owned the property since the 1940s. The owners were 
not interested in selling a less-than-fee interest in their 
property to the government, nor were they interested in 
negotiating with the National Park Service to open their home 
to the public for occasional tours or other special events. In 
the summer of 1999, the property was put up for sale. The Trust 
for Public Land and the National Trust for Historic 
Preservation worked together and purchased the Hunt House to 
ensure that the property would be available for public use and 
enjoyment. Their intent in acquiring the property was to hold 
it until such time as the NPS had the authority to acquire a 
fee simple title to the property and to open it to the public 
as part of Women's Rights National Historical Park.
    As stated previously, Public Law 96-607 identified nine 
sites to initially make up Women's Rights National Historical 
Park. Subsequent amendments to Public Law 96-607 authorized fee 
simple acquisition of the M'Clintock House (P.L. 98-402) and 
deleted the Bloomer House from the park's boundary (P.L. 104-
333, Division I, Section 505). The Hunt House is the only 
property within the boundary of Women's Rights National 
Historical Park which the Secretary does have the authority to 
acquire in fee. Section (a) of S. 1910 removes this restriction 
by deleting the language that limits the Secretary's authority 
to acquire the Hunt House. Section (b) of S. 1910 makes a 
technical correction to P.L. 96-607 by reinserting the correct 
address for the Hunt House that was incorrectly changed in the 
amendment contained in Public Law 104-333.
    The Department supports a technical amendment to correct 
the public law cited in S. 1910. Sections (a) and (b) in S. 
1910 amends Public Law 97-607. The correct citation should be 
Public Law 96-607.
    The Office of Management and Budget advises that there is 
no objection to the presentation of this report from the 
standpoint of the Administration's program.
            Sincerely,
                                      Donald Barry,
                               Assistant Secretary for Fish
                                            and Wildlife and Parks.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill S. 1910, as ordered reported, are shown as follows 
(existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black 
brackets, new matter is printed, in italic, existing law in 
which no change is proposed is shown in roman):

                    PUBLIC LAW 96-607--DEC. 28, 1980


 AN ACT To provide, with respect to the national park system: for the 
    establishment of new units; for adjustments in boundaries; for 
   increases in appropriation authorizations for land acquisition an 
                  development; and for other purposes

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

                               TITLE I

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



                               TITLE XVI


                women's rights national historical park

    Sec. 1601. (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (c) To carry out the purposes of this section there is 
hereby established the Women's Rights National Historical Park 
(hereinafter in this section referred to as the ``park''). The 
park shall consist of the following designated sites in Seneca 
Falls and Waterloo, New York:
          (1) Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca 
        Falls;
          (2) dwelling, 30 Washington Street, Seneca Falls;
          (3) dwelling, 34 Washington Street, Seneca Falls;
          (4) lot, 26-28 Washington Street, Seneca Falls;
          (5) former Wesleyan Chapel, 126 Fall Street, Seneca 
        Falls;
          (6) theater, 128 Fall Street, Seneca Falls;
          (7) McClintock House, 16 East Williams Street, 
        Waterloo;
          (8) Hunt House, 401 East [Williams] Main Street, 
        Waterloo;
          (9) not to exceed 1 acre, plus improvements, as 
        determined by the Secretary, in Seneca Falls for 
        development of a maintenance facility;
          (10) dwelling, 1 Seneca Street, Seneca Falls;
          (11) dwelling, 10 Seneca Street, Seneca Falls;
          (12) parcels adjacent to Wesleyan Chapel Block, 
        including Clinton Street, Fall Street, and Mynderse 
        Street, Seneca Falls; and
          (13) dwelling, 12 East Williams Street, Waterloo.
    (d) The Secretary is authorized to acquire by donation, 
purchase with donated or appropriated funds, transfer from any 
other Federal agency, or exchange lands and interests therein 
within sites designated as part of the park. [except that the 
Secretary may not acquire the fee simple title to the land 
comprising the sites designated in paragraphs (7) and (9) of 
subsection (c) of this section.] Lands and interests therein 
owned by a State or political subdivision thereof may be 
acquired only by donation. [Within two years of the acquisition 
of the property listed in subsection (c)(8) of this section the 
Secretary shall have removed all structures from the property 
that are not relevant to the historic integrity of the 
McClintock House.]

                                  
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