[Senate Report 106-322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 640
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     106-322

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    CARTER G. WOODSON HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE STUDY ACT OF 2000

                                _______
                                

                 June 27, 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 H.R. 3201]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 3201) to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Carter G. Woodson Home in the District of 
Columbia as a National Historic Site, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the Act do pass.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of H.R. 3201 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior, after consultation with the mayor of the District of 
Columbia, to prepare a resource study of the home of Dr. Carter 
G. Woodson to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating it as a unit of the National Park System.

                          background and need

    Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a distinguished historian and the 
son of former slaves, was the founder and director of the 
Association for the Study of African-American Life and History. 
Dr. Woodson's research into African-American history helped to 
educate the American public about the contributions of African-
Americans to the nation's history and culture. Among the 
enduring accomplishments of the Association founded by Dr. 
Woodson was the establishment of Negro History Week in 1926, 
which later became Black History Month.
    In 1915, Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study 
of Negro Life and History, since renamed the Association for 
the Study of African-American Life and History. Dr. Woodson 
directed the Association's operations out of his home at 1538 
Ninth Street, NW, in Washington, D.C. Today, the home stands 
boarded up in the historic Shaw district of the city.
    H.R. 3201 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
study the Carter G. Woodson Home to determine its suitability 
and feasibility for inclusion as a unit of the National Park 
System.

                          legislative history

    H.R. 3201 was passed by the House of Representatives on 
February 15, 2000. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic 
Preservation, and Recreation held a hearing on H.R. 3201 on 
April 27, 2000. At its business meeting on June 7, 2000, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 3201 
favorably reported.

            committee recommendation and tabulation of votes

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on June 7, 2000, by a unanimous vote of a 
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 3201 as 
described herein.

                      section-by-section analysis

    Section 1 designates the Act's short title.
    Section 2 contains congressional findings about Dr. Carter 
G. Woodson, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and 
History, since renamed the Association for the Study of 
African-American Life and History, and his home located at 1538 
Ninth Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C.
    Section 3 defines the term ``Secretary'' to mean the 
Secretary of the Interior.
    Section 4 directs the Secretary to conduct a study to 
identify the suitability and feasibility of designating the 
Carter G. Woodson Home as a unit of the National Park System. 
After consultation with the mayor of the District of Columbia, 
the study is to be submitted to the Committee on Resources of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources ofthe United States Senate, no later than 18 
months after funds are made available for the study.
    Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are 
necessary to carry out the Act.

                   cost and budgetary considerations

    The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, June 13, 2000.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3201, the Carter 
G. Woodson Home National Site Study Act of 2000.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact for this 
estimate is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 3201--Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site Study Act of 2000

    H.R. 3201 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Carter G. Woodson home in the District of 
Columbia as a national historic site. The legislation would 
require the Secretary to report on the national, historical, 
and cultural resources within the study area that merit 
recognition and designation as a national historic site.
    Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO 
estimates that the federal government would spend up to $75,000 
over the next 18 months to implement H.R. 3201. The act would 
not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-
go procedures would not apply. H.R. 3201 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no significant 
costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Deborah Reis 
and Ali Aslam. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                      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 H.R. 3201. 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 H.R. 3201, as ordered reported.

                        executive communications

    On April 27, 2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of 
the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting 
forth Executive agency recommendations on H.R. 3201. These 
reports had not been received at the time the report on H.R. 
3201 was filed. When the reports become available, the Chairman 
will request that they be printed in the Congressional Record 
for the advice of the Senate. The testimony provided by the 
National Park Service at the Subcommittee hearing follows:

 Statement of John G. Parsons, Associate Regional Director for Lands, 
Resources, and Planning, National Park Service, National Capital Region

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear 
before you today to present the Department of the Interior's 
views on H.R. 3201, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Carter G. Woodson home in the District of 
Columbia as a National Historic Site, and as a unit of the 
National Park System.
    The Department supports H.R. 3201 with amendments discussed 
in our testimony.
    H.R. 3201 authorizes the Secretary to conduct a special 
resource study of the Carter G. Woodson home and the 
Association for the Study of African-American Life and History. 
This study will examine the national significance and the 
suitability and feasibility of designating the Carter G. 
Woodson home as a unit of the National Park System as well as 
the alternatives for management and protection of the home. 
After 18 months, the study is to be submitted to the House of 
Representatives Committee on Resources and the Senate Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources.
    Dr. Carter G. Woodson is the father of Negro history. He 
was a preeminent historian of African-American life and 
history. Dr. Woodson's life was devoted to educating African-
Americans and the American public about the contributions black 
Americans made in the formation of our nation's history and 
culture. His efforts led to the establishment of the 
Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 
because of what he saw as the great need to educate the 
American public concerning those contributions. It is because 
of Dr. Woodson's efforts that Black History Month is celebrated 
across the country today.
    The association's headquarters and center of operations 
were located in his home at 1538 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, 
DC. Dr. Woodson directed the association's operations, trained 
researchers and staff, managed the association's budget and 
fund-raising efforts, and pursued his own study of African 
American history.
    Through the association, Dr. Woodson dedicated his life to 
educating the American public about the contributions of black 
Americans to our nation's history and culture. His work in 
bringing history to bear where prejudice and racism had held 
sway has played an indispensable role in reducing prejudice and 
making the need for civil rights remedies clear. Among its 
enduring accomplishments, the association instituted Negro 
History Week in 1926 to be observed during the same week in 
February as the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick 
Douglas. To assure publication of research on African American 
history under Dr. Woodson's leadership, the association founded 
the Associated Publishers in 1920. The Association for the 
Study of Negro Life and History, renamed the Association for 
the Study of African-American Life and History, continues to 
serve and educate people of the importance of African-American 
history. Dr. Woodson's home, a Victorian-style house built in 
1890, has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Today 
the Carter G. Woodson home stands boarded up in the historic 
Shaw District of Washington, DC.
    We recommend three amendments to this legislation. These 
amendments would insure the study is completed in conformance 
with the requirements of the National Park Omnibus Management 
Act passed by Congress in 1998. The text of the amendments is 
attached to this testimony.
    Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared testimony. I would 
be happy to answer any questions you or your committee may 
have.

                        changes in existing law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the bill H.R. 3201, as 
ordered reported.

Proposed amendments to H.R. 3201

    (1) On page 3, line 19, after ``Senate a'' add ``special''.
    (2) On page 4, line 1, strike ``identify suitability and 
feasibility'' and insert ``include a determination of the 
national significance, feasibility, and suitability''.
    (3) On page 4, after line 8, insert the following new 
subsection:

         ``(c) Criteria.--In conducting the study authorized by 
        this Act, the Secretary shall use the criteria for the 
        study of areas for potential inclusion in the National 
        Park System contained in Section 8 of P.L. 91-383, as 
        amended by Section 303 of the National Parks Omnibus 
        Management Act (P.L. 105-391, 112 Stat. 3501).''

                                  
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