[Senate Report 106-334]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 668
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     106-334

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             MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE

                                _______
                                

                 July 10, 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. 2879]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 2879) to provide for the placement at 
the Lincoln Memorial of a plaque commemorating the speech of 
Martin Luther King, Jr., known as the ``I Have a Dream'' 
speech, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 
with an amendment and recommends that the Act, as amended, do 
pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

``SECTION 1. PLACEMENT OF PLAQUE AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL.

    (a) Placement of Plaque.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall install 
        in the area of the Lincoln Memorial in the District of Columbia 
        a suitable plaque to commemorate the speech of Martin Luther 
        King, Jr., known as the ``I Have a Dream'' speech.
          (2) Relation to commemorative works act.--The Commemorative 
        Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) shall apply to the design 
        and placement of the plaque within the area of the Lincoln 
        Memorial.
    (b) Acceptance of Contributions.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior is authorized 
        to accept and expand contributions toward the cost of preparing 
        and installing the plaque, without further appropriation. 
        Federal funds may be used to design, procure, or install the 
        plaque.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of H.R. 2879 is to provide for the placement at 
the Lincoln Memorial of a plaque commemorating the historic 
speech of Martin Luther King, Jr., commonly known as the ``I 
Have a Dream'' speech.

                          background and need

    H.R. 2879 would provide for the placement at the Lincoln 
Memorial of a plaque commemorating the Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr., ``I Have a Dream'' speech. The bill also directs the 
Secretary of the Interior to accept contributions to help 
offset any costs associated with preparation and placement of 
the plaque.

                          legislative history

    The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2879 on November 
9, 1999. A similar bill, S. 2231, was introduced by Senator 
Coverdell on March 9, 2000. The Subcommittee on National Parks, 
Historic Preservation, and Recreation held a hearing on S. 2231 
and H.R. 2879 on April 27, 2000. At its business meeting on 
June 7, 2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
ordered H.R. 2879 favorably reported, as amended.

            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. 2879, if 
amended as described herein.

                          committee amendments

    During the consideration of H.R. 2879, the Committee 
adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute to provide 
the Secretary of the Interior discretion in the placement of 
the plaque, and to ensure that the design and placement of the 
plaque is in accordance with the provisions of the 
Commemorative Works Act.

                      section-by-section analysis

    Section 1(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior to 
install in the area of the Lincoln Memorial a plaque 
commemorating the speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., known as 
the ``I Have A Dream'' speech.
    Paragraph (2) requires the design and placement of the 
plaque to be in accordance with the Commemorative Work Act (40 
U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).
    Section 1(b) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
accept and expand contributions to help pay for the cost of 
preparing and installing the plaque.

                   cost and budgetary considerations

    The following estimate of costs of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, June 9, 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. 2879, an act to 
provide for the placement at the Lincoln Memorial of a plaque 
commemorating the speech of Martin Luther King Jr., known as 
the ``I Have a Dream'' speech.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 2879--An act to provide for the placement at the Lincoln Memorial 
        of a plaque commemorating the speech of Martin Luther King Jr., 
        known as the ``I Have a Dream'' speech

    H.R. 2879 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
install in the area of the Lincoln Memorial a plaque 
commemorating the Martin Luther King Jr. speech, ``I Have a 
Dream.'' The act would allow the Secretary to accept donations 
to defray the costs of preparing and installing the plaque. Any 
amounts received would be credited to the discretionary 
appropriation that funds operation and maintenance of the 
memorial.
    CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2879 would cost less 
than $50,000 in fiscal year 2001, assuming appropriation of the 
necessary amounts. Some of this cost may be offset by private 
donations, but we expect that any amounts collected would be 
negligible. Because donations to the government are recorded as 
revenues, enacting this legislation could affect receipts; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply.
    H.R. 2879 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.
    On November 2, 1999, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for 
H.R. 2879, as ordered reported by the House Committee on 
Resources on October 27, 1999. The two versions of the 
legislation are very similar, and the costs are identical.
    The staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 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. 2879. 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. 2879, 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. 2879. These 
reports had not been received at the time the report on H.R. 
2879 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, and Chairman, National Capital Memorial Commission

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear 
before you today to present the Department of the Interior's 
views on S. 2231 and H.R. 2879, similar bills to provide for 
the placement at the Lincoln Memorial of a plaque commemorating 
the speech of Martin Luther King, Jr., known as the ``I Have a 
Dream'' speech.
    The Administration supports commemorating Martin Luther 
King's speech at the Lincoln Memorial in an appropriate way. 
However, the Department of Interior recommends certain 
modifications to S. 2231 and H.R. 2879 to address the National 
Park Service's longstanding policy concerning plaques on 
important national memorials. This view, shared by the National 
Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, 
would be addressed by the modifications we propose to the bill, 
providing the National Park Service with ample discretionary 
authority in the design and placement of the plaque.
    The Lincoln Memorial stands as a symbol of the unification 
of the states and the healing of the nation after an enormously 
significant period in our history. The experience of this 
memorial is a carefully designed emotional sequence in which 
ascending the steps to the chamber stimulates a strong 
anticipatory feeling. While an ill-suited or ill-placed marker 
could blur the personal values that each visitor brings to and 
takes away from the memorial, a well-conceived and 
appropriately placed plaque could be compatible with and 
actually enhance a visitor's experience. It should be noted, 
however, the National Park Service has already placed an 
exhibit within the ground level visitor area of the memorial 
that displays the events that have occurred here.
    The proposed marker would honor a pivotal speech by Dr. 
King, which is viewed as the center point of the Civil Rights 
movement. Dr. King's speeches at this location in 1957, and 
again in 1963 contributed immensely to the civil rights 
movement. In addition, Dr. King's contribution to American 
history is recognized now by a national holiday, and will be 
further recognized by the pending memorial to ``The Man--The 
Movement--The Mission,'' at the site on the Tidal Basin.
    The proposal to place a plaque at the location of Dr. 
King's famous speech is not a new concept. It was in fact 
mentioned as an alternative in the discussions to commemorate 
Dr. King here in Washington, D.C., and would not have been 
appropriate as a suitable substitute to the memorial. The idea 
was rejected at the time, by the sponsors of the authorized 
memorial, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, of which Dr. King was 
a member, because of their strong belief that Dr. King's 
achievement throughout the civil rights movement was much more 
important than the marking of a singular event, however 
emotionally stirring or profound its impact on the generations 
of Americans who heard the speech.
    The Lincoln Memorial and the figure of Abraham Lincoln is a 
shrine for all those who desire to capture the hearts and 
attention of the nation. The monumental space provides the 
setting to stir emotions about personal sacrifice, such as Mr. 
Lincoln's, in the preservation of the Union, as well as the 
sacrifices of the many who fought, died or were injured in the 
personal pronouncement of their inherent beliefs. We believe a 
suitably designed and placed plaque in the area of the Memorial 
commemorating the ``I Have a Dream'' speech could be made 
consistent with these important themes of the Memorial.
    Attached are recommended modifications to the bill. We look 
forward to working with Congress on this legislation and our 
proposed modifications to this bill. That concludes my prepared 
testimony on S. 2231 and H.R. 2879, and I would be happy to 
answer any questions you may have.

A BILL To provide for the placement at the Lincoln Memorial of a plaque 
 commemorating the speech of Martin Luther King, Jr., known as the ``I 
                         Have a Dream'' speech

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

SECTION 1. PLACEMENT OF PLAQUE AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL.

    (a) Placement of Plaque.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
        install in the area of the Lincoln Memorial in the 
        District of Columbia a suitable plaque to commemorate 
        the speech of Martin Luther King, Jr., known as the ``I 
        Have a Dream'' speech.
          (2) Relation to commemorative works act.--The 
        Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) shall 
        apply to the design and placement of the plaque within 
        the area of the Lincoln Memorial.
    (b) Acceptance of Contributions.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
        accept contributions to pay the cost of preparing the 
        plaque and installing the plaque. Federal funds may be 
        used to design, procure, or install the plaque.

                        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 Act H.R. 2879, as 
ordered reported.

                                
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