[Senate Report 106-94]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 176
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     106-94

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              FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

                                _______
                                

                 June 24, 1999.--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. 946]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 946) to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over land 
within the boundaries of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt 
National Historic Site to the Archivist of the United States 
for the consideration of a visitor center, having considered 
the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and 
recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    On page 2, after line 20, add the following new paragraph:
          ``(3) Consideration.--A transfer made pursuant to 
        subsection (a) shall be made without consideration or 
        reimbursement.''.

                        purposes of the measure

    The purpose of S. 946, as ordered reported, is to authorize 
the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative 
jurisdiction of approximately 1 acre of land within the 
Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, in the State of 
New York, to the Archivist of the United States for the 
construction of a visitor center.

                          background and need

    The Act of July 18, 1939 provided for the establishment of 
both the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and the 
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.
    The library was planned and constructed under President 
Roosevelt's direction in 1939-1940 and was donated to the 
Federal government on July 4, 1940. The National Historic Site 
was designated on January 15, 1944.
    Since those early days, planning documents have called for 
the construction of a visitor center which would be operated by 
both the National Archives and Record Service (NARS), which 
manages the library, and the National Park Service, which 
manages the National Historic Site. There is an existing NARS 
appropriation ($8 million) for the construction of a visitor 
center.
    In addition to serving the two FDR sites, the visitor 
center, as envisioned, would provide information about the 
nearby Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site that was 
authorized in 1977.
    In order for NARS to construct a visitor center at the 
National Historic Site, it is necessary to transfer 
approximately one acre of NPS property to NARS.

                          ligislative history

    S. 946 was introduced by Senators Moynihan and Schumer on 
May 3, 1999. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic 
Preservation and Recreation held a hearing on S. 946 on May 25, 
1999.
    At its business meeting on June 16, 1999, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 946, favorably 
reported, as amended.

                        committee recommendation

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on June 16, 1999, by a unanimous voice vote of 
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 946, if 
amended as described herein.

                          committee amendment

    During its consideration of S. 946, the Committee adopted 
an amendment which directs that the transfer of jurisdiction 
over lands between the two agencies be made without 
consideration or reimbursement.

                      section-by-section analysis

    Section 1(a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
transfer administrative jurisdiction over land at the Home of 
Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New 
York to the Archivist of the United States.
    Subsection (b) directs the Archivist to construct a visitor 
center to serve the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National 
Historic Site and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential 
Library.
    Subsection (c) specifies the conditions of the transfer to 
be: (1) Subject to an agreement between the Secretary and the 
Archivist to include provisions for the protection of Home of 
Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site and for the joint 
use of the visitor center by the Secretary and the Archivist; 
(2) if the Archivist determines to discontinue use of the 
transferred land, it is to be transferred back to the 
Secretary; and (3) any transfer of jurisdiction over lands 
between the two agencies shall be made without consideration or 
reimbursement.
    Subsection (d) describes the land to be transferred to be 
not more than one acre, as agreed to by the Secretary and the 
Archivist in the agreement referenced in subsection (c).

                   cost and budgetary considerations

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

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                        U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, June 23, 1999.
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 S. 946, a bill to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer 
administrative jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of 
the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the 
Archivist of the United States for the construction of a 
visitor center.
    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.

               congressional budget office cost estimate

S. 946--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer 
        administrative jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of 
        the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the 
        Archivist of the United States for the construction of a 
        visitor center

    CBO estimates that implementing S. 946 would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget. The bill would not 
affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures would not apply. S. 946 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.
    S. 946 would authorize the National Park Service to 
transfer to the National Archives administrative jurisdiction 
of about one acre of land at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt 
National Historic Site. The Archives would use the transferred 
parcel to construct a visitor center that would jointly serve 
the historic site and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential 
Library.
    Because authority to construct the visitor center already 
exists, implementing S. 946 would have no significant effect on 
the federal budget. The National Archives has already received 
over $8 million in federal appropriations for this purpose.
    On May 11, 1999, CBO prepared a cost estimate for H.R. 
1104, a similar bill ordered reported by the House Committee on 
Resources on May 5, 1999. The two estimates are identical.
    The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. This estimate was 
approved by Robert A. Sunshine, 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 S. 946. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards of 
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 
enactment of S. 946, as ordered reported.

                        executive communications

    On May 25, 1999, 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 views on S. 946. These reports had not been 
received at the time the report on S. 946 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 katherine stevenson, associate director for cultural 
     resource stewardship and partnerships, national park service, 
                       department of the interior


    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the 
Department of the Interior's views on S. 946. This bill would 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer 
administrative jurisdiction over approximately one acre of land 
within the boundary of the Home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
National Historic Site to the Archivist of the United States to 
construct, maintain and operate a visitor orientation facility. 
The facility will be used for orientation of visitors to the 
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and the Hyde Park 
sites managed by the National Park Service. The Department of 
the Interior supports enactment of this legislation and 
recommends that the committee amend the bill to specify that 
the transfer shall be without consideration or reimbursement.
    On April 19 of this year, the Administration transmitted to 
Congress a similar proposal and recommended its enactment.
    An Act of July 18, 1939, provided for the establishment of 
both the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and the Home of Franklin 
D. Roosevelt National Historic Site as described in the deed 
from Franklin D. Roosevelt and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his 
wife, to the United States, dated July 24, 1939. Since that 
time National Park Service planning documents have called for 
the construction of a visitor center for the park. This 
legislation will allow both Federal agencies to secure a 
visitor orientation facility cooperatively with maximum benefit 
to the American pubic.
    The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 
owns and operates the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential 
Library within the historic core of the Roosevelt Estate. There 
is an existing appropriation to NARA for the construction of a 
new visitor facility. Although NARA has jurisdiction over 
vacant land adjacent to the existing library, that land is 
inappropriate for construction of a visitor center because it 
would detract from the library. FDR helped to design and site 
the presidential library. It is a significant structure in the 
cultural landscape of the Home of FDR.
    This legislation will allow the transfer of administrative 
jurisdiction of National Park Service land to NARA to build a 
facility that would be situated in a more appropriate location 
and would provide improved visitor access to both the library 
and the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This new facility will 
serve as the single point of contact for visitors to both the 
National Archives presidential library and the three National 
Park Service sites that make up the Roosevelt complex in Hyde 
Park.
    The National Park Service has worked in close cooperation 
with the National Archives and Records Administration on the 
proposed new visitor facility and this legislation is necessary 
to allow for the construction of the visitor facility. We have 
also worked closely with New York State's State Historic 
Preservation Officer (SHPO), the Town of Hyde Park and 
significant stakeholders like the Franklin and Eleanor 
Roosevelt Institute on the proposed site for the new visitor 
center and the transfer of lands.
    The legislation states that the terms of the transfer will 
be the subject of an agreement between the Secretary of the 
Interior and the Archivist of the United States. We will not 
finalize that agreement until such time as this legislation is 
passed and the environmental compliance required is completed.
    A joint visitor center will provide the National Park 
Service and the National Archives an important and critically 
needed facility at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home and library 
at Hyde Park, New York. The visitor center will make it 
possible to better serve and educate the American people as 
well as visitors from around the world about Franklin and 
Eleanor Roosevelt and their important contributions to the 
nation and the world.
    Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I will be glad 
to answer any questions the committee may have.

                        changes in existing law

    In compliance with paragraph XXVI of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law 
are made by the bill S. 946 as ordered reported.

                                  
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