[House Report 107-318]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




107th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    107-318

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 DESIGNATION OF GEORGE ROGERS CLARK NORTHWEST CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR STUDY 
          FOR POTENTIAL ADDITION TO THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM

                                _______
                                

December 5, 2001.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Hansen, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1963]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 1963) to amend the National Trails System Act to 
designate the route taken by American soldier and frontiersman 
George Rogers Clark and his men during the Revolutionary War to 
capture the British forts at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, Illinois, 
and Vincennes, Indiana, for study for potential addition to the 
National Trails System, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 1963 is to amend the National Trails 
System Act to designate the route taken by American solider and 
frontiersman George Rogers Clark and his men during the 
Revolutionary War to capture the British forts at Kaskaskia and 
Cahokia, Illinois, and Vincennes, Indiana, for study for 
potential addition to the National Trails System.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    During the American Revolutionary War, American Colonel 
George Rogers Clark (1752-1819), elder brother of William Clark 
of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, led his men 180 
miles from Kaskaskia, Illinois, to Vincennes, Indiana, through 
frozen prairies and flooded river valleys over the course of 18 
days in 1779 to capture British Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton. It 
was during this time that the English Army was encouraging 
Native Americans in the area to attack settlers. Clark 
successfully stopped the raids when he overthrew Fort Sackville 
(near Vincennes, Indiana). As a result of his heroic military 
activities, the British ceded what is now Ohio, Indiana, 
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the Eastern portion of 
Minnesota to the United States.
    This legislation would allow the National Park Service to 
study all the routes taken by the Clark mission from Ft. Pitt, 
down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, to and including all land 
routes from Kaskaskia and Cahokia, Illinois, to Vincennes, 
Indiana, in determining those primary routes taken by Colonel 
Clarke which proved instrumental to his mission and victory at 
Vincennes, and which would merit designation as a part of the 
National Trails System.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 1963 was introduced on May 23, 2001, by Congressman 
Jerry F. Costello (D-IL) and was referred to the Committee on 
Resources. On May 30, 2001, the bill was referred to the 
Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. 
On October 16, 2001, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the 
bill. On November 15, 2001, the Subcommittee met to mark up the 
bill. No amendments were offered and the bill was forwarded to 
the Full Committee by voice vote. On November 28, 2001, the 
Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. No 
amendments were offered and the bill was ordered favorably 
reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

            Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations 
are reflected in the body of this report.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Article I, section 8 and Article IV, section 3 of the 
Constitution of the United States grant Congress the authority 
to enact this bill.

                    Compliance With House Rule XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation.--Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
    2. Congressional Budget Act.--As required by clause 3(c)(2) 
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this 
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives.--This bill 
does not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not 
apply.
    4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate.--Under clause 
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate 
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                  Washington, DC, December 3, 2001.
Hon. James V. Hansen,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1963, a bill to 
amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route 
taken by American soldier and frontiersman George Rogers Clark 
and his men during the Revolutionary War to capture the British 
forts at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, Illinois, and Vincennes, 
Indiana, for study for potential addition to the National 
Trails System.
    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. 1963--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate 
        the route taken by American soldier and frontiersman George 
        Rogers Clark and his men during the Revolutionary War to 
        capture the British forts at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, Illinois, 
        and Vincennes, Indiana, for study for potential addition to the 
        National Trails System

    H.R. 1963 would amend the National Trails System Act to add 
the George Rogers Clark Northwest Campaign Trail in Indiana and 
Illinois to the list of routes to be studied for possible 
inclusion in the National Trails System.
    Based on information provided by the National Park Service 
and assuming appropriation of the necessary amount, CBO 
estimates that it would cost the federal government between 
$250,000 and $400,000 over the next two or three years to 
conduct the required study and report to the Congress on its 
findings. H.R. 1963 would not affect direct spending or 
receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. 
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                    Compliance With Public Law 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

    In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

              SECTION 5 OF THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT


             NATIONAL SCENIC AND NATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAILS

  Sec. 5. (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (c) The following routes shall be studied in accordance 
with the objectives outlined in subsection (b) of this section:
    (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (41) George Rogers Clark Northwest Campaign Trail.--The 
George Rogers Clark Northwest Campaign Trail, tracing the water 
route and overland route of the 1778 and 1779 expedition of 
Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark and his Virginia militia 
against the British in which he captured the British forts at 
Kaskaskia and Cahokia, in what is now Illinois, and twice 
captured Vincennes, in what is now Indiana.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                
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