[House Report 107-508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



107th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     107-508

======================================================================



 
       VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK BOUNDARY MODIFICATION ACT

                                _______
                                

 June 17, 2002.--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. 3307]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 3307) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
acquire the property known as Pemberton's Headquarters and to 
modify the boundary of Vicksburg National Military Park to 
include that property, and for other purposes, 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. 3307 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to acquire the property known as Pemberton's 
Headquarters and to modify the boundary of Vicksburg National 
Military Park to include that property, and for other purposes.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Vicksburg National Military Park was established by 
Congress on February 21, 1899, to commemorate one of the most 
important and decisive battles of the American Civil War. This 
legislation would authorize the acquisition of the headquarters 
of Confederate Lt. General John C. Pemberton from willing 
sellers, and provide for its inclusion within the boundary of 
the park. When Congress approved the enabling legislation, the 
building that had served as Pemberton's headquarters was a 
private residence and so was not included in the park. The site 
of U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters, located in 
proximity to Union lines, was included. The park currently 
attracts 1.2 million visitors annually, but many do not venture 
into the historic district. The Pemberton property is centrally 
located in the heart of Vicksburg's historic district and its 
acquisition would draw many visitors to the heart of the city 
and would further facilitate the National Park Service's 
interpretive opportunities.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 3307 was introduced on November 15, 2001 by 
Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and was referred to the 
Committee on Resources. On November 19, 2001, the bill was 
referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and 
Public Lands. On April 11, 2002, the Subcommittee held a 
hearing on the bill. On May 22, 2002, the Full Committee met to 
mark up the bill. By unanimous consent, the Subcommittee was 
discharged from further consideration of 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, June 13, 2002.
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. 3307, the 
Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act.
    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. 3307--Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act

    H.R. 3307 would authorize the Department of the Interior to 
acquire an historic property, Pemberton's Headquarters, and an 
additional one acre of land (for a parking facility) in 
Vicksburg, Mississippi. Once acquired, the properties would be 
included within the boundary of the Vicksburg National Military 
Park and administered by the National Park Service (NPS).
    CBO estimates that the cost of implementing H.R. 3307 would 
be $4 million, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. 
Of this amount, we estimate that less than $1 million would be 
used to acquire Pemberton's Headquarters and the one-acre lot. 
The costs of restoring and interpreting the two properties and 
developing them for visitor use are uncertain because the NPS 
has not completed its planning and design process, but CBO 
estimates that such costs would probably be around $3 million. 
Finally, we estimate that the costs to operate and maintain the 
house and lot would be about $0.5 million annually. This 
estimate is based on information provided by the NPS.
    The bill would not affect direct spending or receipts; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 3307 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would have no 
significant impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
The estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, 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

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
