[House Report 107-599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                                       
107th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     107-599

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             LOUISIANA PURCHASE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION ACT

                                _______
                                

 July 22, 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 S. 356]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(S. 356) to establish a National Commission on the Bicentennial 
of the Louisiana Purchase, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of S. 356 is to establish a National Commission 
on the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase cost the United States $15 
million but it doubled the size of the country overnight and 
brought vast natural resources that had been untapped. To quote 
Tallyrand, ``You have made a noble bargain for yourselves and I 
suppose you will make the most of it.'' For the United States, 
it was only the beginning of an expansion that would stretch 
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
    All or part of 15 States were created from the land 
acquired in this purchase. It made possible the travels of 
Lewis and Clark, whose invaluable insight into the peoples and 
land beyond the Mississippi River emboldened many Americans to 
search for a new life out West. Around the world, the American 
Frontier became synonymous with the search for spiritual, 
economic, and political freedom. The Louisiana Purchase helped 
shape the American destiny. Commemoration of the Louisiana 
Purchase and the related opening of the West can enhance public 
understanding of the impact of the democratic westward 
expansion on American society.
    This bill creates a Commission that will edify, publish, 
and display the importance of the Louisiana Purchase to all 
Americans. This bipartisan commission is partially modeled 
after the celebration of the American Bicentennial--striving to 
be inclusive of Americans. The commission will include 
important officials from each state created from the Purchase, 
museum and education officials, as well as members of Native 
American Tribes originating on the lands included in the 
Purchase. These officials will work together to recommend, 
organize, and oversee the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana 
Purchase. Commission tasks include planning the issuance of 
coins, stamps, medals, and certificates of recognition. Under a 
coordinated effort with libraries, museums, and historical 
sites, they will develop education programs for exhibit and 
display. The commission will produce and publish educational 
materials focusing on the history and the impact of the 
Louisiana Purchase.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    S. 356 was introduced on February 15, 2001, by Senator Mary 
Landrieu (D-LA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Resources and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. On July 10, 2002, 
the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands 
was discharged from further consideration of the S. 356 by 
unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was 
then 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.

                  FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    The functions of the proposed advisory committee authorized 
in the bill are not currently being nor could they be performed 
by one or more agencies, an advisory committee already in 
existence or by enlarging the mandate of an existing advisory 
committee.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants 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, credit 
authority, or an increase or decrease in expenditures. 
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the commission 
authorized by this bill may accept and spend donations, but 
these activities would amount to less than $500,000 annually 
and would offset each other.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill is to establish a National Commission on 
the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.
    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, July 16, 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 S. 356, the Louisiana 
Purchase Bicentennial Commission Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                         Barry B. Anderson,
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

S. 356--Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Commission Act

    S. 356 would establish the National Commission on the 
Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, consisting of 20 
members, including a representative from each of the 14 States 
that comprise the former Louisiana Territory. The central 
office of the commission would be in Washington, DC, with 
additional offices in New Orleans and St. Louis. The commission 
would plan and develop activities to commemorate the 200th 
anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase in December 2003. For 
this purpose, the bill would authorize the commission to accept 
and spend private donations. S. 356 would direct the General 
Accounting Office to perform an annual audit of the 
commission's financial transactions. The act would authorize 
the appropriation of $750,000 over the 2002-2004 period to 
carry out its provisions.
    CBO estimates that the commission would need to spend about 
$1.2 million over the 2003-2004 period to fulfill the 
requirements of the legislation--in particular, to set up and 
staff the three offices and prepare a report of its 
recommendations by December 2002. Because S. 356 would allow 
the commission to accept and spend contributed funds, pay-as-
you-go procedures would apply to the act. CBO estimates that 
any revenues from contributions and subsequent direct spending 
would be less than $500,000 annually and would offset each 
other.
    S. 356 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.
    On August 17, 2001, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
356, the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Commission Act, as 
passed by the Senate on August 3, 2001. The two versions of S. 
356 are identical. Differences in the cost reflect a change in 
the estimate of when the legislation will be enacted.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford, who can be reached at 226-2860. This 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

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

                                
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