[House Report 108-315]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



108th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    108-315

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



 
  DESIGNATION OF RONALD H. BROWN UNITED STATES MISSION TO THE UNITED 
                            NATIONS BUILDING

                                _______
                                

  October 15, 2003.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

     Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Transportation and 
                Infrastructure, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1702]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 1702) to designate the Federal 
building which is to be constructed at 799 First Avenue in New 
York, New York, as the ``Ronald H. Brown United States Mission 
to the United Nations Building'', having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that 
the bill do pass.

                       PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

    The purpose of H.R. 1702 is to designate the building to be 
constructed at 799 First Avenue in New York, New York, as the 
``Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations 
Building.''

                BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

    Ronald Harmon Brown was born on August 1, 1941. His early 
school days were spent at Hunter College Elementary School, a 
public school on Manhattan's East Side. He subsequently 
attended high school at White Plains High School and the Rhodes 
School in Manhattan. In 1962, Brown graduated from Middlebury 
College in Vermont. He started as a pre-med student but changed 
his major to political science.
    After college, he served in the Army from 1962 to 1967, 
commanding several units in the United States, Germany, and 
South Korea. Brown was discharged from the Army in 1967. Upon 
his discharge from the Army, he enrolled at St. John's Law 
School and began a short-lived career as a social worker. In 
1968, Brown went to work for the National Urban League as a job 
developer-trainee adviser. While working with the Urban League, 
Brown continued his studies at St. John's University Law 
School. He graduated in 1970 and passed the bar in 1971.
    Brown continued to work for the National Urban League, and 
was named director of the National Urban League's Washington 
office in 1973. By 1976, Brown held the position of deputy 
executive director for programs and governmental affairs, and 
by the mid 1970s, had become a key player in Washington 
politics.
    He left the National Urban League in 1979 to work for Sen. 
Edward M. Kennedy. Brown was hired in 1981 as a lawyer and a 
lobbyist by the law firm of Patton Boggs. In 1988, he announced 
his candidacy for chairman of the Democratic National 
Committee. Brown was elected chairman in 1989, the first 
African-American to serve as the head of a major political 
party. In 1993, President Clinton appointed him as Secretary of 
Commerce. In 1996, while serving as Secretary of Commerce, Ron 
Brown died in a plane crash while en route to negotiate trade 
agreements with Croatia.

                       SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations 
        Building

    This section designates the Federal building to be 
constructed at 799 First Avenue in New York, New York, as the 
``Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations 
Building.'' This section also clarifies that any reference in a 
law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the 
United States to the Federal building to be constructed at 799 
First Avenue in New York, New York, be deemed a reference to 
the ``Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United 
Nations Building.''

            LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    Mr. Rangel of New York introduced H.R. 1702 on April 9, 
2003. On September 24, 2003, the Subcommittee met in open 
session and considered H.R. 1702. On a motion by Ms. Norton, 
H.R. 1702 was ordered favorably reported to the Full Committee, 
by voice vote, with a quorum present.
    On October 1, 2003, the Full Committee considered H.R. 
1702. A motion by Mr. LaTourette, to order H.R. 1702 favorably 
reported to the House was agreed to by the Full Committee 
unanimously, by voice vote, with a quorum present. There were 
no recorded votes taken during Committee consideration of H.R. 
1702.

                             ROLLCALL VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives 
requires each committee report to include the total number of 
votes cast for and against on each rollcall vote on a motion to 
report and on any amendment offered to the measure or matter, 
and the names of those members voting for and against. There 
were no rollcall votes taken during consideration of H.R. 1702.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

                          COST OF LEGISLATION

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and 
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee 
references the report of the Congressional Budget Office 
included below.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee advises that the bill contains no measure that 
authorizes funding, so no statement of general performance 
goals and objectives is required.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R. 
1702 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                   Washington, DC, October 3, 2003.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
reviewed the following legislation, as ordered reported by the 
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on October 
1, 2003:
           H.R. 1702, a bill to designate the federal 
        building which is to be constructed at 799 First Avenue 
        in New York, New York, as the ``Ronald H. Brown United 
        States Mission to the United Nations Building''; and
           H.R. 3118, a bill to designate the Orville 
        Wright Federal Building and the Wilbur Wright Federal 
        Building in Washington, District of Columbia.
    CBO estimates that their enactment would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget and would not affect 
direct spending or revenues. These bills contain 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.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                      Elizabeth M. Robinson
                               (For Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director).

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Pursuant to clause (3)(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, committee reports on a bill or 
joint resolution of a public character shall include a 
statement citing the specific powers granted to the Congress in 
the Constitution to enact the measure. The Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure finds that Congress has the 
authority to enact this measure pursuant to its powers granted 
under article I, section 8 of the Constitution.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act. (Public Law 104-4).

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee states that H.R. 1702 does not 
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act are created by this 
legislation.

                APPLICABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act. (Public Law 
104-1).

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    H.R. 1702 makes no changes in existing law.

                                
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