[House Report 108-556]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



108th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     108-556

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    LUIS A. FERRE UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE AND POST OFFICE BUILDING

                                _______
                                

   June 21, 2004.--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. 3742]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 3742) to designate the United 
States courthouse and post office building located at 93 Atocha 
Street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, as the ``Luis A. Ferre United 
States Courthouse and Post Office 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. 3742 is to provide for the designation 
of the United States courthouse and post office building 
located at 93 Atocha Street in Ponce, Puerto Rico as the ``Luis 
A. Ferre United States Courthouse and Post Office Building.''

                BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

    Born on February 17, 1904, Luis Ferre grew up in the span 
between the ousting of Spanish troops and the granting of 
United States citizenship. After graduating from primary school 
in Puerto Rico, he attended and graduated from the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1924 with a 
degree in Engineering, and a degree in Mechanical Engineering 
in 1925.
    He then put his degree to work for the family business, 
Ferre Enterprises. He ran for office in 1940 as a mayoral 
candidate for the City of Ponce. He was elected to the Puerto 
Rican House of Representatives in 1952 and was elected Governor 
of Puerto Rico in 1968. He also served in the Puerto Rican 
Senate from 1977 to 1980 and 1981 to 1984, as President of that 
body from 1977 to 1980. Luis Ferre was also an avid patron of 
the arts and founded an art museum in his hometown of Ponce. He 
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President 
George H. W. Bush in 1991.
    Luis Ferre passed away on October 21, 2003.

                       SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Designation

    This section designates the United States courthouse and 
post office building located at 93 Atocha Street in Ponce, 
Puerto Rico as the ``Luis A. Ferre United States Courthouse and 
Post Office Building.''

Section 2. References

    This section clarifies that any reference in a law, map, 
regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United 
States to the building located at 93 Atocha Street in Ponce, 
Puerto Rico be deemed a reference to the ``Luis A. Ferre United 
States Courthouse and Post Office Building.''

            LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    Mr. Acevedo-Vila of Puerto Rico introduced H.R. 3742 on 
January 28, 2004. On May 12, 2004, the Full Committee 
discharged the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public 
Buildings and Emergency Management from further consideration. 
The Full Committee then considered H.R. 3742. A motion by Mr. 
LaTourette, to order H.R. 3742 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. 3742.

                             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 in conjunction with ordering H.R. 
3742 favorably reported.

                      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, no 
statement of performance goals and objectives for this 
legislation are required as no funding is authorized.
    (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. 
3742 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, May 13, 2004.
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 May 12, 
2004:
           H.R. 3428, a bill to designate a portion of 
        the United States courthouse located at 2100 Jamieson 
        Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia, as the ``Justin W. 
        Williams United States Attorney's Building'';
           H.R. 3734, a bill to designate the federal 
        building located at Fifth and Richardson Avenues in 
        Roswell, New Mexico, as the ``Joe Skeen Federal 
        Building'';
           H.R. 3742, a bill to designate the United 
        States courthouse and post office building located at 
        93 Atocha Street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, as the ``Luis 
        A. Ferre United States Courthouse and Post Office 
        Building''; and
           H.R. 3884, a bill to designate the federal 
        building and United States courthouse located at 615 
        East Houston Street in San Antonio, Texas, as the 
        ``Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building and United States 
        Courthouse.''
    CBO estimates that enactment of these bills 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. 3742 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. 3742 makes no changes in existing law.

                                  
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