[House Report 109-319]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



109th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    109-319

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   TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO 
DETERMINE THE SUITABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF DESIGNATING THE SOLDIERS' 
 MEMORIAL MILITARY MUSEUM LOCATED IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AS A UNIT OF 
                        THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM

                                _______
                                

December 6, 2005.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 452]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 452) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in 
St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park 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. 452 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability 
and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military 
Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the 
National Park System.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    In 1923, the City of St. Louis voted to spend $6 million to 
purchase a memorial plaza and building dedicated to citizens of 
St. Louis who lost their lives in World War I. The purchase of 
the memorial site exhausted the funds. In 1933, the City 
government raised another $1 million to construct a memorial 
building on the site. On October 14, 1936, President Franklin 
D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the site, and the building 
was opened to the public on Memorial Day in 1938. Currently, 
the memorial is administered by the City of St. Louis with a 
budget of $192,000 (2004). Local officials have expressed that 
the memorial faces an uncertain future without federal 
assistance and would like a federal agency to take over 
administration of the site.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 452 was introduced on February 1, 2005, by Congressman 
William Lacy Clay (D-MO). The bill was referred to the 
Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on National Parks. On November 10, 2005, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On November 16, 2005, 
the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee was discharged from further consideration of the 
bill by unanimous consent. 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.

                   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 submittedcost 
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:

H.R. 452--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 
        a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
        designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in 
        St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System

    H.R. 452 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum in St. 
Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System. 
Assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates 
that carrying out the proposed study would cost about $200,000 
over the next three years. Enacting H.R. 452 would not affect 
direct spending or revenues.
    The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impost no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
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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