[House Report 109-322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



109th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    109-322

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 TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO DESIGNATE THE PRESIDENT 
   WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON BIRTHPLACE HOME IN HOPE, ARKANSAS, AS A 
 NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE AND UNIT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM, AND FOR 
                             OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

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. 4192]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 4192) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace 
Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of 
the National Park System, 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. 4192 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to designate the President William Jefferson 
Clinton Birthplace Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National 
Historic Site and a unit of the National Park System.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Hope, Arkansas, is the birthplace of William Jefferson 
Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. The residence 
on Hervey Street is currently owned and operated by the Clinton 
Birthplace Foundation in conjunction with the Clinton Center. 
The Clinton Birthplace Foundation was formed in 1993 as a non-
profit corporation to serve the historic preservation 
opportunities in President Clinton's home state. The residence 
has been visited by thousands of individuals from across the 
Nation and around the world and was nominated and placed on the 
National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
    The National Park Service of the Department of the Interior 
currently manages 32 presidential sites. H.R. 4192 would 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the 
historic site only after receiving the property via donation 
from the Foundation.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 4192 was introduced on November 1, 2005, by 
Congressman Mike Ross (D-AR). The bill was referred to the 
Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on National Parks. On November 16, 2005, the 
Committee on Resources met to consider the bill, at which time 
the Subcommittee on National Parks was discharged from further 
consideration of the bill by unanimous consent. No amendments 
were offered and H.R. 4192 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, 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, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in tax 
expenditures. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 
enactment of this bill would increase offsetting receipts and 
direct spending, but ``any net change in direct spending would 
be negligible.''
    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. 4192--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
        designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace 
        Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of 
        the National Park System

    H.R. 4192 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to 
designate the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in 
Arkansas as a national historic site if the Clinton Birthplace 
Foundation donates the house and related property to the 
federal government.
    Based on information provided by the NPS, CBO expects that 
the federal government would accept donation of the Clinton 
home and other property in fiscal year 2006. We estimate that 
the costs of preparing and operating the site as a unit of the 
National Park System would be about $1 million a year, assuming 
the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 4192 
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 have no significant impact on the budgets of 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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