[House Report 109-584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




109th Congress                                            Rept. 109-584
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                      Part 1

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COMMISSION TO STUDY THE POTENTIAL CREATION OF A NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE 
                 AMERICAN LATINO COMMUNITY ACT OF 2005

                                _______
                                

                 July 20, 2006.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2134]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 2134) to establish the Commission to Study the Potential 
Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community 
to develop a plan of action for the establishment and 
maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino 
Community in Washington, DC, 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. 2134 is to establish the Commission to 
Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the 
American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the 
establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the 
American Latino Community in Washington, DC, and for other 
purposes.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Latinos have been part of American history since before the 
founding of the United States; they were present on the 
continent for more than two centuries prior to the Declaration 
of Independence. Despite the growth of Latino-inclusive 
programs at the Smithsonian Institution over the past decade, 
the sponsor of H.R. 2134 believes the ``mosaic portrayed in 
Washington museums'' is incomplete without a museum 
specifically dedicated to the community.
    The Commission proposed in the bill would be comprised of 
23 members, appointed as follows: seven by the President and 
three voting and one non-voting each by the Speaker, the House 
Minority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Senate 
Minority Leader. The Commission will hold a national conference 
within 9 months of its formation and develop a fundraising plan 
within 18 months. The Commission will issue a report on the 
cost of the museum, its impact on other Hispanic- and Latino-
related museums, its possible location, how the museum should 
be operated and how to engage the American Latino community in 
the museum's development and design. The bill authorizes an 
appropriation of $3.2 million for the Commission's expenses.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2134 was introduced on May 5, 2005, by Congressman 
Xavier Becerra (D-CA). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks. On March 30, 2006, the Subcommittee on National 
Parks held a hearing on H.R. 2134. On June 21, 2006, the 
Committee on Resources met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee was discharged from further consideration of the 
bill by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the 
bill was ordered favorably reported to the House of 
Representatives by unanimous consent.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8, clause 3 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 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    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 the Commission to Study 
the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American 
Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the 
establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the 
American Latino Community in Washington, DC, and for other 
purposes.
    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. 2134--Commission to study the Potential Creation of a National 
        Museum of the American Latino Community Act of 2005

    H.R. 2134 would establish a commission to develop a plan 
for establishing and maintaining a National Museum of the 
American Latino Community in Washington, DC. Under the bill, 
the 23-member commission would report its recommendations on 
the museum to the Congress within 18 months of the 
legislation's enactment. For the purpose of carrying out the 
commission's responsibilities, the bill would authorize the 
appropriation of $2.1 million for 2006 and $1.1 million for 
2007.
    Based on information provided by the National Park Service 
and assuming appropriation of the amounts authorized for 2007, 
CBO estimates that the federal government would spend about $1 
million over the next two years to establish the commission and 
to develop a plan for the proposed museum. (For this estimate, 
CBO assumes that no additional funds would be provided for this 
purpose in 2006.) Most of this amount would be spent for 
feasibility studies and other research. We estimate that 
enacting H.R. 2134 would have no effect on revenues or direct 
spending.
    H.R. 2134 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.
    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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