[Senate Report 110-106]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 236
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                    110-106

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



 
 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING THE SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL MILITARY 
                                 MUSEUM

                                _______
                                

                 June 26, 2007.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1047]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 1047) 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, reports 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the Act 
do pass.

                         PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

    The purpose of H.R. 1047 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and 
feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military 
Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park 
System.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    The Soldiers' Memorial is a tribute to and a cultural 
resource center for all veterans located in the greater St. 
Louis area, including southern Illinois. In 1923, the residents 
of St. Louis voted to purchase a memorial plaza and construct a 
memorial to commemorate the citizens of St. Louis who lost 
their lives in World War I. A seven-block site was purchased 
and the construction of the Soldiers' Memorial began on October 
21, 1935. President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated 
the site on October 14, 1936, and the building was opened to 
the public on Memorial Day in 1938.
    H.R. 1047 authorizes a study of the Soldiers' Memorial 
Military Museum at 1315 Chestnut Street in the greater St. 
Louis area to determine its eligibility to become a unit of the 
National Park System. The study will be conducted in accordance 
with the criteria contained in section 8(c) of Public Law 91-
383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 1047, sponsored by Rep. Clay, passed the House of 
Representatives by a voice vote on March 5, 2007. The House 
passed similar legislation, H.R. 452, during the 109th 
Congress, also sponsored by Rep. Clay. That bill passed the 
House by a voice vote on December 13, 2005.
    The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on H.R. 
1047 on April 26, 2007. At its business meeting on May 23, 
2007, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered 
H.R. 1047 favorably reported, without amendment.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an 
open business session on May 23, 2007, by a unanimous voice 
vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 
1047.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1(a) contains congressional findings.
    Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
carry out a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the Solders' Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis, 
Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System.
    Subsection (c) requires the study to be undertaken in 
accordance with section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 
1a-5(c)).
    Subsection (d) directs the Secretary to submit a report 
describing the results of the study to the Senate Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural 
Resources.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

    The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, June 1, 2007.
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1047, an act 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.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                         Peter R. Orszag, Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1047--An act to authorize the Secretry 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. 1047 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. 1047 would not affect 
direct spending or revenues.
    The legislation 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.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out H.R. 1047. The Act is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals 
and businesses.
    No personal information would be collected in administering 
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal 
privacy.
    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the 
enactment of H.R. 1047, as ordered reported.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The testimony provided by the National Park Service on H.R. 
1047 at the Subcommittee hearing on April 26, 2007 follows:

 Statement of Daniel N. Wenk, Deputy Director, National Park Service, 
                       Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for 
the opportunity to appear before you today to present the 
Department of the Interior's views on H.R. 1047, 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.
    The Department opposes H.R. 1047, which is identical to 
legislation the Department opposed in the 109th Congress. While 
it is an architecturally beautiful structure, the St. Louis 
Soldiers' Memorial (Memorial) is not distinguished beyond that 
of many other war memorials in cities all over the United 
States. The Memorial is currently listed as eligible for the 
National Register of Historic Places, but at this time has not 
been nominated. Therefore, it is not known whether it meets the 
criteria for national significance, which is the minimum 
standard a memorial must meet for inclusion in the National 
Park System. Finally, in a time of tight budgets and a 
refocusing on the core mission of the National Park Service, we 
believe that funding should be directed toward completing 
previously authorized studies.
    The Soldiers' Memorial is a tribute to and a cultural 
resource center for all veterans located in the greater St. 
Louis area, including southern Illinois. In 1923, the residents 
of St. Louis voted to purchase a memorial plaza and construct a 
memorial to commemorate the citizens of St. Louis who lost 
their lives in World War I. A seven-block site was purchased 
and the construction of the Soldiers' Memorial began on October 
21, 1935. President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated 
the site on October 14, 1936 and the building was opened to the 
public on Memorial Day in 1938. H.R. 1047 would authorize a 
study of the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum at 1315 
Chestnut Street in the greater St. Louis area to determine its 
eligibility to become a unit of the National Park System. The 
study would be conducted in accordance with the criteria 
contained in Section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-
5(c)).
    Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared testimony. I would 
be pleased to answer any questions you or the subcommittee may 
have.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the Act H.R. 1047, as 
ordered reported.

                                  
