[Senate Report 110-11]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                        Calendar No. 36
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     110-11

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    WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON BIRTHPLACE HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

                                _______
                                

               February 15, 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 S. 245]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 245) 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, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                         PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

    The purpose of S. 245 is to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to accept title to the William Jefferson Clinton 
Birthplace Home site, which the Clinton Birthplace Foundation 
has offered to donate to the United States, and to designate 
the site, upon its acquisition, as the William Jefferson 
Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    Hope, Arkansas, is the birthplace of William Jefferson 
Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. The house at 
117 S. Hervey Street was built in 1917 and later belonged to 
President Clinton's maternal grandparents, Eldridge and Edith 
Cassidy. President Clinton lived there from his birth in 1946 
until his mother married Roger Clinton in 1950.
    The site is currently owned by a non-profit organization, 
the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, and has been restored to the 
same state as when President Clinton lived there. The 
Foundation has offered to donate the site to the United States 
for inclusion in the National Park System.
    According to the National Park Service, when the home was 
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, it 
was described as the ``single property most significantly and 
exclusively associated with Clinton's humble beginnings. . .''
    The National Park Service currently manages several sites 
associated with the lives of former Presidents. S. 245 would 
designate the Clinton Birthplace Home as a National Historic 
Site upon the donation of the site by the Foundation.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 245 was introduced by Senators Pryor and Lincoln on 
January 10, 2007. During the 109th Congress, the Committee 
considered similar legislation, S. 2417, also sponsored by 
Senators Pryor and Lincoln, and H.R. 4192, sponsored by 
Representative Ross. H.R. 4192 passed the House of 
Representatives by a vote of 409-12 on March 8, 2006. The 
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on both measures 
on May 16, 2006 (S. Hrg. 109-547).
    At its business meeting on January 31, 2007, the Committee 
ordered S. 245 to be favorably reported.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on January 31, 2007, by a voice vote of a 
quorum present recommends that the Senate pass S. 245.

                         SUMMARY OF THE MEASURE

    S. 245 directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to 
designate the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home site 
located at 117 S. Hervey Street in Hope, Arkansas, as a 
National Historic Site and unit of the National Park System, if 
unencumbered fee simple title to the site is donated by the 
Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Inc.
    The Secretary is directed to administer the site in 
accordance with the laws generally applicable to national 
historic sites, including the National Park Service Organic Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1-4) and the Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 
461 et seq.).

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

S. 245--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

    S. 245 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 2007. 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 S. 245 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.

                      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 S. 245.
    The bill 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 S. 245.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    Because S. 245 is identical to legislation passed by the 
Senate in the 109th Congress, the Committee did not request 
Executive Agency views. The testimony provided by the National 
Park Service at the Subcommittee hearing on S. 2417 and H.R. 
4192 in the 109th Congress follows:

Statement of Stephen P. Martin, Deputy Director, National Park Service, 
                       Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify on 
S. 2417 and H.R. 4192, bills that would authorize the Secretary 
to establish the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace 
Home as a National Historic Site and a unit of the National 
Park System in Hope, Arkansas. H.R. 4192 passed the House of 
Representatives on March 8, 2006, without a hearing. The 
Department supports the effort to honor the birthplace home of 
former President Clinton, but suggests amending S. 2417 and 
H.R. 4192 to authorize a study.
    S. 2417 and H.R. 4192 would authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to designate the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace 
Home as a National Historic Site and a unit of the National 
Park System should the Secretary acquire, by donation only, the 
birthplace home and any personal property related to that site 
from the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Inc. The Secretary 
would administer the unit in accordance with laws generally 
applicable to preserving national historic sites. It is our 
understanding that the Clinton Birthplace Foundation also 
intends to donate the existing visitor center located at 415 
West, Division Street and adjacent to the birthplace home, 
however this property was inadvertently left out of S. 2417 and 
H.R. 4192 when the bills were introduced.
    In 1998, Congress passed Public Law 105-391, the National 
Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, which requires 
congressional authorization of areas to be studied for 
potential new units of the National Park System. The law also 
designates the criteria to be followed by the National Park 
Service (NPS) in determining whether to recommend an area as a 
unit of the National Park System.
    We recognize the importance of the birthplace of President 
William Jefferson Clinton and therefore appreciate the goals of 
S. 2417 and H.R. 4192. Consistent with our testimony on the 
Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in March 2001, we suggest, however, 
that the subcommittee ensure that the intent of Congress, as 
expressed in Public Law 105-391, is carried out by amending the 
bill to authorize a study of the birthplace and the visitor 
center to determine whether they conform to the criteria of 
Public Law 105-391. We recognize the potential significance of 
these properties and would support an authorization of a new 
study. We would be glad to work with the subcommittee on the 
appropriate language.
    With respect to historical sites, the studies do not only 
look at whether the event or person associated with the site 
was historically significant. They also look at the integrity 
of the buildings, and other factors, such as whether there are 
other sites that might more appropriately tell the story 
associated with a particular individual.
    The National Park System consists of many previous 
residences of former Presidents. However, there are also many 
residences of former Presidents that are not part of the 
system. A study would look at whether the Federal government is 
the most appropriate entity to manage the site. Some sites are 
managed by other entities, such as state governments and 
private foundations. Conducting a professional study allows 
Congress to be sure it is protecting an area that meets the 
criteria of the National Park System.
    A study also will enable the NPS and the Congress to 
identify the costs in acquiring, restoring, and operating a 
potential site. We believe that the information gathered during 
the study process is invaluable and better ensures that the NPS 
can continue its progress in addressing maintenance backlog 
needs in our national parks. In fact, in March 2001, the 
Department also took the position that a study was needed when 
asked to testify on the designation of the Ronald Reagan 
Boyhood Home as a National Historic Site. Similar to S. 2417 
and H.R. 4192, that bill also proposed designation prior to the 
authorization and completion of a study.
    Presidential homes and sites provide a valuable link to 
understanding our country's history and government and are an 
important part of our national heritage. Plans to purchase and 
restore the birthplace home of then President William Jefferson 
Clinton began in 1993, and the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, a 
non-profit organization, was formed to purchase, restore, and 
promote the history of the site. The two and one-half story 
American four-square home, patterned from a design in France, 
was built in 1917 by Dr. H.S. Garrett. The home is located at 
117 South Hervey Street in Hope, Arkansas, and belonged to 
President Clinton's maternal grandparents, Eldridge and Edith 
Cassidy. William Jefferson Blythe, as he was then known, lived 
there from his birth in 1946, until his mother married Roger 
Clinton in 1950.
    The residence has been returned to its identical state when 
President Clinton lived there as a young boy. It is currently 
open for public tours operated by the Clinton Birthplace 
Foundation. When the home was placed on the National Register 
of Historic Places in 1994, it was described as ``. . . the 
single property most significantly and exclusively associated 
with Clinton's humble beginnings, the inner strength he learned 
from his mother, and the dedication to purpose that has 
sustained him throughout his distinguished political career.''
    The William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace site demonstrates 
the efforts of a local community working together to preserve 
and to tell the story of the birth and childhood of a man who 
later became the 42nd President of the United States to present 
and future generations.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to comment. 
This concludes my prepared remarks and I will be happy to 
answer any questions you or other subcommittee members might 
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 bill S. 245, as ordered 
reported.

                                  
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