[Senate Report 110-388]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 820
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     110-388

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



 
  ACT COMMEMORATING THE LITE, OR LIFETIME INNOVATIONS OF THOMAS EDISON

                                _______
                                

                 June 16, 2008.--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. 2627]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 2627) to establish the Thomas Edison 
National Historical Park in the State of New Jersey as the 
successor to the Edison National Historic Site, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommends that the Act, as amended, do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Act Commemorating the LITE, or 
Lifetime Innovations of Thomas Edison''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

  The purposes of this Act are--
          (1) to recognize and pay tribute to Thomas Alva Edison and 
        his innovations; and
          (2) to preserve, protect, restore, and enhance the Edison 
        National Historic Site to ensure public use and enjoyment of 
        the Site as an educational, scientific, and cultural center.

SEC. 3. THOMAS EDISON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

  (a) Establishment.--There is established the Thomas Edison National 
Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System (hereafter the 
``Historical Park'').
  (b) Boundaries.--The Historical Park shall be comprised of all 
property owned by the United States in the Edison National Historic 
Site as well as all property authorized to be acquired by the Secretary 
of the Interior for inclusion in the Edison National Historic Site 
before the date of the enactment of this Act, as generally depicted on 
the map entitled the ``Thomas Edison National Historical Park'', 
numbered 403/80,000, and dated April 2008.
  (c) Map.--The map of the Historical Park shall be on file and 
available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the 
National Park Service.

SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary shall administer the Historical Park 
in accordance with this Act and with the provisions of law generally 
applicable to units of the National Park System, including the Acts 
entitled ``An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other 
purposes,'' approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1 et 
seq.) and ``An Act to provide for the preservation of historic American 
sites, buildings, objects, and antiquities of national significance, 
and for other purposes,'' approved August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et 
seq.).
  (b) Acquisition of Property.--
          (1) Real property.--The Secretary may acquire land or 
        interests in land within the boundaries of the Historical Park, 
        from willing sellers only, by donation, purchase with donated 
        or appropriated funds, or exchange.
          (2) Personal property.--The Secretary may acquire personal 
        property associated with, and appropriate for, interpretation 
        of the Historical Park.
  (c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may consult and enter into 
cooperative agreements with interested entities and individuals to 
provide for the preservation, development, interpretation, and use of 
the Historical Park.
  (d) Repeal of Superseded Law.--Public Law 87-628 (76 Stat. 428), 
regarding the establishment and administration of the Edison National 
Historic Site, is repealed.
  (e) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, 
paper, or other record of the United States to the ``Edison National 
Historic Site'' shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Thomas 
Edison National Historical Park''.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
to carry out this Act.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of H.R. 2627 is to redesignate the Edison 
National Historic Site in the State of New Jersey as the Thomas 
Edison National Historical Park.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    Thomas Alva Edison was a prodigious inventor who 
revolutionized how the Nation communicated, harnessed and 
distributed power, and translated pure technology into 
commercial products. The Edison National Historic Site, located 
in West Orange, New Jersey, was Thomas Edison's second research 
and development facility. After closing his first operation in 
Menlo Park, Edison established the West Orange laboratory in 
1887.
    The laboratory was the hub of Edison's manufacturing 
operations until his death in 1931, and the most productive of 
all his laboratories in terms of the sheer quantity of 
inventions. More than half of Edison's 1,093 U.S. patents were 
developed at this location, including his improved phonograph, 
the nickel-iron-alkaline battery, and a fluoroscope used in the 
first x-ray operation in America. It was here, too, that Edison 
established his motion picture studio, the ``Black Maria'' in 
1893.
    Located nearby, previously known as the Edison Home 
National Historic Site, is the home Edison purchased in 1886. 
Known as Glenmont, it is a 29-room mansion built of wood, 
brick, and stone, and typifies the eclectic Queen Anne style 
popular in the 1880s and 1890s. Both Edison and his second wife 
are buried behind Glenmont.
    In 1962, Congress designated the Edison Laboratory National 
Monument and the Edison Home National Historic Site as the 
Edison National Historic Site. The Edison National Historic 
Site preserves Edison's research and development laboratories, 
library, papers, and artifacts, as well as his home. The site 
contains the world's largest collection of materials related to 
Thomas Edison, encompassing an estimated 5,000,000 pages of 
documents, over 400,000 artifacts, approximately 35,000 sound 
recordings, and 10,000 books from Edison's personal library.
    On November 6, 1997, the National Park Service signed an 
agreement with the Thomas Alva Edison Preservation Foundation 
(now the Edison Preservation Foundation), establishing a 
public-private partnership to jointly raise money to fund 
identified improvements at the Edison National Historic Site so 
as to leave it unimpaired for the enjoyment of future 
generations.
    H.R. 2627 would re-designate the Edison National Historic 
Site as the Thomas Edison National Historical Park.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 2627 was introduced by Representative Payne (D-NJ) on 
June 7, 2007. On November 13, 2007, the House of 
Representatives passed the bill by voice vote. A companion 
measure, S. 2329, was introduced by Senator Menendez on 
November 8, 2007. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a 
hearing on H.R. 2627 on April 9, 2008. The Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources ordered it favorably reported on May 7, 
2008.
    During the 109th Congress, a similar bill, H.R. 1096, was 
reported by the House Resources Committee (H. Rpt. 109-286) and 
passed the House, although no further action was taken in the 
Senate.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on May 7, 2008, by a voice vote of a quorum 
present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 2627, if amended 
as described herein.

                          COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

    During its consideration of H.R. 2627, the Committee 
adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The 
amendment strikes the findings, changes the map title and date 
so that the bill references an updated map, and strikes an 
unnecessary and redundant provision.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1 contains the short title.
    Section 2 sets forth the purposes of the bill.
    Section 3(a) establishes the Thomas Edison National 
Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System.
    Subsection (b) describes the boundaries of the Thomas 
Edison National Historical Park and contains a map reference.
    Subsection (c) requires that the map of the Historical Park 
be on file and available for public inspection in the 
appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
    Section 4(a) requires the Secretary of the Interior to 
administer the Historical Park in accordance with this Act and 
with the provisions of law generally applicable to units of the 
National Park System.
    Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to acquire land or 
interests in land within the boundaries of the Historical Park 
from willing sellers only, by donation, purchase with donated 
or appropriated funds, or exchange. This subsection also 
authorizes the Secretary to acquire personal property 
appropriate for interpretation at the Historical Park.
    Subsection (c) authorizes the Secretary to enter into 
cooperative agreements with interested entities and individuals 
to provide for the preservation and use of the Historical Park.
    Subsection (d) repeals a superseded law.
    Subsection (e) states that any reference in a law, map, 
regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United 
States to the ``Edison National Historic Site'' shall be deemed 
to be a reference to the ``Thomas Edison National Historical 
Park''.
    Section 5 authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

H.R. 2627--Act Commemorating the LITE, or Lifetime Innovations of 
        Thomas Edison

    H.R. 2627 would redesignate the Edison National Historic 
Site in New Jersey as the Thomas Edison National Historical 
Park. Based on information provided by the National Park 
Service (NPS), CBO estimates that implementing this legislation 
would have no significant effect on the federal budget.
    The proposed historical park would have the same boundaries 
as the existing historic site, and the agency's authorities to 
acquire land and execute cooperative agreements with local 
entities and operate the unit would be similar or identical to 
those under existing law. We expect that one-time costs to 
revise NPS brochures, maps, and signs would be minimal because 
most such revisions would take place in conjunction with 
scheduled reprinting and other routine maintenance. Any such 
costs would be subject to the availability of appropriated 
funds. Enacting H.R. 2627 would not affect revenues or direct 
spending.
    The legislation 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. 
The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 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. 2627. 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 H.R. 2627, as ordered reported.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    H.R. 2627, as reported, does not contain any 
congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, 
or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The views of the Administration were included in testimony 
received by the Committee at a hearing on H.R. 2627 on April 9, 
2008.

    Statement of Katherine H. Stevenson, Acting Assistant Director, 
  Business Services, National Park Service, Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for 
the opportunity to appear before you to present the views of 
the Department of the Interior on S. 2329 and H.R. 2627, bills 
to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park as the 
successor to the Edison National Historic Site.
    The Department supports enactment of these bills.
    Thomas Alva Edison was a prodigious inventor who 
revolutionized how the Nation communicated, harnessed and 
distributed power, and translated pure technology into 
commercial products. Edison National Historic Site, located in 
West Orange, New Jersey, was Thomas Edison's second research 
and development facility. After closing his first operation in 
Menlo Park, Edison established the West Orange laboratory in 
1887. The hub of Edison's manufacturing operations until his 
death in 1931, the laboratory was the most productive of all in 
terms of sheer quantity of inventions. In fact, more than half 
of Edison's 1,093 U.S. patents were developed at this location 
including his improved phonograph, the nickel-iron-alkaline 
battery, and a fluoroscope used in the first x-ray operation in 
America. It was here, too, that Edison established his motion 
picture studio, the ``Black Maria'', in 1893.
    In 1962, Congress designated the Edison Laboratory National 
Monument and Edison Home National Historic Site as the Edison 
National Historic Site. Glenmont, the home Edison purchased in 
1886, and lived in with his second wife, Mina Miller Edison, is 
located in nearby Llewellyn Park. The 29-room mansion is built 
of wood, brick and stone and typifies the eclectic Queen Anne 
style popular in the 1880s and 1890s. Both Edison and his 
second wife are buried behind Glenmont.
    S. 2329 and H.R. 2627 would redesignate the Edison National 
Historic Site as the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. We 
believe this redesignation to be appropriate for two main 
reasons. First, the term ``National Historical Park'' generally 
applies to parks that extend beyond single properties or 
buildings. This unit of the National Park System includes both 
the laboratory in West Orange and the separate home established 
by Edison in nearby Llewellyn Park, one mile away. They are two 
distinct units with different interpretive themes, resource 
management issues, and operational challenges.
    Second, with completion of the current rehabilitation 
project at the laboratory complex, the unit's complexity will 
increase and the term ``National Historic Site'' no longer 
adequately reflects the nature of the various themes that will 
be interpreted to serve the expected increase in visitation. 
Educational and interpretive programs linking the laboratory 
and the Edison home will become more sophisticated and are 
better represented by the term ``National Historical Park'' to 
reflect these non-contiguous parcels with a shared link to 
Thomas Edison.
    Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement and I will be 
happy to answer any questions that you or members of the 
Committee 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 bill, H.R. 2627, as 
ordered reported.

                                  
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