[Senate Report 111-367]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 694
111th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     111-367

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 TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO HIRE VETERANS AND 
   MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO ASSIST THE CORPS WITH CURATION AND 
        HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

               December 14, 2010.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Mrs. Boxer, from the Committee on Environment and Public Works, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 5282]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 
referred a bill (H.R. 5282), to provide funds to the Army Corps 
of Engineers to hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces 
to assist the Corps with curation and historic preservation 
activities, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon and recommends that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 5282 is to develop a Veterans' Curation 
Program to hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces to 
assist the Secretary in carrying out curation and historic 
preservation activities.

                    GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

    H.R. 5282 directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through 
the Chief of Engineers, to develop a Veterans' Curation Program 
to hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces to assist the 
Secretary in carrying out curation and historic preservation 
activities and authorizes appropriations for these activities 
for fiscal years 2011-15.
    The Corps of Engineers (Corps) has already established a 
pilot Veterans' Curation Program through its Mandatory Center 
of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological 
Collections (MCX-CMAC), based out of the Corps' St. Louis 
District offices. The program was established to give veterans 
valuable professional skills and to help the Corps work through 
a backlog of archaeological artifacts, images, and records from 
decades of engineering projects to meet its responsibilities 
under federal laws for historic preservation. Using $3.5 
million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 
established three pilot projects in Augusta, Georgia; St. 
Louis, Missouri; and Washington, D.C. H.R. 5282 would authorize 
funding for fiscal years 2011-2015 to continue this program.

                     OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGISLATION

    This bill would authorize the Secretary of the Army, acting 
through the Chief of Engineers, to develop a Veterans' Curation 
Program that will hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces 
to help carry out curation and historic preservation 
activities.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Findings

    Section 1 sets out the findings for the bill.

Sec. 2. Training and employment for veterans and members of the armed 
        services in curation and historic preservation

    Section 2(a) directs the Secretary of the Army, acting 
through the Chief of Engineers, to develop a Veterans' Curation 
Program to hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces to 
assist the Corps with its curation and historic preservation 
activities.
    Section 2(b) authorizes appropriations totaling $35 million 
for fiscal years 2011 through 2015 to implement this program.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 5282 was introduced by Representative John Barrow (GA) 
on May 12, 2010, and has 45 co-sponsors. H.R. 5282 was reported 
favorably with an amendment in the nature of a substitute by 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
of Representatives on July 29, 2010. The House of 
Representatives passed the bill by voice vote on September 15, 
2010.
    The bill was received in the Senate, read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The 
Committee on Environment and Public Works met to consider H.R. 
5282 on November 30, 2010, and ordered the bill favorably 
reported by voice vote.

                             ROLLCALL VOTES

    The Committee on Environment and Public Works ordered H.R. 
5282 favorably reported by voice vote.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

    In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee finds that H.R. 
5282 does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor 
will it cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of 
individuals.

                          MANDATES ASSESSMENT

    In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4), the committee finds that H.R. 5282 would 
not impose Federal intergovernmental unfunded mandates on 
State, local, or tribal governments.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                                  December 2, 2010.
Hon. Barbara Boxer,
Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5282, a bill to 
provide funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to hire veterans 
and members of the Armed Forces to assist the Corps with 
curation and historic preservation activities, and for other 
purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Aurora 
Swanson.
            Sincerely,
                                              Douglas W. Elmendorf.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 5282--A bill to provide funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to 
        hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces to assist the 
        Corps with curation and historic preservation activities, and 
        for other purposes

    Summary: H.R. 5282 would authorize appropriations totaling 
$35 million over the 2011-2015 period for the Corps of 
Engineers to develop a program to hire veterans to assist the 
Corps with its curation and historic preservation activities. 
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates 
that implementing H.R. 5282 would cost $32 million over the 
2011-2015 period. Enacting the legislation would not affect 
direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures do not apply.
    H.R. 5282 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of H.R. 5282 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                                   ---------------------------------------------
                                                                     2011   2012   2013   2014   2015  2011-2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATIONAuthorization Level...............................................      5      6      7      8      9        35
Estimated Outlays.................................................      3      5      7      8      9        32
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R. 
5282 will be enacted by the end of calendar year 2010 and that 
funds authorized will be appropriated for each year. Estimated 
outlays are based on information provided by the Corps of 
Engineers.
    Pay-As-You-Go considerations: None.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 5282 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
tribal governments.
    Previous CBO estimate: On August 10, 2010, CBO transmitted 
a cost estimate for H.R. 5282 as ordered reported by the House 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on July 29, 
2010. The two versions of the legislation are similar, and the 
estimated costs are the same.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Aurora Swanson; Impact 
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: J'nell Blanco; Impact 
on the Private Sector: Amy Petz.
    Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    Section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate 
requires the committee to publish changes in existing law made 
by the bill as reported. Passage of this bill will make no 
changes to existing law.

                                  
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