[House Report 112-279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    112-279

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



 
                 REDESIGNATION OF THE NOXUBEE NATIONAL 
                            WILDLIFE REFUGE

                                _______
                                

 November 10, 2011.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 588]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 588) to redesignate the Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge, 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. 588 is to redesignate the Noxubee 
National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee 
National Wildlife Refuge.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 
1940 through lands obtained from the Resettlement 
Administration, which was a federal agency created in 1935 
during the Franklin Roosevelt Administration. Today, it is 
48,000 acres in size and is located within the three 
Mississippi counties of Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Winston. The 
Refuge is primarily comprised of 42,500 acres of bottomland and 
upland woodlands. It provides essential habitat to the 
endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, the American alligator, 
bobcat, quail, white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. Further, 
upwards of 15,000 waterfowl, primarily American widgeons, 
gadwalls, mallards and wood ducks, overwinter on the Refuge. 
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, over 125,000 
people visit the Refuge annually to participate in fishing, 
hunting, wildlife observation, wildlife photography and 
environmental education. In addition, Noxubee serves as an 
outdoor classroom for Mississippi State University and other 
local educational institutions.
    The son of a U.S. Air Force pilot, Sam D. Hamilton was born 
in 1955 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and grew up in Starkville, 
Mississippi. His first job outdoors was at the Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge where he learned how to band wood ducks and 
Canada geese, to build waterfowl pens and to appreciate the 
value of managing wildlife habitat. Hamilton was a 1977 
graduate of Mississippi State University and had a 
distinguished 30-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service. Prior to his confirmation as Director, he served as 
Regional Director of the Service's Southeast Region in Atlanta, 
Georgia, where he successfully managed a $484 million dollar 
budget, 1,500 federal employees, 128 national wildlife refuges 
and more than 350 federally-listed threatened and endangered 
species.
    Sam Hamilton was selected as Director of the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service by President Barack Obama and was sworn in as 
its 15th Director of the Service on September 15, 2009. 
Tragically, Hamilton died of a heart attack on February 20, 
2010, at the age of 54. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 
described Hamilton as, ``a friend, a visionary and a 
professional whose years of service and passionate dedication 
to his work have left an indelible mark on the lands and 
wildlife we cherish.''
    H.R. 588 would rename the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge 
in Mississippi as the Sam D. Hamilton National Wildlife Refuge. 
An identical proposal, S. 266, was introduced on February 3, 
2011, by Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS). The National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the 
Friends of the Noxubee Refuge for new signs and any other 
capital improvements that may be necessary to rename the 
refuge.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 588 was introduced on February 9, 2011, by Congressman 
Gregg Harper (R-MS). The bill was referred to the House 
Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular 
Affairs. On April 7, 2011, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, 
Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs held a hearing on the 
bill. On October 5, 2011, the Full Resources Committee met to 
consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, 
Oceans, and Insular Affairs was discharged by unanimous 
consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered 
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 
consent.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                  Washington, DC, October 25, 2011.
Hon. Doc Hastings,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
reviewed H.R. 588, a bill to redesignate the Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge as the ``Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge,'' as ordered reported by the House Committee 
on Natural Resources on October 5, 2011.
    CBO estimates that enacting this legislation would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget and would not affect 
direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures do not apply. The bill contains no intergovernmental 
or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates 
Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or 
tribal governments.
    On July 6, 2011, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
266, an act to redesignate the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge 
as the ``Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge,'' as 
ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on 
June 15, 2011. The two pieces of legislation are similar, and 
the estimated costs are the same.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jeff LaFave.
            Sincerely,
                                      Douglas W. Elmendorf,
                                                          Director.

    2. Section 308(a) of 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. CBO estimates that 
enacting this legislation would have no significant impact on 
the federal budget and would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    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 redesignate the Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National 
Wildlife Refuge.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    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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