[House Report 113-191]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    113-191

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



 
           NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY LAND CONVEYANCE ACT OF 2013

                                _______
                                

 September 10, 2013.--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 S. 304]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (S. 304) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
convey to the State of Mississippi 2 parcels of surplus land 
within the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and for other 
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon 
without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of S. 304 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to convey to the State of Mississippi two parcels of 
surplus land within the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Natchez Trace Parkway extends 444 miles from Nashville, 
Tennessee, through the northwestern corner of Alabama, to 
Natchez, Mississippi. Congress authorized construction of the 
Natchez Trace Parkway and designated it as a unit of the 
National Park System in 1938.
    The southern terminus in Natchez, Mississippi, was the 
final section of the Parkway constructed and completed in 2005. 
For years prior to its completion, it was uncertain where the 
Parkway would terminate. The State of Mississippi acquired and 
donated two different parcels of land to the National Park 
Service (NPS) to accommodate a variety of possible construction 
alternatives. After the Parkway's completion, the land acquired 
for those alternate termination points remained unused by NPS.
    The unused property includes two parcels: the Bean field 
and the Feltus property, 38 and 29 acres respectively. The City 
of Natchez wishes to develop the Bean field parcel as a 
recreational complex, and NPS seeks to return the unused 
parcels back to the State.
    S. 304 would authorize the transfer of 67 acres of 
identified unused Federal land back to the State, and adjust 
the boundary of the Parkway to exclude the conveyed land and 
include 10 acres of lands already managed by NPS.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    S. 304 was introduced on February 13, 2013, by Senator Thad 
Cochran (R-MS). On June 19, 2013, the bill passed the Senate by 
unanimous consent without amendment. The bill was then referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee 
to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental 
Regulation. On July 19, 2013, the Subcommittee held a hearing 
on the bill. On July 24, 2013, the full Resources Committee met 
to consider S. 304. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and 
Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. 
No amendments were offered and the bill was adopted and 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:

S. 304--Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act of 2013

    S. 304 would require the National Park Service (NPS) to 
convey about 67 acres of property in the Nachez Trace Parkway 
to the state of Mississippi. The legislation also would adjust 
the boundaries of the parkway to include 10 additional acres. 
Based on information provided by NPS, CBO estimates that 
implementing the act would have no significant impact on the 
federal budget. Enacting S. 304 would not affect direct 
spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do 
not apply.
    S. 304 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.
    On March 27, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
304, the Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act of 2013, as 
ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources on March 14, 2013. The two versions of the 
legislation are identical, and the CBO cost estimates are the 
same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von 
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    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. Based on 
information provided by NPS, CBO estimates that implementing 
the act would have no significant impact on the federal budget.
    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 direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to convey to the State of Mississippi two parcels of 
surplus land within the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway.

                           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.

                       COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

    Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that 
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any 
specific rule-making proceedings.
    Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not 
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government 
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was 
not included in any report from the Government Accountability 
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program 
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 
98-169) as relating to other programs.

                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.

                                  
