[House Report 113-589]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     113-589

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  TO AMEND THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL DEVELOPMENT ACT TO EXTEND TO 
[SIC] THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK COMMISSION

                                _______
                                

 September 15, 2014.--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. 476]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (S. 476) to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 
Development Act to extend to [sic] the Chesapeake and Ohio 
Canal National Historical Park Commission, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommend that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of S. 476 is to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio 
Canal Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 
National Historical Park Commission.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    S. 476 would extend the authorization of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio (C&O) Canal National Historical Park Commission for 10 
years. The current authorization expired in January 2011 and 
was originally authorized in 1971. The responsibility of the 
Commission is to advise the Secretary of the Interior on 
matters related to the park. The C&O Canal Park stretches 185 
miles along the shoreline of the Potomac River. The Commission 
was intended to provide the diverse jurisdictions a seat at the 
table on topics involving the canal. The Commission is 
comprised of 19 members, with 8 chosen at the recommendation of 
the counties, 8 from the governors of Virginia, West Virginia, 
Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The final three, 
including the Chairman, are appointed by the Secretary of the 
Interior.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    S. 476 was introduced on March 6, 2013, by Senator Benjamin 
Cardin (D-MD). On July 9, 2014, the bill passed the Senate by 
unanimous consent with an 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 29, 2014, the Subcommittee held a hearing 
on the bill. On July 30, 2014, the Natural Resources Committee 
met to consider S. 476. 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. 476--An act to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act 
        to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical 
        Park Commission

    S. 476 would extend the authorization of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission for an 
additional 10 years. The Commission's original authority 
expired in 2011. Based on information provided by the National 
Park Service, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation 
would have no significant effect on the federal budget. 
Commission members would serve without compensation; however, 
certain expenses could be reimbursed. CBO estimates that those 
payments would be small.
    Enacting S. 476 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    S. 476 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 May 29, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 476 
as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources on May 16, 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 Peter H. Fontaine, 
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, credit authority, spending authority, or an increase 
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. Based on 
information provided by the National Park Service, CBO 
estimates that implementing the legislation would have no 
significant effect 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 amend the Chesapeake and Ohio 
Canal Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 
National Historical Park Commission.

                           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.

                                  
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