[House Report 113-592]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     113-592

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



 
              WEST HUNTER STREET BAPTIST CHURCH STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

 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 H.R. 4119]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 4119) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resource study of the West Hunter Street 
Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``West Hunter Street Baptist Church 
Study Act''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

  (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special 
resource study of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church, 
located at 775 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SW., Atlanta, Georgia and 
the block on which the church is located.
  (b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall--
          (1) evaluate the national significance of the site;
          (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of designating 
        the area as a unit of the National Park System;
          (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, 
        and interpretation of the site by Federal, State, or local 
        governmental entities, or private and nonprofit organizations;
          (4) consult with interested Federal, State, or local 
        governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations or 
        any other interested individuals;
          (5) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, 
        development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance 
        associated with the alternatives;
          (6) consider the effect of the designation of the study area 
        as a unit of the National Park System on--
                  (A) existing commercial and recreational activities, 
                including but not limited to hunting, fishing, and 
                recreational shooting, and on the authorization, 
                construction, operation, maintenance, or improvement of 
                energy production and transmission infrastructure; and
                  (B) the authority of State and local governments to 
                manage those activities.
          (7) identify any authorities, including condemnation, that 
        will compel or permit the Secretary to influence or participate 
        in local land use decisions (such as zoning) or place 
        restrictions on non-Federal lands if the study area is 
        designated a unit of the National Park System.
  (c) Notification of Private Property Owners.--Upon commencement of 
the study, owners of private property adjacent to the area will be 
notified of the study's commencement and scope.
  (d) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall be 
conducted in accordance with the National Park System General 
Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
  (e) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are 
first made available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
the Senate a report containing the results of the study and any 
conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 4119 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of the West Hunter 
Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    During the Civil Rights movement, the West Hunter Street 
Baptist Church served as a headquarters for many civil rights 
workers and organizers. Founded in 1881 as the Friendship 
Baptist Church, the congregation later moved in 1906 to a stone 
building on West Hunter Street, which was later renamed Martin 
Luther King Jr. Drive. During the Civil Rights movement, the 
church, and the block on which it is located, became a center 
for the movement. It held many civil rights mass meetings, 
strategy sessions and nonviolent conflict resolution training. 
The church was the site of leadership meetings, and doubled as 
a school for nonviolent protest during initiatives such as the 
Voter Education Project and the Freedom Summer of 1964. It was 
also a spiritual refuge for the men and women who worked for 
equal rights. In 1973, the congregation moved to a new location 
on what was then called Gordon Street.
    H.R. 4119 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resource study on the West Hunter Street 
Church located at 775 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW. in 
Atlanta, Georgia, and the block on which the church is located, 
to determine if it meets the criteria for designation as a unit 
in the National Park System.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 4119 was introduced on February 28, 2014, by 
Congressman Henry ``Hank'' Johnson (D-GA). The bill was 
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 Full Natural Resources 
Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Public 
Lands and Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous 
consent. Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) offered an amendment 
designated #1 to the bill; the amendment was adopted by 
unanimous consent. No further amendments were offered, and the 
bill, as amended, was then 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:

H.R. 4119--West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act

    H.R. 4119 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resources study of the West Hunter Street 
Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, to evaluate the suitability 
and feasibility of including the site in the National Park 
System. Based on information provided by the National Park 
Service and assuming the availability of appropriated funds, 
CBO estimates that conducting the study would cost about 
$150,000 over the next three years.
    Enacting H.R. 4119 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    H.R. 4119 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.
    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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase 
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. Based on 
information provided by the National Park Service and assuming 
the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that 
conducting the study would cost about $150,000 over the next 
three years.
    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 conduct a special resource study of the West Hunter 
Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

                           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, the bill would make no changes in existing law.

                                  
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