[House Report 113-592]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 113-592
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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.