[House Report 114-251]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress     }                                  {        Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session       }                                  {       114-251

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



 
                      MEDGAR EVERS HOUSE STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

 September 8, 2015.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted 
                             the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 959]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 959) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to conduct a special resource study of the Medgar Evers House, 
located in Jackson, Mississippi, 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 H.R. 959 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Medgar 
Evers House, located in Jackson, Mississippi.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 959 authorizes a special resource study by the 
Secretary of the Interior of the home of the late civil rights 
activist, Medgar Evers, located in Jackson, Mississippi. The 
Evers family home was the site of the assassination of 
prominent civil rights activist Medgar Evers in 1963 by Byron 
De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens' Council. The 
home, now a museum operated by Tougaloo College, contains 
period furnishings, exhibits, and family photographs.
    The study will seek to determine the national significance 
of the Medgar Evers site. Based on the degree of significance, 
the Secretary will determine the feasibility of designating the 
site as a unit of the National Park System. During the study, 
the National Park Service will also consult and collaborate 
with various public and private entities to determine costs and 
other factors associated with the acquisition, preservation, 
and maintenance of the site.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 959 was introduced on February 12, 2015, by 
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS). The bill was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to 
the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On June 16, 2015, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On July 8, 2015, the 
Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments 
were offered and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the 
House of Representatives by unanimous consent on July 9, 2015.

            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. 959--Medgar Evers House Study Act

    H.R. 959 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
study the suitability and feasibility of designating the Medgar 
Evers House in Jackson, Mississippi, as a unit of the National 
Park System. Assuming the availability of appropriated funds, 
CBO estimates that carrying out the proposed study would cost 
about $200,000. Enacting H.R. 959 would not affect direct 
spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do 
not apply.
    H.R. 959 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.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Marin Burnett. 
The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 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. The Congressional 
Budget Office estimates that implementation of this bill would 
cost about $200,000.
    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 authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Medgar 
Evers House, located in Jackson, Mississippi.

                           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.

                                  [all]