[House Report 115-208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress  }                                      {        Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session    }                                      {       115-208

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



 
             JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE EXPANSION ACT

                                _______
                                

 July 11, 2017.--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. 1719]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1719) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, 
California, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the 
bill as amended do pass.
    The amendments are as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``John Muir National Historic Site 
Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

  In this Act:
          (1) Historic site.--The term ``Historic Site'' means the John 
        Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California, 
        established by Public Law 88-547 (78 Stat. 753).
          (2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``John Muir 
        National Historic Site Proposed Boundary Expansion'', numbered 
        426/127150, and dated November 2014.
          (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        the Interior.

SEC. 3. JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE LAND ACQUISITION.

  (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary may acquire by donation the 
approximately 44 acres of land and any interests in the land that is 
identified on the map.
  (b) Boundary.--On the acquisition of the land authorized under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall adjust the boundaries of the 
Historic Site to include the acquired land.
  (c) Administration.--The land and any interests in land acquired 
under subsection (a) shall be administered as part of the National 
Historic Site.

    Amend the title so as to read:
    A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, 
for inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site, and for 
other purposes.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 1719, as ordered reported, is to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 
approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, for 
inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The John Muir National Historic Site, established by 
Congress in 1964, is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in 
Martinez, California. The historic site preserves the 14-room 
Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer 
John Muir lived, as well as a nearby 325 acre tract of native 
oak woodlands and grasslands historically owned by the Muir 
family.
    H.R. 1719 would authorize the Department of the Interior to 
acquire, by donation, approximately 44 acres to expand the 
boundary of John Muir National Historic Site. The acreage to be 
donated is directly continuous with Mount Wanda and will allow 
for better public access to trails.
    In the 114th Congress, H.R. 1289, a bill identical to H.R. 
1719, passed the House by voice vote. Additionally, a similar 
bill introduced the 113th Congress, H.R. 5699, passed the House 
by a vote of 361-39.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 1719 was introduced on March 24, 2017, by Congressman 
Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On June 22, 2017, the Natural 
Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee 
was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob Bishop (R-
UT) offered an amendment designated #1; it was adopted by 
unanimous consent. No further amendments were offered, and the 
bill, as amended, was ordered favorably reported to the House 
of Representatives by unanimous consent on June 27, 2017.

            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 AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT

    1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. 
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the 
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, July 5, 2017.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1719, the John 
Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani 
Shankaran.
            Sincerely,
                                                        Keith Hall.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1719--John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act

    H.R. 1719 would expand and adjust the boundary of the John 
Muir National Historic Site in California to include 
approximately 44 acres of donated land. The bill stipulates 
that the land would be donated voluntarily by the Muir Heritage 
Land Trust and would be administered as part of the historic 
site.
    Based on an analysis of information provided by the 
National Park Service (NPS), CBO estimates that implementing 
H.R. 1719 would have no significant effect on the federal 
budget. Under the legislation, the additional acres could only 
be acquired through donation. Furthermore, because the NPS does 
not anticipate the need for additional resources or 
expenditures to manage the property once it is acquired, CBO 
estimates that annual costs to operate and maintain the new 
properties would be minimal.
    Enacting H.R. 1719 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO 
estimates that enacting H.R. 1719 would not increase net direct 
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 
10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    H.R. 1719 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 April 11, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
729 as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources on March 30, 2017. The two bills arc similar, 
and CBO's estimates of the budgetary effects are the same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani 
Shankaran. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill, as ordered reported, is to authorize 
the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres 
of land in Martinez, California, for inclusion in the John Muir 
National Historic Site.

                           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. This bill does not contain any 
directed rule makings.
    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]