[House Report 115-210]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress    }                                           {   Report
                          HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                           {  115-210

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            SAINT FRANCIS DAM DISASTER NATIONAL MEMORIAL 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. 2156]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2156) to provide for the establishment of a 
national memorial and national monument to commemorate those 
killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 
1928, 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. 2156 is to provide for the 
establishment of a national memorial and national monument to 
commemorate those killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis 
Dam on March 12, 1928.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Saint Francis Dam was one of several large 
infrastructure projects constructed in the early 20th century 
to help control the flow of water to southern California. On 
March 12th, 1928, the dam breached, resulting in significant 
flooding that took more than 400 lives in Los Angeles County, 
California.\1\ This failure is considered one of the worst 
civil engineering failures in the 20th century and resulted in 
the resignation of William Mulholland as head of the Los 
Angeles Bureau of Water Works and Water Supply.\2\ Beyond the 
loss of life, thousands of residents lost their homes and 
experienced significant property damage due to the flood. 
Today, the site of the dam collapse and the affected areas are 
often subject to theft and vandalism.
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    \1\Harrison, Scott. ``California Retrospective St. Francis Dam 
Collapse Left a Trail of Death and Destruction.'' The L.A. Times 19 
March 2016, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-stfrancis-
dam-retrospective-20160319-story.html.
    \2\Blitz, Matt. ``On Occasions Like This, I Envy the Dead: The St. 
Francis Dam Disaster.'' Smithsonian.com 12 March 2015, http://
www.smithsonianmag.com/history/occasions-i-envy-dead-st-francis-dam-
disaster-180954543/?no-ist.
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    H.R. 2156 recognizes the devastation of the flood and its 
impact on the residents of northern Los Angeles County by 
establishing a national memorial as well as a national monument 
to preserve the affected area for future generations. The bill 
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the 
memorial via donation in consultation with the Santa Clarita 
City Council and the public. No taxpayer funds are authorized 
for the construction of the memorial.
    The bill also authorizes the creation of a 440-acre 
monument that will encompass the St. Francis Dam memorial. The 
boundaries of the monument were designated in consultation with 
interest groups in the community. Motorized access will be 
allowed within the monument and grazing will continue to be 
allowed on any land where it is already permitted. An identical 
bill (H.R. 5244) passed the House of Representatives under 
suspension of the rules by voice vote on July 5, 2016.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2156 was introduced on April 26, 2017, by Congressman 
Stephen Knight (R-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. No amendments were 
offered, and the bill 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:

                                                      July 6, 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. 2156, the Saint 
Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jeff LaFave.
            Sincerely,
                                                        Keith Hall.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 2156--Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial Act

    H.R. 2156 would establish a national monument on 440 acres 
of land administered by the Forest Service. The bill also would 
require the agency to submit recommendations to the Congress 
for a memorial to the victims of the Saint Francis Dam failure 
and to complete a management plan for the monument. CBO expects 
that the construction of the memorial or any other structures 
or improvements within the monument would be funded by 
donations.
    Based on information provided by the Forest Service 
regarding the amount of staff time required to carry out the 
activities required under the bill, CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would cost less than $130,000 (the 
estimated cost of one year's salary and benefits for a mid- to 
senior-level employee of the Forest Service in Los Angeles 
County) over the 2018-2022 period; such spending would be 
subject to the availability of appropriated funds. If in 
accordance with the recommendations provided to the Congress 
from the Forest Service any improvements were made within the 
monument, including constructing a visitor center, the cost of 
managing the monument could exceed $130,000. However, CBO 
expects that any costs associated with those improvements would 
be incurred after 2022.
    Enacting H.R. 2156 could affect direct spending by 
increasing donations, which are treated as reductions in direct 
spending, and the associated direct spending of those funds to 
construct a memorial; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures 
apply. However, CBO estimates that any net effect on direct 
spending would be negligible. Enacting the bill would not 
affect revenues.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2156 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    H.R. 2156 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 Jeff LaFave. The 
estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 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 is to provide for the establishment of a 
national memorial and national monument to commemorate those 
killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 
1928.

                           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.