[House Report 115-436]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



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115th Congress    }                                  {  Rept. 115-436
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                  {        Part 2
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TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND THE DIRECTOR OF 
    THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO ENTER INTO COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT 
 AGREEMENTS FOR THE OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND MANAGEMENT OF UNITS OF 
  THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND FOR OTHER 
                                PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

December 5, 2017.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House of 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. 2897]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2897) to authorize the Mayor of the District of 
Columbia and the Director of the National Park Service to enter 
into cooperative management agreements for the operation, 
maintenance, and management of units of the National Park 
System in the District of Columbia, 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. 2897 is to authorize the Mayor of the 
District of Columbia and the Director of the National Park 
Service to enter into cooperative management agreements for the 
operation, maintenance, and management of units of the National 
Park System in the District of Columbia.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    Under Article 1, section 8, clause 17 of the U.S. 
Constitution, the Congress has plenary authority over all 
matters related to the District of Columbia. While Public Law 
93-198 and other statutes have devolved certain federal powers 
to the District, there is no federal law that specifically 
governs cooperative management agreements between the National 
Park Service (NPS) and the District. As such, H.R. 2897 
provides the City with the authority to enter into cooperative 
management agreements with NPS for the operation, maintenance, 
and management of NPS units in the District, including the 
design and construction of improvements.
    As of 2015, 21.7 percent of the District's total surface 
area, over 8,000 acres in total, was owned and managed by NPS. 
This area includes 24 distinct units of the National Park 
System, and many of the small urban green spaces spread 
throughout the City. A significant portion of this land is in 
disrepair--the District ranks second highest among all States 
in NPS deferred maintenance, with an estimated total deferred 
maintenance of approximately $1.2 billion.
    In March 2017, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sent a 
letter to President Trump requesting the transfer of three NPS 
sites to the city: Robert F. Kennedy Stadium; Franklin Park; 
and three public golf courses managed by NPS collectively known 
as the Langston Initiative. While to date, no steps have been 
taken to transfer any of the units, the Mayor's office has 
begun conversations with NPS to structure a cooperative 
management agreement for Franklin Park.
    The Park is currently the focus of a major restoration 
initiative headed by the Mayor's office and a local nonprofit, 
the DowntownDC Business Improvement District. The Mayor's 
office has set aside $13.9 million in local funds to construct 
new facilities and repair Franklin Park, and the DowntownDC 
Business Improvement District has reserved $750,000 annually 
for operation and maintenance of the Park. However, for any 
investment or improvement to occur, the District needs to be 
granted the authority to enter into a cooperative management 
agreement with NPS.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 2897 was introduced on June 13, 2017, by Congresswoman 
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The bill was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. The bill was additionally 
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 
On October 3, 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 voice 
vote on October 4, 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, October 17, 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. 2897, a bill to 
authorize the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the 
Director of the National Park Service to enter into cooperative 
management agreements for the operation, maintenance, and 
management of units of the National Park System in the District 
of Columbia, and for other purposes.
    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,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 2897--A bill to authorize the Mayor of the District of Columbia 
        and the Director of the National Park Service to enter into 
        cooperative management agreements for the operation, 
        maintenance, and management of units of the National Park 
        System in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes

    H.R. 2897 would authorize the District of Columbia to enter 
into cooperative management agreements (CMAs) with the National 
Parks Service (NPS) to operate and maintain NPS parks located 
within its borders. The NPS uses CMAs to establish cooperative 
practices, to address the use of shared resources that touch 
both NPS and state or local lands, and to transfer funds to 
perform work on such resources. Under current law, state and 
local governments can enter into CMAs with the NPS. The bill 
would clarify that the District of Columbia may also enter into 
such agreements.
    CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2897 would result in 
no significant cost to the federal government. According to the 
NPS, any maintenance or repair project affected by a CMA would 
generally be completed by the NPS whether or not such an 
agreement is in place. Enacting H.R. 2897 would not affect 
direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2897 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    H.R. 2897 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    On August 16, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for 
H.R. 2897, as ordered reported by the House Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform on July 19, 2017. The two 
versions of H.R. 2897 are identical 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 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 authorize the Mayor of the 
District of Columbia and the Director of the National Park 
Service to enter into cooperative management agreements for the 
operation, maintenance, and management of units of the National 
Park System in the District of Columbia.

                           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 Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

                      TITLE 54, UNITED STATES CODE




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SUBTITLE I--NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM

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CHAPTER 1017--FINANCIAL AGREEMENTS

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Sec. 101703. Cooperative management agreements

  (a) In General.--To facilitate the administration of the 
System, the Secretary, under such terms and conditions as the 
Secretary considers advisable, may enter into an agreement with 
a State or local government agency to provide for the 
cooperative management of the Federal and State or local park 
areas where a System unit is located adjacent to or near a 
State or local park area, and cooperative management between 
the Service and a State or local government agency of a portion 
of either the System unit or State or local park will allow for 
more effective and efficient management of the System unit and 
State or local park. The Secretary may not transfer 
administration responsibilities for any System unit under this 
paragraph.
  (b) Provision of Goods and Services.--Under a cooperative 
management agreement, the Secretary may acquire from and 
provide to a State or local government agency goods and 
services to be used by the Secretary and the State or local 
governmental agency in the cooperative management of land.
  (c) Assignment of Employee.--An assignment arranged by the 
Secretary under section 3372 of title 5 of a Federal, State, or 
local employee for work on any Federal, State, or local land or 
an extension of the assignment may be for any period of time 
determined by the Secretary and the State or local agency to be 
mutually beneficial.
  (d) Definition of State.--For the purposes of this section, 
the term ``State'' means each of the several States and the 
District of Columbia.

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