[House Report 115-822]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress    }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                    {      115-822

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



 
AMENDING THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES CENTENNIAL COMMISSION 
  ACT TO EXTEND THE EXPIRATION DATE OF THE COMMISSION, AND FOR OTHER 
                                PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

 July 16, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Gowdy, from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 4446]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 4446) to amend the Virgin Islands 
of the United States Centennial Commission Act to extend the 
expiration date of the Commission, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Summary and Purpose of Legislation...............................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     2
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     2
Legislative History..............................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Roll Call Votes..................................................     3
Explanation of Amendments........................................     3
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     3
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     3
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     3
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     3
Unfunded Mandates Statement......................................     4
Earmark Identification...........................................     4
Committee Estimate...............................................     4
New Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost 
  Estimate.......................................................     4
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................     5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     5
    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SEC. 1. AMENDMENT.

  The Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act 
(Public Law 114-224) is amended--
          (1) in section 7(b), by striking ``January 31, 2018'' and 
        inserting ``January 31, 2019''; and
          (2) in section 10, by striking ``September 30, 2018'' and 
        inserting ``September 30, 2019''.

                   Summary and Purpose of Legislation

    H.R. 4446 extends the Virgin Islands of the United States 
Centennial Commission to September 30, 2019, and delays the 
deadline for the final report of the Commission to January 31, 
2019.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial 
Commission Act was signed into law on September 29, 2016.\1\ 
The Commission's charge is to plan and carry out events 
commemorating the 100th anniversary of the transfer of the 
Virgin Islands from Denmark to the United States. The 
Centennial occurred on March 31, 2017. However, the appointment 
of two members of the Commission was delayed by more than one 
year, and hurricane recovery efforts made Centennial 
celebrations impossible in the latter part of 2017. As a 
result, the Commission has not convened, and no events have 
been planned or carried out to date. Because the Commission has 
not held any meetings or events, there is no final report 
available detailing the Commission's activities. H.R. 4446 
delays the expiration of the Commission and the deadline for 
submitting the final report by one year to give the Commission 
more time to plan events celebrating this important event in 
American history.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Pub. L. No. 114-224 (2016).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the previous section.

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance 
goal or objective for this bill is to extend the duration of 
the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission 
by one year.

                          Legislative History

    On November 16, 2017, Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) 
introduced H.R. 4446, a bill to amend the Virgin Islands of the 
United States Centennial Commission Act to extend the 
expiration date of the Commission, and for other purposes. H.R. 
4446 was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform. The Committee considered H.R. 4446 at a business 
meeting on March 15, 2018 and ordered the bill favorably 
reported, as amended, by voice vote.

                        Committee Consideration

    On March 15, 2018, the Committee met in open session and, 
with a quorum being present, ordered the bill favorably 
reported, as amended, by voice vote.

                            Roll Call Votes

    There were no roll call votes requested or conducted during 
Committee consideration of H.R. 4446.

                       Explanation of Amendments

    During Committee consideration of the bill, Representative 
Glenn Grothman (R-WI), offered an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute to remove a provision allowing the Delegate from the 
Virgin Islands to appoint a member of the Commission, if the 
Governor of the Virgin Islands fails to do so by the required 
deadline. The amendment also removes a provision repealing the 
prohibition on authorization or obligation of federal funds to 
carry out the Act. The Grothman amendment was adopted by a 
voice vote.

              Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a 
description of the application of this bill to the legislative 
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services and accommodations. 
This bill extends the duration of the Virgin Islands of the 
United States Centennial Commission by one year. As such, this 
bill does not relate to employment or access to public services 
and accommodations.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    In accordance with clause 2(c)(5) of rule XIII no provision 
of this bill establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
Federal Government known to be duplicative of another Federal 
program, a program that was included in any report from the 
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

                  Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings

    This bill does not direct the completion of any specific 
rule makings within the meaning of section 551 of title 5, 
United States Code.

                     Federal Advisory Committee Act

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of Section 5(b) of the appendix to title 5, 
United States Code.

                      Unfunded Mandates Statement

    Pursuant to section 423 of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act (Pub. L. 113-67) the Committee has 
included a letter received from the Congressional Budget Office 
below.

                         Earmark Identification

    This bill does not include any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9 of rule XXI of the House of Representatives.

                           Committee Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(2)(B) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee includes below a 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

   New Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the House of 
Representatives, the cost estimate prepared by the 
Congressional Budget Office and submitted pursuant to section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is as follows:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, March 20, 2018.
Hon. Trey Gowdy,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4446, a bill to 
amend the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial 
Commission Act to extend the expiration date of the Commission, 
and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                                Keith Hall,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 4446--A bill to amend the Virgin Islands of the United States 
        Centennial Commission Act to extend the expiration date of the 
        Commission, and for other purposes

    H.R. 4446 would extend the authority for the Virgin Islands 
of the United States Centennial Commission to act for one 
additional year. The Commission whose members have been 
selected but have not met, is prohibited from using 
appropriated funds.
    Enacting H.R. 4446 would affect direct spending because it 
would allow the commission to continue to accept and spend 
monetary gifts for an additional year. Therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on 
direct spending would be negligible. Enacting H.R. 4446 would 
not affect revenues.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4446 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    H.R. 4446 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    On February 20, 2018, CBO transmitted a revised cost 
estimate for H.R. 4446, an amendment in the Nature of a 
Substitute posted on the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform's website on February 6, 2018. The two pieces 
of legislation are similar and CBO's estimates of their costs 
are the same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis


Section 1. Amendment

    Section 1 amends the Virgin Islands of the United States 
Centennial Commission Act (Public Law 114-224) to extend the 
submission deadline for the final report of the Commission to 
January 31, 2019 and delay the termination date of the 
Commission to September 30, 2019.

         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 (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no 
change is proposed is shown in roman):

VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES CENTENNIAL COMMISSION ACT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SEC. 7. REPORTS.

  (a) Annual Reports.--Not later than January 31 of each year, 
and annually thereafter until the final report is submitted 
pursuant to subsection (b), the Commission shall submit to the 
President and the Congress a report on--
          (1) the activities of the Commission; and
          (2) the revenue and expenditures of the Commission, 
        including a list of each gift, bequest, or devise to 
        the Commission with a value of more than $250, 
        including the identity of the donor of each gift, 
        bequest, or devise.
  (b) Final Report.--Not later than [January 31, 2018] January 
31, 2019, the Commission shall submit a final report to the 
President and the Congress containing--
          (1) a summary of the activities of the Commission; 
        and
          (2) a final accounting of funds received and expended 
        by the Commission.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 10. TERMINATION.

  The Commission shall terminate on [September 30, 2018] 
September 30, 2019, or may terminate at an earlier date 
determined by the Commission after the final report is 
submitted pursuant to section 7(b).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


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