[House Report 115-856]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress   }                                  {         Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                  {         115-856

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



 
           QUINDARO TOWNSITE NATIONAL COMMEMORATIVE SITE ACT

                                _______
                                

 July 23, 2018.--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. 5613]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 5613) to designate the Quindaro Townsite in 
Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Historic Landmark, 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. QUINDARO TOWNSITE NATIONAL COMMEMORATIVE SITE ACT.

  (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Quindaro Townsite 
National Commemorative Site Act''.
  (b) Definition.--In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the 
Secretary of the Interior.
  (c) Designation.--The Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as 
listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is hereby 
designated as the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site. The 
Site shall not be considered a unit of the National Park System.
  (d) Administration.--Nothing in this section shall affect the 
administration of the Quindaro Townsite by Kansas City or the State of 
Kansas.
  (e) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
State of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, and affected subdivisions, may 
enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate public or private 
entities, for the purposes of protecting historic resources at Quindaro 
Townsite and providing educational and interpretive programs for the 
public.
  (f) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide technical 
assistance to any entity with which the Secretary has entered into a 
cooperative agreement under subsection (e).
  (g) Effect on Private Property, Local Land Use, and Land Acquisition 
Authority.--Nothing in this Act authorizes the Secretary to--
          (1) interfere with private property rights, or any local 
        zoning ordinance or land use plan of the State or any political 
        subdivision of the State; or
          (2) acquire land or interests in land through condemnation or 
        otherwise.

    Amend the title so as to read:
    A bill to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, 
Kansas, as a National Commemorative Site.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 5613, as ordered reported, is to 
designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a 
National Commemorative Site.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 5613 would designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas 
City, Kansas, as a National Commemorative Site. The Quindaro 
Townsite is on the National Register of Historic Places (listed 
in 2002) and is part of the National Underground Railroad 
Network to Freedom. The site preserves the ruins of a frontier 
town on the Missouri River, which was founded in 1857 to be a 
free-state port of entry during the Kansas Territory's fight 
over the question of slavery. Other prominent river towns in 
the Territory at that time were pro-slavery. The town's 
residents included Euro-Americans, freed African Americans, and 
members of the Wyandot Tribe.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\National Register of Historic Place Registration Form for 
Quindaro Townsite. April 5, 2002. https://www.kshs.org/resource/
national_register/nominationsNRDB/WyandotteCounty_Quindaro 
TownsiteNR.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Quindaro area was the location of an African American 
refugee settlement that began during the Civil War. It was also 
the site of the Freedman's University and its successor 
institution, Western University, the first black university in 
Kansas.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Local stakeholders have long sought to elevate the status 
of the Quindaro Townsite, including an effort to have the site 
listed as a National Historic Landmark. In 2017 in response to 
an inquiry letter from a local stakeholder regarding potential 
National Historic Landmark status, the National Park Service 
recommended that Quindaro supporters expand research of the 
site to identify possible national significance and then submit 
a comprehensive National Historic Landmark nomination package.
    The bill as introduced proposed designating Quindaro 
Townsite as a National Historic Landmark. During consideration 
of the bill, the Committee recognized the national significance 
of the Townsite by amending the bill to establish the Quindaro 
Townsite National Commemorative Site. Designation as a National 
Commemorative Site will enable the owners of the Townsite to 
use National Park Service branding and receive National Park 
Service technical assistance. Similar designation status has 
been applied to the Charleston National Commemorative Site in 
Arkansas (Public Law 105-277) and the Kennedy-King National 
Commemorative Site in Indiana (Public Law 115-163).
    A companion bill, S. 2895, has been introduced in the 
Senate by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS).

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 5613 was introduced on April 25, 2018, by Congressman 
Kevin Yoder (R-KS). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on Federal Lands. On June 21, 2018, the Subcommittee held a 
hearing on the legislation. On July 11, 2018, 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.

            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 19, 2018.
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. 5613, the Quindaro 
Townsite National Commemorative Site Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani 
Shankaran.
            Sincerely,
                                             Mark P. Hadley
                                        (For Keith Hall, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 5613--Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site Act

    H.R. 5613 would designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas 
City, Kansas, as the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative 
Site.
    Under H.R. 5613, the National Park Service could provide 
technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements with 
public and private entities for interpretive and educational 
purposes related to the site, which would not be owned or 
operated by the federal government. Based on the costs of 
similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5613 
would cost less than $500,000; such spending would be subject 
to the availability of appropriated funds.
    Enacting H.R. 5613 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5613 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    H.R. 5613 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani 
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed 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 as ordered reported, is to designate 
Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National 
Commemorative 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 to existing 
law.

                                  [all]