[House Report 115-927]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress    }                                  {        Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                  {        115-927

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



 
            RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ACT

                                _______
                                

 September 7, 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. 5532]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 5532) to redesignate the Reconstruction Era 
National Monument as the Reconstruction Era National Historical 
Park, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that 
the bill as amended do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Reconstruction Era National Historical 
Park Act''.

SEC. 2. RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

  (a) Definitions.--In this section:
          (1) Historical park.--The term ``historical park'' means the 
        Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
          (2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the maps entitled 
        ``Reconstruction Era National Monument Old Beaufort 
        Firehouse,'' numbered 550/135,755 and dated January 2017; 
        ``Reconstruction Era National Monument Darrah Hall and Brick 
        Baptist Church,'' numbered 550/135,756 and dated January 2017; 
        and ``Reconstruction Era National Monument Camp Saxton,'' 
        numbered 550/135,757 and dated January 2017, collectively.
          (3) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the Reconstruction 
        Era National Historic Network established pursuant to this Act.
          (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        the Interior.
  (b) Establishment.--
          (1) Redesignation of reconstruction era national monument.--
                  (A) In general.--The Reconstruction Era National 
                Monument is redesignated as the Reconstruction Era 
                National Historical Park, as generally depicted on the 
                map.
                  (B) Availability of funds.--Any funds available for 
                the purposes of the Reconstruction Era National 
                Monument shall be available for the purposes of the 
                historical park.
                  (C) References.--Any references in a law, regulation, 
                document, record, map, or other paper of the United 
                States to the Reconstruction Era National Monument 
                shall be considered to be a reference to the historical 
                park.
          (2) Boundary expansion.--
                  (A) Beaufort national historic landmark district.--
                Subject to subparagraph (D), the Secretary is 
                authorized to acquire land or interests in land within 
                the Beaufort National Historic Landmark District that 
                has historic connection to the Reconstruction Era. Upon 
                finalizing an agreement to acquire land, the Secretary 
                shall expand the boundary of the historical park to 
                encompass the property.
                  (B) St. helena island.--Subject to subparagraph (D), 
                the Secretary is authorized to acquire the following 
                and shall expand the boundary of the historical park to 
                include acquisitions under this authority:
                          (i) Land and interests in land adjacent to 
                        the existing boundary on St. Helena Island, 
                        South Carolina, as reflected on the map.
                          (ii) Land or interests in land on St. Helena 
                        Island, South Carolina, that has a historic 
                        connection to the Reconstruction Era.
                  (C) Camp saxton.--Subject to subparagraph (D), the 
                Secretary is authorized to accept administrative 
                jurisdiction of Federal land or interests in Federal 
                land adjacent to the existing boundary at Camp Saxton, 
                as reflected on the map. Upon finalizing an agreement 
                to accept administrative jurisdiction of Federal land 
                or interests in Federal land, the Secretary shall 
                expand the boundary of the historical park to encompass 
                that Federal land or interests in Federal land.
                  (D) Land acquisition authority.--The Secretary may 
                only acquire land under this Act by donation, exchange 
                or purchase with donated funds.
  (c) Administration.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer the 
        historical park in accordance with this Act and with the laws 
        generally applicable to units of the National Park System.
          (2) Management plan.--If the management plan for the 
        Reconstruction Era National Monument--
                  (A) has not been completed on or before the date of 
                enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall incorporate 
                all provisions of this Act into the planning process 
                and complete a management plan for the historical park 
                within 3 years; and
                  (B) has been completed on or before the date of 
                enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall update the 
                plan incorporating the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 3. RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORIC NETWORK.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
          (1) establish, within the National Park Service, a program to 
        be known as the ``Reconstruction Era National Historic 
        Network'';
          (2) not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
        this Act, solicit proposals from sites interested in being a 
        part of the Network; and
          (3) administer the Network through the Reconstruction Era 
        National Historical Park.
  (b) Duties of Secretary.--In carrying out the Network, the Secretary 
shall--
          (1) review studies and reports to complement and not 
        duplicate studies of the historical importance of 
        Reconstruction Era that may be underway or completed, such as 
        the National Park Service Reconstruction Handbook and the 
        National Park Service Theme Study on Reconstruction;
          (2) produce and disseminate appropriate educational and 
        promotional materials relating to the Reconstruction Era and 
        the sites in the network, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive 
        guides, or electronic information;
          (3) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and 
        memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance;
          (4)(A) create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or device 
        for the Network; and
          (B) issue regulations for the use of the symbol or device 
        adopted under subparagraph (A); and
          (5) conduct research relating to Reconstruction and the 
        Reconstruction Era.
  (c) Elements.--The Network shall encompass the following elements--
          (1) all units and programs of the National Park Service that 
        are determined by the Secretary to relate to the Reconstruction 
        Era;
          (2) other Federal, State, local, and privately owned 
        properties that the Secretary determines--
                  (A) relate to the Reconstruction Era; and
                  (B) are included in, or determined by the Secretary 
                to be eligible for inclusion in, the National Register 
                of Historic Places; and
          (3) other governmental and nongovernmental sites, facilities, 
        and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive 
        nature that are directly related to the Reconstruction Era.
  (d) Cooperative Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.--To 
achieve the purposes of this Act and to ensure effective coordination 
of the Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network and units and 
programs of the National Park Service, the Secretary may enter into 
cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding with, and provide 
technical assistance to, the heads of other Federal agencies, States, 
units of local government, regional governmental bodies, and private 
entities.
  (e) Network Defined.--The term ``Network'' means the Reconstruction 
Era National Historic Network established pursuant to this Act.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 5532 is to redesignate the 
Reconstruction Era National Monument as the Reconstruction Era 
National Historical Park.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The years following the Civil War, known as the 
Reconstruction Era, were a time of significant transformation 
for the United States. Reconstruction addressed how the 11 
States that had seceded from the Union would be re-integrated, 
as well as how the civil rights and integration into free 
society of four million formerly enslaved individuals could be 
secured. Intense controversy and even violence erupted over 
these issues.
    During Reconstruction, Congress passed three constitutional 
amendments that permanently abolished slavery, defined 
birthright citizenship, guaranteed equal protection under the 
law, and prohibited voter discrimination based on race, color, 
or previous condition of servitude (13th, 14th, and 15th 
amendments).\1\ Congress also established the Freedmen's Bureau 
to undertake needed relief efforts and assist newly freed 
individuals with reaching full citizenship. With the assistance 
of the Bureau, African Americans established schools and 
independent churches, negotiated employment contracts, began 
voting, and were elected to political office.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\``Landmark Legislation: Thirteenth, Fourteenth, & Fifteenth 
Amendments''. The Civil War--The Senate's Story. United States Senate 
website. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/
CivilWarAmendments.htm
    \2\``African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau''. National 
Archives. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/
freedmens-bureau
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Many in the South, however, believed that these new 
official actions had been illegally imposed on them by the 
government and amplified their resistance. Election fraud and 
State laws passed to circumvent equal voting rights resulted in 
disenfranchisement for African Americans. Some Southern whites 
resorted to intimidation and violence to restore the antebellum 
social order.\3\ For a brief time, the U.S. Army was used to 
protect the rights of new voters and quell violence. In the 
late 1870s and 1880s, as Congress grew wary of using military 
force to enforce African American rights, the political tides 
turned and the Reconstruction Era came to a close.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\``The Era of Reconstruction 1861-1900''. A National Historic 
Landmarks Theme Study. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/nhl/
learn/themes/Reconstruction.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Reconstruction Era National Monument was established in 
January 2017 as a unit of the National Park System by a 
proclamation issued by President Obama under the Antiquities 
Act (54 U.S.C. 320301). It consists of a collection of 
federally-owned historic sites located in Beaufort County, 
South Carolina--an area that has been called the birthplace of 
Reconstruction.\4\ For example, Beaufort County was home to the 
``Port Royal Experiment'' initiated in 1861, just months after 
the Civil War began. With the backing of President Lincoln and 
the assistance of Northern charity organizations, 10,000 former 
slaves were allocated land and worked to build a new community 
at this site.\5\ In and around Beaufort County during 
Reconstruction, some of the first African Americans enlisted as 
soldiers and founded the first African American schools and 
hospitals. Beaufort was also the home of Robert Smalls, a 
former slave who became a political leader--serving on two 
State constitutional conventions, in the State legislature, and 
in the U.S. Congress.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\Presidential Proclamation 9567, January 12, 2017. 
``Establishment of the Reconstruction Era National Monument''. https://
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/DCPD-201700017/pdf/DCPD-201700017.pdf
    \5\``Port Royal Experiment''. VCU Libraries Social Welfare History 
Project. Virginia Commonwealth University. https://
socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/port-royal-
experiment/
    \6\``Reconstruction Era'' brochure. Reconstruction Era National 
Monument. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/reer/
planyourvisit/upload/REER-Site-Bulletin-Final_3_08_2016.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The National Park Service completed a theme study on the 
Reconstruction Era in 2017. The report reiterated the 
significance of historic sites in Beaufort County that were 
already listed as National Historic Landmarks and supported the 
decision to designate the sites as the Reconstruction Era 
National Monument. The report also recommended other locations 
in Beaufort County that could be considered for further study 
to evaluate their significance and integrity for possible 
nomination as National Historic Landmarks.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\``The Era of Reconstruction 1861-1900''. A National Historic 
Landmarks Theme Study. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/nhl/
learn/themes/Reconstruction.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 5532 designates the Reconstruction Era National 
Monument as the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park to 
provide more permanent recognition of the site. The bill also 
establishes the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, 
much like the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom 
to coordinate preservation and education efforts nationwide and 
integrate local historical places, museums and interpretative 
programs.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 5532 was introduced on April 17, 2018, by Congressman 
James E. Clyburn (D-SC). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On July 17, 2018, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing on the legislation. On July 18, 
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 additional 
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, August 30, 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. 5532, the 
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park 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,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 5532--Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Act

    H.R. 5532 would redesignate the Reconstruction Era National 
Monument in Beaufort County, South Carolina, as the 
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. The bill also 
would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to establish the 
Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, which would 
comprise existing units and programs of the NPS related to the 
history of the Reconstruction Era as well as the properties and 
programs of other federal, state, local, and private entities 
that join the network.
    Redesignating the Reconstruction Era National Monument may 
require the NPS to update maps, informational materials, and 
signage. Based on the costs of similar tasks, CBO estimates 
that those costs would be insignificant. The bill also would 
permit the NPS to acquire additional lands for that park by 
means of donation, purchase using donated funds, or through a 
land exchange. CBO has no information on whether the NPS would 
expand the park; however, based on the experience of other NPS 
units, CBO expects that any such expansion would not occur for 
several years, and any associated management costs would be 
less than $500,000 over the 2019-2023 period.
    As part of establishing the Reconstruction Era National 
Historic Network, the NPS would produce and distribute maps and 
interpretive guides, create and adopt an official symbol for 
the network, and provide assistance to participating entities. 
Using information from the NPS about the costs of administering 
similar efforts and based on the expected scope of the program, 
CBO estimates that the agency would need less than $500,000 in 
the first year following enactment for basic planning, 
developing educational materials, and coordinating activities 
with participating entities. In subsequent years, CBO estimates 
that the NPS would need about $1 million each year to manage 
the network and provide technical assistance to participating 
entities through cooperative agreements.
    In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5532 would 
cost $5 million over the 2019-2023 period; such spending would 
be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
    Enacting H.R. 5532 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5532 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    H.R. 5532 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 is to redesignate the Reconstruction Era 
National Monument as the Reconstruction Era National Historical 
Park.

                           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]