[House Report 115-931]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress    }                                     {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                     {     115-931

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



 
                       NATIONAL NORDIC MUSEUM ACT

                                _______
                                

 September 10, 2018.--Referred to the House Calendar 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 S. 2857]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2857) to designate the Nordic Museum in Seattle, 
Washington, as the ``National Nordic Museum'', 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 S. 2857 is to designate the Nordic Museum in 
Seattle, Washington, as the ``National Nordic Museum''.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    From the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, about 2.5 million 
people immigrated to the United States from the five Nordic 
nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.\1\ 
They came to find new homes and livelihoods in the United 
States as they were seeking religious freedom and available 
farmland after experiencing repeated crop failures and 
religious persecution in their native lands.\2\ They settled 
primarily in the Midwest, with many eventually moving to the 
Pacific Northwest. Today, millions of Americans trace their 
ancestry to the Nordic countries.\3\
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    \1\``Scandinavian Immigration.'' Harvard University Library Open 
Collections Program. Immigration to the United States 1789-1930. http:/
/ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/scandinavian.html.
    \2\``Immigration . . . Scandinavian.'' Library of Congress. 
Classroom Materials for Teachers. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/
classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/
immigration/scandinavian.html.
    \3\United States Census 2010. ``Total Ancestry Reported.'' American 
Community Survey. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/
jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_5YR_
B04003&prodType=table.
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    Founded in 1980, the Nordic Museum in Seattle, Washington, 
is the only museum in the United States dedicated to the 
history, culture, and art of all five Nordic nations. The 
Museum highlights Nordic-American contributions in the United 
States and collects, preserves, and educates visitors about 
Nordic history, art and cultural traditions.\4\
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    \4\``About Us.'' Nordic Museum website. http://nordicmuseum.org/
about.
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    The Museum has been a mainstay of Ballard, a Seattle 
neighborhood built by Nordic immigrants. The Museum's new 
57,000 square-foot facility opened on May 5, 2018, with 
contributions from the City of Seattle, King County, the State 
of Washington, the Nordic Council (composed of representatives 
from the national parliaments of Nordic countries), the 
national museums of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and 
Sweden, as well as many private individuals and foundations.\5\
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    \5\``The New Nordic Museum.'' Nordic Museum website. http://
nordicmuseum.org/future.
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    S. 2857 will officially designate the Nordic Museum in 
Seattle, Washington, as the National Nordic Museum. The Museum 
will not be a unit of, or affiliated with, the National Park 
System. The designation will not require federal funds to be 
expended for any purpose related to the Museum.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    S. 2857 was introduced on May 16, 2018, by Senator Maria 
Cantwell (D-WA). The bill passed the Senate by voice vote on 
June 6, 2018. In the House, the bill was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On September 5, 2018, 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.

            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

    1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974. 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 enclosed cost estimate for 
the bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 10, 2018.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
reviewed S. 2857, the National Nordic Museum Act, as ordered 
reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on 
September 5, 2018.
    The legislation would designate the Nordic Museum in 
Seattle, Washington, as the National Nordic Museum and would 
require that federal funds not be expended for that 
designation. CBO estimates that enacting S. 2857 would have not 
significant effect on the federal budget and would not affect 
direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting S. 2857 would not increase net 
direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    S. 2857 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    On June 8, 2018, CBO transmitted a cost estimate of S. 
2857, the National Nordic Museum Act, as passed by the Senate 
on June 6, 2018. The two versions of the legislation are 
identical, and CBO's estimates of their budgetary effects are 
the same.
    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.

    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 designate the Nordic Museum in 
Seattle, Washington, as the ``National Nordic Museum''.

                           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]