[House Report 116-228]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
116th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 116-228
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TO RENAME THE OYSTER BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AS THE CONGRESSMAN
LESTER WOLFF OYSTER BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
_______
October 11, 2019.--Committed to the House Calendar and ordered to be
printed
_______
Mr. Grijalva, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 263]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 263) to rename the Oyster Bay National Wildlife
Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National
Wildlife Refuge, 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. 263 is to rename the Oyster Bay
National Wildlife Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster
Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Lester Lionel Wolff, born January 4, 1919, served as a
public servant for the people of New York as a Member of the
United States House of Representatives for 16 years.\1\ A
product of New York public schools, Wolff attended New York
University, where he would later become a lecturer, and he
served as a member of the Civil Air Patrol.\2\ Wolff was
elected to Congress in 1964.\3\ During his time here, he served
as Chair of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the
House Committee on International Relations\4\ and the Select
Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.\5\ He is currently
the oldest living former Member of Congress.\6\
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\1\Wolff, Lester Lionel, (1919-), Biographical Directory of the
U.S. Cong., http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/
biodisplay.pl?index=W000680 (last visited Oct. 7, 2019).
\2\Id.
\3\Id.
\4\Legislative Review Activities of the Committee on International
Relations, H.R. Rep. No. 104-883, at 146, 147 (1997).
\5\Wolff, Lester Lionel, (1919-), supra note 1.
\6\Press Release, Office of Thomas Suozzi, U.S. Representative,
Suozzi Wishes Rep. Lester Wolff, the Oldest Living Former Member of
Congress, a Happy 100th Birthday and Honors Him in Official
Congressional Record (Jan. 4, 2019), https://suozzi.house.gov/media/
press-releases/suozzi-wishes-rep-lester-wolff-oldest-living-former-
member-congress-happy-100th.
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In 1968, Wolff successfully pushed to create the Oyster Bay
National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), on the north shore of Long
Island. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the
Oyster Bay NWR is the largest refuge in the Long Island
National Wildlife Refuge Complex and receives the most public
use of all such refuges.\7\ Today, it is a key habitat for
migratory waterfowl including black ducks, greater scaup,
bufflehead, canvasback, and long-tailed ducks.\8\
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\7\About the Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serv., https://
www.fws.gov/refuge/Oyster_Bay/about.html (last updated Dec. 2, 2013).
\8\Id.
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H.R. 263 renames the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge as
the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife
Refuge.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 263 was introduced on January 4, 2019, by
Representative Thomas Suozzi (D-NY). The bill was referred
solely to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the
Committee to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
On September 18, 2019, 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.
HEARINGS
For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 of the
116th Congress--the following hearing was used to develop or
consider H.R. 263: full committee markup held on September 18,
2019.
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, September 23, 2019.
Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
reviewed H.R. 263, a bill to rename the Oyster Bay National
Wildlife Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay
National Wildlife Refuge, as ordered reported by the House
Committee on Natural Resources on September 18, 2019.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 263 would have no
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 the
legislation would not increase on-budget deficits in any of the
four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2030.
H.R. 263 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director.
Enclosure.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required
by clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goals
and objectives of this bill is to rename the Oyster Bay
National Wildlife Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster
Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
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.
UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT STATEMENT
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of
the federal government known to be duplicative of another
program.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL LAW
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes to existing
law.
SUPPLEMENTAL, MINORITY, ADDITIONAL, OR DISSENTING VIEWS
None.
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