[House Report 116-641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


116th Congress   }                                        {    Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  2d Session     }                                        {    116-641

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


 
           
   TO PROVIDE FOR THE BOUNDARY OF THE PALO ALTO BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL 
HISTORIC PARK TO BE ADJUSTED, TO AUTHORIZE THE DONATION OF LAND TO THE 
    UNITED STATES FOR ADDITION TO THAT HISTORIC PARK, AND FOR OTHER 
                                PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

 December 14, 2020.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union 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. 4139]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 4139) to provide for the boundary of the Palo 
Alto Battlefield National Historic Park to be adjusted, to 
authorize the donation of land to the United States for 
addition to that historic park, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 4139 is to provide for the boundary of 
the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park to be 
adjusted, to authorize the donation of land to the United 
States for addition to that historic park, and for other 
purposes.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The U.S. annexation of the Republic of Texas as the 28th 
state entailed an unresolved border dispute. Mexico, which had 
not recognized the independence of Texas in the first place, 
considered the Nueces River to be the southern border of what 
it considered to be its Texas province. Texas, having recently 
won its independence, considered its southern border to be 
further south, at the Rio Grande.
    Driven by the beliefs of Manifest Destiny and the desire to 
establish the Rio Grande River as the southern boundary of the 
new state of Texas, U.S. General Zachary Taylor ordered the 
construction of Fort Texas, also called Fort Taylor, on the 
north bank of the Rio Grande near the Gulf of Mexico in March 
1846.\1\ The six-sided star-shaped fort consisted of 9-foot-
high and 15-foot-wide walls and a 20-foot-wide by 8-foot-deep 
moat encircling the fort.\2\
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    \1\See generally Nat'l Park Serv., National Register of Historic 
Places Inventory--Nomination Form, Fort Brown (1986), https://
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000811_text.
    \2\Fort Texas/Fort Brown, Nat'l Park Serv., https://www.nps.gov/
paal/learn/historyculture/siegeofforttexas.htm (last updated June 15, 
2018).
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    In early May 1846, after General Taylor had departed, 
Mexican General Mariano Arista crossed the Rio Grande with 
forces he had gathered at a fort in the city of Matamoros, 
Mexico, just across the river and began a siege.\3\ On May 3, 
1846, Mexican forces bombarded the fort from across the 
river.\4\ Meanwhile, General Arista continued north with some 
of his army in pursuit of General Taylor, and Taylor began a 
return to defend Fort Texas.\5\ On May 8, 1846, 3,200 Mexican 
soldiers prepared a blockade on the prairie of Palo Alto, 
Texas, to prevent further advancement of the U.S. forces who 
were headed back to Fort Texas--setting the stage for the first 
major battle of the Mexican-American War.\6\ The U.S. Army's 
artillery proved superior to the Mexican cannons, and the 
Army's infantry was able to fend off two flank attacks from 
Mexican cavalry troops.\7\ Following the Battle of Palo Alto, 
the generals' forces met again the next day in the Battle of 
Resaca de la Palma, which resulted in Arista's retreat and 
allowed Taylor to reach Fort Texas and end the siege.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\Id.
    \4\Id.
    \5\Nomination Form, supra note 1, at 3.
    \6\Palo Alto Battlefield, Nat'l Park Serv., https://www.nps.gov/
paal/learn/historyculture/paloalto.htm (last updated June 15, 2018).
    \7\Id.
    \8\Nomination Form, supra note 1, at 3, 11.
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    U.S. Major Jacob Brown and his troops successfully defended 
the well-constructed fort in the interim, with only two U.S. 
deaths suffered in the bombardment.\9\ Tragically, Major Brown 
was one of those casualties. The fort was renamed in his honor 
on May 17, 1846.\10\ Fort Brown would later be occupied by both 
U.S. and Confederate troops during the Civil War and remained 
an active post until around World War II.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\Fort Texas/Fort Brown, supra note 2.
    \10\Nomination Form, supra note 1, at 11.
    \11\Id. (reporting the post as abandoned in 1944); Fort Texas/Fort 
Brown, supra note 2 (describing the post as active until ``after World 
War II'').
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    Palo Alto Battlefield was designated as a National Historic 
Landmark in 1960, a National Historic Site in 1978, and a 
National Historical Park in 2009. Today, the Palo Alto 
Battlefield National Historical Park is the only unit of the 
National Park Service focused on the Mexican-American War.
    H.R. 4139 expands the boundary of Palo Alto Battlefield 
National Historical Park to include approximately 166 acres of 
land that is to be donated to the Department of the Interior. 
The donated land was the site of Fort Brown, which includes the 
remains of the last structure associated with the Mexican-
American War.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \12\Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Nat'l Parks, Forests & Pub. 
Lands of the H. Comm. on Nat. Res., 116th Cong. (Oct. 29, 2019) (not 
printed), https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/
ByEvent.aspx?EventID=110148, (statement of Filemon Vela, U.S. 
Representative), https://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II10/20191029/
110148/HHRG-116-II10-Wstate-V000132 20191029.pdf.
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                            Committee Action

    H.R. 4139 was introduced on July 30, 2019, by 
Representative Filemon Vela (D-TX). The bill was referred 
solely to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the 
Committee to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and 
Public Lands. On October 29, 2019, the Subcommittee held a 
hearing on the bill. On September 30, 2020, the Natural 
Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee 
was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were 
offered, and the bill was adopted and 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. 4139: legislative hearing by the Subcommittee on 
National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held on October 29, 
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) of rule XIII 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) 
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect to 
requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has requested 
but not received a cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of Congressional Budget Office. The Committee adopts 
as its own cost estimate the forthcoming cost estimate of the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office, should such cost 
estimate be made available before House passage of the bill.
    The Committee has requested but not received from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office a statement as to 
whether this bill contains any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    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 are to provide for the boundary of the 
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park to be adjusted and 
to authorize the donation of land to the United States for 
addition to that historic 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.

                 Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Statement

    An estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the 
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chair of 
the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the 
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee.

                           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 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 italics, and existing law in which no 
change is proposed is shown in roman):

 SECTION 3 OF THE PALO ALTO BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ACT OF 
                                  1991

SEC. 3. PALO ALTO BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

  (a) Establishment.--In order to preserve for the education, 
benefit, and inspiration of present and future generations the 
nationally significant site of the first battle of the Mexican-
American War, and to provide for its interpretation in such 
manner as to portray the battle and the Mexican-American War 
and its related political, diplomatic, military and social 
causes and consequences, there is hereby established the Palo 
Alto Battlefield National Historical Park in the State of Texas 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``historical park'').
  (b) Boundary.--
          (1) In general.--The historical park shall consist of 
        approximately 3,400 acres as generally depicted on the 
        map entitled ``Palo Alto Battlefield National 
        Historical Park'', numbered 469-80,002, and dated March 
        1991. The map shall be on file and available for public 
        inspection in the offices of the Director of the 
        National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
          (2) Additional land.--
                  (A) In general.--In addition to the land 
                described in paragraph (1), the historical park 
                shall [consist of approximately] consist of--
                          (i) the approximately 34 acres of 
                        land, as generally depicted on the map 
                        entitled ``Palo Alto Battlefield NHS 
                        Proposed Boundary Expansion'', numbered 
                        469/80,012, and dated May 21, 2008[.]; 
                        and
                          (ii) on the date that such land is 
                        donated to the United States, the 
                        approximately 166.44 acres of land 
                        generally depicted on the map entitled 
                        ``PALO ALTO BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL 
                        HISTORICAL PARK Proposed Boundary 
                        Addition, Fort Brown Unit'', numbered 
                        469/143,589, and dated April 2018.
                  (B) Availability of map.--The [map] maps 
                described in subparagraph (A) shall be on file 
                and available for public inspection in the 
                appropriate offices of the National Park 
                Service.
          (3) Legal description.--Not later than 6 months 
        [after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
        of the Interior] after the addition of lands to the 
        historic park boundary, the Secretary of the Interior 
        (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
        ``Secretary'') shall file a legal description of the 
        historical park with the Committee on Interior and 
        Insular Affairs of the United States House of 
        Representatives and with the Committee on Energy and 
        Natural Resources of the United States Senate. Such 
        legal description shall have the same force and effect 
        as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary 
        may correct clerical and typographic errors in such 
        legal description and in the maps referred to in 
        paragraphs (1) and (2). The legal description shall be 
        on file and available for public inspection in the 
        offices of the National Park Service, Department of the 
        Interior. The Secretary may, from time to time, make 
        minor revisions in the boundary of the historical park.

        Supplemental, Minority, Additional, or Dissenting Views

    None.

                                  [all]