[House Report 117-600]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


117th Congress    }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                    {      117-600

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



 
                          DEARFIELD STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

December 7, 2022.--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. 6438]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 6438) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to conduct a special resource study of the site known as 
``Dearfield'' in the State of Colorado, 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. 6438 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the site 
known as ``Dearfield'' in the State of Colorado.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 6438 would require the U.S. Department of the Interior 
(DOI) to conduct a special resource study of the site known as 
Dearfield in Weld County, Colorado, which was a historically 
Black agricultural settlement founded by Oliver Toussaint 
Jackson in 1910. While the Homestead Act of 1862 offered the 
chance for Black Americans to own land in the West, the 
predominant history of homesteading in this country has been a 
conspicuously white history.
    According to Colorado Public Radio, ``Jackson's goal in 
establishing the community was to foster middle-class self-
sufficiency for the Black community on the Eastern Plains, as 
inspired by Booker T. Washington. His original plan was to 
expand the farming community and build a sanatorium, because 
many such facilities at the time did not accept Black patients, 
or potentially an educational institution,'' but over time 
``the land remained a thriving farming community.''\1\ Per 
another source, ``By 1915, the colony had 40 farms and a 140-
acre townsite.''\2\ CPR adds that ``At its peak during World 
War I, Dearfield had two churches, a restaurant, a dance hall, 
and 300 residents. [University of Northern Colorado Professor 
of Africana Studies George] Junne said even though Dearfield 
was a Black settlement, in many ways life was more integrated 
on the Eastern Plains than in many other parts of the 
country.''\3\ The settlement was hit hard by the Great 
Depression, and today it is a ghost town of a few deteriorated 
buildings commemorated by a brief historical marker.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Bente Birkeland, Dearfield Was a Booming Black Community a 
Century Ago. Now There's a Renewed Push to Preserve the Ghost Town That 
Remains, CPR News (July 27, 2021, 4:00 am), https://www.cpr.org/2021/
07/27/dearfield-colorado-black-history-preservation/.
    \2\Charlotte West, Inside Dearfield, a Colorado Ghost Town that Was 
Once a Bustling All-Black Settlement, NBC News: NBCBLK (Feb. 28, 2019, 
3:16 PM EST), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/inside-dearfield-
colorado-ghost-town-was-once-bustling-all-black-n975716.
    \3\Birkeland, supra note 1.
    \4\West, supra note 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 6438 would take the first step toward elevating the 
story of this Black homestead community. In conducting its 
study, DOI will evaluate the national significance of the study 
area and determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the study area as a unit of the National Park 
System.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 6438 was introduced on January 20, 2022, by 
Representative Ken Buck (R-CO). 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 July 14, 2022, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. 
On July 20, 2022, 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 clause 3(c)(6) of House Rule XIII, the 
following hearing was used to develop or consider this measure: 
hearing by the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and 
Public Lands held on July 14, 2022.

            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, as well as clause 3(d) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee has received the 
following materials for the bill from the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                 Washington, DC, November 14, 2022.
Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed table summarizing estimated budgetary 
effects and mandates information for some of the legislation 
that has been ordered reported by the House Committee on 
Natural Resources during the 117th Congress.
    If you wish further details, we will be pleased to provide 
them. The CBO staff contact for each estimate is listed on the 
enclosed table.
            Sincerely,
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

           SUMMARY ESTIMATES OF LEGISLATION ORDERED REPORTED

    The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the 
Congressional Budget Office, to the extent practicable, to 
prepare estimates of the budgetary effects of legislation 
ordered reported by Congressional authorizing committees. In 
order to provide the Congress with as much information as 
possible, the attached table summarizes information about the 
estimated direct spending and revenue effects of some of the 
legislation that has been ordered reported by the House 
Committee on Natural Resources during the 117th Congress. The 
legislation listed in this table generally would have small 
effects, if any, on direct spending or revenues, CBO estimates. 
Where possible, the table also provides information about the 
legislation's estimated effects on spending subject to 
appropriation and on intergovernmental and private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

                                                     LEGISLATION ORDERED REPORTED BY THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES--ESTIMATED BUDGETARY EFFECTS AND MANDATES INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                                                                          Increases
                                                                                                                        Direct                                               Pay-as-you-  on-budget
             Bill number                        Title                    Status            Last action     Budget   spending 2023-   Revenues       Spending subject to          go       deficits    Mandates           Contact
                                                                                                          function       2032       2023-2032    appropriation, 2023-2027    procedures   beginning
                                                                                                                                                                               apply?     in 2033?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.R. 3600............................  Route 66 National        Ordered reported.......        11/17/21        300               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Madeleine Fox
                                        Historic Trail
                                        Designation Act.
                                       H.R. 3600 would designate the 2,400 miles of U.S. Highway 66 from Illinois to California as the Route 66 National Historic Trail. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3600 would not affect direct
                                        spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded
                                        Mandates Reform Act.
H.R. 4648............................  Cane River Creole        Ordered reported.......        11/17/21        300               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Madeleine Fox
                                        National Historical
                                        Park Boundary
                                        Modification Act.
                                       H.R. 4648 would add about 46 acres to the Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Louisiana. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4648 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has
                                        not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
H.R 4690.............................  Sustaining America's     Ordered reported.......        09/29/22        300       Between -          0                 Not estimated        Yes          No          No   Aurora Swanson
                                        Fisheries for the                                                             $500,000 and
                                        Future Act of 2021.                                                                   zero
                                       H.R. 4690 would authorize the appropriation of specific amounts totaling $4.1 billion over the 2023-2027 period and $0.8 billion after 2027 to mitigate damage to fish populations from climate
                                        change, overfishing, oil spills, and natural disasters. The bill also would authorize grant programs and funding assistance to fishing communities that experience economic loss from damaged
                                        fisheries. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4690 would have an insignificant effect on direct spending and no effect on revenues over the 2023-2032 period. The legislation would authorize
                                        activities that would not necessarily be covered by the authorized appropriations; thus, CBO has not estimated the full discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill contains no
                                        intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
H.R 5444.............................  Truth and Healing        Ordered reported.......        06/15/22        500               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Garrett Quenneville
                                        Commission on Indian
                                        Boarding School
                                        Policies Act.
                                       H.R. 5444 would establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies to study and report on the lasting effects of policies that placed American Indian, Alaska Native,
                                        and Native Hawaiian children in boarding schools. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5444 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of
                                        implementing the bill. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
H.R. 6438............................  Dearfield Study Act....  Ordered reported.......        07/20/22        300               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Madeleine Fox
                                       H.R. 6438 would require the Department of the Interior to study and report on the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Dearfield area in Colorado as a unit of the National Park
                                        System. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6438 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill contains no
                                        intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
H.R. 6442............................  PACTS Act..............  Ordered reported.......        07/13/22        300               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Madeleine Fox
                                       H.R. 6442 would authorize the National Park Service to enter into agreements with tribal governments, public universities, public utilities, and quasi-governmental entities to cooperatively
                                        manage adjacent parks. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6442 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill
                                        contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
H.R. 6799............................  John P. Parker Fox       Ordered reported.......        07/20/22        300               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Madeleine
                                        House Study Act.
                                       H.R. 6799 would require the Department of the Interior to study and report on the suitability and feasibility of establishing the John P. Parker House in Ohio as a unit of the National Park
                                        System. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6799 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill contains no
                                        intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
H.R. 7496............................  a bill to direct the     Ordered reported.......        07/13/22        300               0          0                 Not estimated         No          No          No   Madeleine Fox
                                        Secretary of the
                                        Interior to install a
                                        plaque at the peak of
                                        Ram Head in the Virgin
                                        Islands National Park
                                        on St. John, United
                                        States Virgin Islands,
                                        to commemorate the
                                        slave rebellion that
                                        began on St. John in
                                        1733.
                                       H.R. 7496 would direct the Department of the Interior to install a plaque at the peak of Ram Head in the United States Virgin Islands commemorating the 1733 slave rebellion. CBO estimates that
                                        enacting H.R. 7496 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the bill. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-
                                        sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Committee adopts as its own any finalized additional 
materials of the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
regarding the bill, should such materials be made available 
before House passage of the bill.
    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 authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of the site known 
as ``Dearfield'' in the State of Colorado.

                           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

    According to CBO, this bill contains no unfunded mandates 
as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

                           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.

                                  [all]