[House Report 117-676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


117th Congress    }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                    {       117-676

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

 
   RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL 
ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO OUR LANDS

                                _______
                                

 December 30, 2022.--Referred 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. Res. 641]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the resolution (H. Res. 641) recognizing and celebrating the 
75th anniversary of the National Association of Conservation 
Districts and their commitment to our lands, having considered 
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the resolution be agreed to.

                       PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

    The purpose of H. Res. 641 is to recognize and celebrate 
the 75th anniversary of the National Association of 
Conservation Districts and their commitment to our lands.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Conservation districts are local units of government 
established by state laws to coordinate conservation, land and 
water resource protection, and natural resource management 
activities on public and private lands. Conservation districts 
originated in the 1930s with President Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt's recommendation that all states adopt the Standard 
State Soil Conservation Districts Act to improve soil and water 
conservation. North Carolina's Brown Creek Soil and Water 
Conservation District was the first district, established in 
1937.\1\ There are now 2,959 conservation districts in the 
United States.\2\
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    \1\National Association of Conservation Districts. NACD History. 
https://www.nacdnet.org/about-nacd/nacd-history/.
    \2\National Association of Conservation Districts. NACD About. 
https://www.nacdnet.org/about-nacd/about-districts/.
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    The National Association of Conservation Districts is a 
nonprofit organization representing all conservation districts 
in the U.S. and has existed since 1946. H. Res. 641 is a 
resolution that recognizes and celebrates the 75th anniversary 
of the National Association of Conservation Districts.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H. Res. 641 was introduced on September 14, 2021, by 
Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA). The bill was referred 
solely to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the 
Committee to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. 
On January 20, 2022, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the 
measure. On February 16, 2022, the Natural Resources Committee 
met to consider the legislation. The Subcommittee was 
discharged by unanimous consent. The measure 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 Water, Oceans, and Wildlife held 
on January 20, 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. 
The Committee notes that 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 do not 
apply to committee reports on simple resolutions.\3\ 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 also do not apply to simple resolutions.\4\ The 
Committee notes that clause 3(d) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives as well does not apply to 
committee reports on simple resolutions.
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    \3\See Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, 
Pub. L. No. 93-344, Sec. 308(a), 88 Stat. 297, 313 (1974), https://
uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=88&page=313 (codified as 2 
U.S.C. Sec.  639(a)) (statutory compilation through P.L. 116-94 at 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-10356/pdf/COMPS-10356.pdf) 
(explicitly limiting the subsection's various requirements to (1) ``a 
bill or joint resolution, or committee amendment thereto, providing new 
budget authority'', (2) a conference report, or (3) PAYGO legislation).
    \4\Compare Pub. L. No. 93-344, at Sec. 402 (codified as 2 U.S.C. 
Sec.  653) (limiting the section's requirements to ``each bill or 
resolution of a public character'' reported by a committee (emphasis 
added)), with, e.g., Jane A. Hudiburg, Cong. Res. Serv., R46603, Bills, 
Resolutions, Nominations, and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of 
Use 4 (2020), https://www.crs.gov/reports/pdf/R46603 (noting that 
simple resolutions govern only ``the internal affairs of one chamber'' 
of congress and are not used for enacting public law).
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    To the extent that any of the preceding requirements may 
nonetheless apply, the Committee notes that it has requested 
but not received a cost estimate for this legislation from the 
Director of Congressional Budget Office. The Committee adopts 
as its own cost estimate any forthcoming cost estimate of the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office, should such cost 
estimate be made available before House agreement to the 
resolution. The Committee has requested but not received from 
the Director of the Congressional Budget Office a statement as 
to whether this legislation 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. To the extent 
that clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives may apply, the general performance goals and 
objectives of this resolution are to recognize and celebrate 
the 75th anniversary of the National Association of 
Conservation Districts and their commitment to our lands.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    Clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply to reports on simple 
resolutions. However, the Committee finds that the legislation 
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.

                 UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT STATEMENT

    Section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act does not 
apply to committee reports on simple resolutions. However, the 
Committee finds that the legislation contains no unfunded 
mandates as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

                           EXISTING PROGRAMS

    Clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply to committee reports on simple 
resolutions. However, the Committee finds that the legislation 
does not establish or reauthorize a program of the federal 
government known to be duplicative of another program.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    Section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act 
does not apply to committee reports on simple resolutions. In 
any event, 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

    The Committee finds that the resolution, if agreed to by 
the House, would not have the force of law and therefore would 
have no preemptive effect over state, local, or tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    Clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply to committee reports on simple 
resolutions. In any event, the Committee finds that this 
legislation, if agreed to by the House, would make no changes 
to existing law.

        SUPPLEMENTAL, MINORITY, ADDITIONAL, OR DISSENTING VIEWS

    None.

                                  [all]