[Senate Report 117-190]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                    Calendar No. 541
117th Congress      }                              {       Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session         }                              {       117-190

======================================================================
 
            JOHN P. PARKER HOUSE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY

                                _______
                                

                October 18, 2022.--Ordered to be printed

 Filed, under authority of the order of the Senate on October 14, 2022

   Mr. Manchin, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 3685]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 3685), to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the 
suitability and feasibility of establishing the John P. Parker 
House in Ripley, Ohio, as a unit of the National Park System, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of S. 3685 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the 
suitability and feasibility of establishing the John P. Parker 
House in Ripley, Ohio, as a unit of the National Park System.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    John P. Parker was born into slavery in 1827. Initially 
living in Norfolk, Virginia, Parker was bought and sold 
multiple times before securing his freedom in 1845. Following 
his liberation, Parker moved to Cincinnati and ultimately 
settled in the Village of Ripley, Ohio, located in Brown 
County. Parker went on to own and operate a successful metal 
foundry, becoming one of the first African-Americans to receive 
patents for his inventions.
    In addition to his successful business, Parker became an 
active member of the Underground Railroad. Historical records 
attribute Parker with helping secure the freedom of hundreds of 
enslaved African-Americans through the Underground Railroad. 
Parker worked with abolitionist John Rankin, and together they 
supported a robust abolitionist movement on the Ohio River. The 
John P. Parker home is located on North Front Street in Ripley 
and has been operated by the John P. Parker Historical Society 
since 1996.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 3685 was introduced by Senators Brown and Portman on 
February 17, 2022. Similar legislation, H.R. 6799, was 
introduced by Representatives Wenstrup and Beatty on February 
17, 2022 and was ordered to be reported on July 20, 2022. The 
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 3685 on May 
11, 2022.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on July 21, 2022, by a voice vote of a 
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 3685.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 provides the short title of the bill, the ``John 
P. Park House Study Act.''

Sec. 2. Definitions

    Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.

Section 3. Special resource study of John P. Park house

    Section 3 (a) requires the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resource study of the John P. Parker house in 
Ripley, Ohio, to determine its suitability and feasibility for 
designation as a unit of the National Park System.
    Subsection (b) requires the study to be conducted in 
accordance with applicable law.
    Subsection (c) requires the Secretary to submit a report on 
the study results and any conclusions and recommendations to 
the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources no later than 18 
months after the date on which funds are first made available 
to carry out the study.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

    The Committee has requested, but has not yet received, the 
Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the cost of S. 3685 
as ordered reported. When the Congressional Budget Office 
completes its cost estimate, it will be posted on the Internet 
at www.cbo.gov.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out S. 3685. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals 
and businesses. No personal information would be collected in 
administering the program. Therefore, there would be no impact 
on personal privacy. Little, if any, additional paperwork would 
result from the enactment of S. 3685, as ordered reported.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    S. 3685, as ordered reported, does not contain any 
congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, 
or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at 
the May 11, 2022, hearing on S. 3685 follows:

   Statement of Michael A. Caldwell, Acting Associate Director, Park 
Planning, Facilities and Lands, National Park Service, U.S. Department 
                            of the Interior

    Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines, and members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the 
Department of the Interior's views on S. 3685, the John P. 
Parker House Study Act.
    The Department supports S. 3685. We would like to note that 
there are currently 23 previously authorized studies for 
potential units of the National Park System, potential new 
National Heritage Areas, and potential additions to the 
National Trails System that have not yet been transmitted to 
Congress.
    S. 3685 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability 
and feasibility of establishing the John P. Parker House in 
Ripley, Ohio, as a unit of the National Park System.
    The John P. Parker House and Museum, currently owned and 
managed by the John P. Parker Historical Society, is the 
restored home of abolitionist and entrepreneur John P. Parker 
(1827-1900). As a conductor on the Underground Railroad at the 
height of the abolitionist movement, John P. Parker helped 
runaway slaves from the South escape to freedom across the Ohio 
River. A freed slave himself, Parker was also a renowned 
African American entrepreneur and one of the first African 
Americans to receive patents for his inventions. During the 
Civil War, he made iron castings in his foundry for the Union, 
and he recruited soldiers for the two Ohio Civil War regiments 
of the United States Colored Troops. Parker worked with 
abolitionist John Rankin, and together they supported a robust 
abolitionist movement on the Ohio River. The site was listed on 
the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and designated 
a national historic landmark in 1997 for its connection to the 
abolitionist movement.
    A reconnaissance survey completed in 2020, examined the 
national significance, suitability, feasibility, and level of 
National Park Service (NPS) management required. It determined 
that further evaluation through a congressionally authorized 
special resource study is warranted. The special resource study 
will further evaluate the site for inclusion in the National 
Park System; invite public involvement in the study process; 
and develop potential management alternatives for the John P. 
Parker House and Museum.
    Chairman King, this concludes my statement. I would be 
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the 
Subcommittee may have.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the bill as ordered 
reported.

                                  [all]