[House Report 118-268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
118th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 118-268
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WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE NATIONAL MONUMENT
LOCATION ACT
_______
November 3, 2023.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Westerman, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1318]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1318) to authorize the location of a monument on
the National Mall to commemorate and honor the women's suffrage
movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment to the
Constitution, and for other purposes, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION
The purpose of H.R. 1318 is to authorize the location of a
monument on the National Mall to commemorate and honor the
women's suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment
to the Constitution, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
For the first 144 years of America's history, women did not
have the right to vote. In the middle of the 19th Century, the
women's suffrage movement emerged with the goal of securing
this important constitutional right for women across the
nation. In 1919, Congress passed a constitutional amendment
(the 19th Amendment) granting women the right to vote, which
was formally ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
Under the Commemorative Works Act (CWA), any new monument
or memorial in the District of Columbia or the surrounding area
must be approved by an Act of Congress. Typically, once
approved, a private organization will have seven years to raise
the required funding for the commemorative work's construction
and design. The CWA also established the ``Reserve,'' which
broadly encompasses what is known as the National Mall. The CWA
found that the Reserve was ``a substantially completed work of
civic art'' where the siting of new commemorative works should
be prohibited. In order to place a new commemorative work in
the Reserve or near the Reserve, an additional Act of Congress
is required. While this is somewhat rare, most recently
Congress authorized a location within the Reserve for the
Global War on Terrorism Memorial in 2021.
In December 2020, President Trump signed legislation
authorizing the creation of a federal monument in Washington,
D.C., to honor the women's suffrage movement and the historic
passage of the 19th Amendment. That legislation empowered the
Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation to establish a
commemorative work on federal land in D.C. or its environs. The
bill required the Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation
to follow the standard legal framework established by the CWA
and prohibited the use of federal funds for commemorative work.
H.R. 1318, the ``Women's Suffrage National Monument
Location Act,'' authorizes the congressionally chartered
Women's Suffrage National Monument to be placed in the Reserve.
Under the CWA, this additional legislation is necessary for the
Monument to be placed on the National Mall. Supporters of H.R.
1318 argue that this monument would be the first tribute to
women's history on the National Mall. H.R. 1318 is a bipartisan
bill being co-led by Representative Lesko (R-AZ). Senators
Baldwin (D-WI) and Blackburn (R-TN) are leading companion
legislation in the Senate.
While the text of the legislation does not specify a
location within the Reserve for the Monument, it is the
Committee's understanding that the Women's Suffrage National
Monument Foundation has identified Constitution Gardens as the
optimal location. The Committee also understands the Foundation
would like to address the sizable, deferred maintenance backlog
within Constitution Gardens in addition to building this
Monument. The Committee believes Constitution Gardens could
serve as an appropriate location for this Monument and
encourages the National Park Service and the Foundation to work
together on identifying a location of prominence within the
Reserve for this important Monument. The Committee also
encourages the National Park Service to work closely with the
Foundation to ensure this Monument can be constructed and
completed in time for the United States Semiquincentennial in
2026.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 1318 was introduced on March 1, 2023, by Rep. Joe
Neguse (D-CO). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on Federal Lands. On July 13, 2023, the Subcommittee on Federal
Lands held a hearing on the bill. On July 26, 2023, the Full
Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The
Subcommittee on Federal Lands was discharged by unanimous
consent. The bill was then ordered favorably reported to the
House of Representatives by a roll call vote of 32 yeas to 0
nays, as follows:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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 Federal Lands held on July 13,
2023.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 establishes the short title of the bill as the
``Women's Suffrage National Monument Location Act''.
Section 2. Women's Suffrage National Monument
Section 2 establishes the location for the Women's Suffrage
National Monument within the Reserve in Washington, D.C. under
the CWA.
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:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 1318 would require the Women's Suffrage National
Monument to be located within the Reserve in Washington, D.C.
The Reserve is the public land between the Lincoln Memorial and
the Capitol that includes the White House and the Jefferson
Memorial.
Public Law 116-217, enacted on December 17, 2020,
authorized the establishment of a commemorative work on federal
land in Washington, D.C., but not on the National Mall. Because
H.R. 1318 would only change the location of the monument, CBO
estimates that implementing the bill would not affect federal
spending.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew
Pickford. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to authorize the location of a
monument on the National Mall to commemorate and honor the
women's suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment
to the Constitution, and for other purposes.
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 the Congressional Budget Office, H.R. 1318
contains no unfunded mandates as defined in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any
directed rule makings. OR This bill directs an executive branch
official to conduct the following specific rule makings:
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
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
As ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources,
H.R. 1318 makes no changes in existing law.
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