[House Report 118-437]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress   }                                      {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                      {      118-437

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



 
                NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLAY RECOGNITION ACT

                                _______
                                

   April 2, 2024.--Referred to the House Calendar 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. 3250]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 3250) to recognize the Margaret Woodbury Strong 
Museum in Rochester, New York, 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. 3250 is to recognize the Margaret 
Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum, located in Rochester, 
New York, is one of the largest toy museums in the world. Its 
collection houses hundreds of thousands of toys, items, and 
collectibles that span different eras and cultures. Born in 
1897 in Rochester, New York, Margaret Woodbury Strong was an 
American collector most well-known for her large collection of 
dolls and toys. Ms. Strong traveled around the world and 
collected toys from a multitude of countries. Her museum, which 
first opened in 1968 under the name the ``Margaret Woodbury 
Strong Museum of Fascination,'' has continued to expand and 
grow over the past five decades. From vintage dolls and board 
games to interactive exhibits, visitors can immerse themselves 
in the rich history of play and marvel at the diverse array of 
toys on display. Today, the museum is over 100,000 square feet 
and receives over half a million visitors annually.
    H.R. 3250 recognizes the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum as 
the ``National Museum of Play,'' and as the ``only museum of 
its kind that exists for the exclusive purpose of exploring the 
ways in which play encourages learning, creativity, and 
discovery, and how it illuminates cultural history.'' The 
recognition as a national museum does not create a unit of the 
federal government and it does not obligate any taxpayer 
funding.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 3250 was introduced on May 11, 2023, by Rep. Joseph 
Morelle (D-NY). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on Federal Lands. On June 22, 2023, the Subcommittee on Federal 
Lands held a hearing on the bill. On December 6, 2023, the 
Committee on Natural Resources met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands was discharged from further 
consideration of H.R. 3250 by unanimous consent. The bill was 
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 Subcommittee on Federal Lands 
held on June 22, 2023.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

Section 2. Designation of National Museum of Play Recognition Act

     Congressionally recognizes the Margaret Woodbury 
Strong Museum in Rochester, New York as the ``National Museum 
of Play.''
     Specifies that the Museum is not a unit of the 
National Park System and not eligible for federal funding.

            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. 3250 would designate the Margaret Woodbury Strong 
Museum in Rochester, New York, as the National Museum of Play. 
Under the bill the facility would not be a unit of the National 
Park System and federal funds could not be expended for the 
museum because of that designation. On that basis, CBO 
estimates that enacting H.R. 3250 would have no effect on the 
federal budget.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Alaina Rhee. 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 recognize the Margaret Woodbury 
Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.

                           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. 3250 
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.
    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. 3250 makes no changes in existing law.

                                  [all]