[Senate Report 118-150]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                      Calendar No. 302
118th Congress     }                                     {      Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session        }                                     {     118-150

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



 
         RALPH DAVID ABERNATHY, SR., NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ACT

                                _______
                                

                January 9, 2024.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 507]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 507) to establish the Ralph David 
Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of S. 507 is to establish the Ralph David 
Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    Section 3051 of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act 
(Public Law 113-291) directed the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a special resource study of the West Hunter Street 
Baptist Church to assess the site's suitability and feasibility 
for designation as a unit of the National Park System.
    Established in 1906, the West Hunter Street Baptist Church, 
located in Atlanta, Georgia, was an important site during the 
1960s civil rights era, with a series of leaders that engaged 
in efforts to combat segregation, secure voting rights, and 
generally improve racial relations.
    Beginning in 1961, Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Sr. served for 
nearly 30 years as senior pastor for the church, using his 
position to engage the community in civil rights efforts. 
Abernathy was a key figure in the civil rights movement working 
closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Along with Dr. King 
and other African American civil rights leaders, Dr. Abernathy 
helped organize the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and established 
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. Abernathy was 
with Dr. King in Memphis when he was assassinated in 1968. 
Following the death of Dr. King, Abernathy headed the 
Conference.
    The National Park Service's West Hunter Street Baptist 
Church Special Resource Study, completed in February 2022, 
found that the church meets all the criteria for inclusion in 
the National Park System. The full study can be found at 
www.parkplanning.nps.gov.
    S. 507 would designate the West Hunter Street Baptist 
Church as the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic 
Site as a unit of the National Park System.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 507 was introduced by Senators Ossoff and Warnock on 
February 16, 2023. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a 
hearing on S. 507 on June 21, 2023.
    Similar legislation, H.R. 737, was introduced in the House 
of Representatives by Rep. Williams on February 1, 2023. 
Similar legislation, H.R. 9202, was introduced in the 117th 
Congress in the House of Representatives by Representative 
Williams on October 18, 2022.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on September 21, 2023, by a voice vote of 
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 507.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    This section provides the short title of the bill, the 
``Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site Act.''

Section 2. Definitions

    This section defines key terms used in the bill.

Section 3. Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site

    Subsection (a) establishes the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., 
National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System at 
such time as the Secretary determines a sufficient quantity of 
land has been acquired to constitute a manageable park unit.
    Subsection (b) provides that the boundary of the National 
Historic Site is as depicted on the referenced map.
    Subsection (c) requires that the referenced map be publicly 
available in the appropriate offices of the National Park 
Service.
    Subsection (d) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior 
(Secretary) to acquire land for the National Historic Site by 
donation, purchase from a willing seller, or exchange.
    Subsection (e) directs the Secretary to administer the 
National Historic Site in accordance with laws generally 
applicable to units of the National Park System.
    Subsection (f) requires the Secretary to complete a 
management plan no later than 3 years after the date funds are 
made available to carry out this Act.
    Subsection (g) allows the Secretary to enter into 
cooperative agreements, leases, or other agreements to carry 
out services from the National Historic Site.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

    The Committee has requested, but has not yet received, the 
Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the cost of S. 507 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. 507. 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. 507, as ordered reported.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    S. 507, 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 of the National Park Service from the 
Subcommittee on National Parks June 21, 2023, hearing on S. 
507, follows:

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


                             june 21, 2023


    Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines, and members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to provide the 
Department of the Interior's views on S. 507, a bill to 
establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. National Historic Site 
as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
    The Department supports S. 507.
    S. 507 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. National Historic Site 
at the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta as 
a unit of the National Park System after meeting specified 
requirements. The bill includes authorities for land 
acquisition and administration that are commonly included in 
legislation establishing a unit of the National Park System.
    The legislation is based on the recommendations of the 
National Park Service's special resource study of the West 
Hunter Street Baptist Church, transmitted to Congress on March 
21, 2022. The study found that the Church met the criteria for 
national significance for its close association with Rev. Ralph 
David Abernathy, Sr. As a result of findings that the site met 
all the criteria necessary to be considered appropriate for 
addition to the National Park System, the Department 
recommended that Congress consider establishing the site as a 
unit of the National Park System.
    Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., was a key civil rights 
strategist and co-president of the Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference (SCLC) with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
for whom he was also a friend and confidant. Following Dr. 
King's assassination in 1968, Rev. Abernathy became the SCLC 
president and championed important civil rights measures, such 
as Operation Breadbasket and the Poor People's Campaign. Over 
the course of his life, Abernathy organized economic justice 
and labor initiatives, served as a peace negotiator (including 
at Wounded Knee) and a goodwill ambassador.
    Rev. Abernathy pastored Atlanta's West Hunter Street 
Baptist Church and performed critical aspects of his work 
there, earning the church recognition as ``the spiritual 
workplace of the civil rights movement.'' The church served as 
a school for nonviolent protest initiatives, hosted civil 
rights leadership meetings, and provided spiritual sanctuary 
for countless civil rights activists.
    Rev. Abernathy pastored from the Gothic Revival-style 
structure erected in 1906 and located at 775 Hunter Street (now 
Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive) prior to relocating the 
congregation in 1973. The historic structure represents an 
integral part of American and civil rights history not 
currently represented elsewhere within the National Park 
System. The church holds national significance as the location 
of important civil rights organizing throughout the modern 
civil rights movement. National Park Service (NPS) protection 
would highlight the work and legacy of Rev. Abernathy, as well 
as the important role of churches in the civil rights movement. 
Civic engagement in 2017, part of the special resource study 
process, demonstrated high public support for NPS management of 
the site, and the site possesses strong potential for public 
benefit, enjoyment, and inspiration.
    Adding the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. National Historic 
Site to the National Park System would provide the historic 
West Hunter Street Baptist Church site with long-term 
protection and allow the public to learn about Rev. Abernathy, 
the church and their respective roles in the modern civil 
rights movement.
    Mr. Chairman, 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 S. 507 as ordered reported.

                                  [all]