[Senate Report 118-150]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 302
118th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 118-150
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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.
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