[Senate Report 106-94]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 176
106th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 106-94
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FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
_______
June 24, 1999.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 946]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 946) to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over land
within the boundaries of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Historic Site to the Archivist of the United States
for the consideration of a visitor center, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and
recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
On page 2, after line 20, add the following new paragraph:
``(3) Consideration.--A transfer made pursuant to
subsection (a) shall be made without consideration or
reimbursement.''.
purposes of the measure
The purpose of S. 946, as ordered reported, is to authorize
the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative
jurisdiction of approximately 1 acre of land within the
Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, in the State of
New York, to the Archivist of the United States for the
construction of a visitor center.
background and need
The Act of July 18, 1939 provided for the establishment of
both the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and the
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.
The library was planned and constructed under President
Roosevelt's direction in 1939-1940 and was donated to the
Federal government on July 4, 1940. The National Historic Site
was designated on January 15, 1944.
Since those early days, planning documents have called for
the construction of a visitor center which would be operated by
both the National Archives and Record Service (NARS), which
manages the library, and the National Park Service, which
manages the National Historic Site. There is an existing NARS
appropriation ($8 million) for the construction of a visitor
center.
In addition to serving the two FDR sites, the visitor
center, as envisioned, would provide information about the
nearby Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site that was
authorized in 1977.
In order for NARS to construct a visitor center at the
National Historic Site, it is necessary to transfer
approximately one acre of NPS property to NARS.
ligislative history
S. 946 was introduced by Senators Moynihan and Schumer on
May 3, 1999. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation held a hearing on S. 946 on May 25,
1999.
At its business meeting on June 16, 1999, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 946, favorably
reported, as amended.
committee recommendation
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on June 16, 1999, by a unanimous voice vote of
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 946, if
amended as described herein.
committee amendment
During its consideration of S. 946, the Committee adopted
an amendment which directs that the transfer of jurisdiction
over lands between the two agencies be made without
consideration or reimbursement.
section-by-section analysis
Section 1(a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to
transfer administrative jurisdiction over land at the Home of
Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New
York to the Archivist of the United States.
Subsection (b) directs the Archivist to construct a visitor
center to serve the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National
Historic Site and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential
Library.
Subsection (c) specifies the conditions of the transfer to
be: (1) Subject to an agreement between the Secretary and the
Archivist to include provisions for the protection of Home of
Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site and for the joint
use of the visitor center by the Secretary and the Archivist;
(2) if the Archivist determines to discontinue use of the
transferred land, it is to be transferred back to the
Secretary; and (3) any transfer of jurisdiction over lands
between the two agencies shall be made without consideration or
reimbursement.
Subsection (d) describes the land to be transferred to be
not more than one acre, as agreed to by the Secretary and the
Archivist in the agreement referenced in subsection (c).
cost and budgetary considerations
The following estimate of cost of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, June 23, 1999.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 946, a bill to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer
administrative jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of
the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the
Archivist of the United States for the construction of a
visitor center.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director.)
Enclosure.
congressional budget office cost estimate
S. 946--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer
administrative jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of
the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the
Archivist of the United States for the construction of a
visitor center
CBO estimates that implementing S. 946 would have no
significant impact on the federal budget. The bill would not
affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go
procedures would not apply. S. 946 contains no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets
of state, local, or tribal governments.
S. 946 would authorize the National Park Service to
transfer to the National Archives administrative jurisdiction
of about one acre of land at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Historic Site. The Archives would use the transferred
parcel to construct a visitor center that would jointly serve
the historic site and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential
Library.
Because authority to construct the visitor center already
exists, implementing S. 946 would have no significant effect on
the federal budget. The National Archives has already received
over $8 million in federal appropriations for this purpose.
On May 11, 1999, CBO prepared a cost estimate for H.R.
1104, a similar bill ordered reported by the House Committee on
Resources on May 5, 1999. The two estimates are identical.
The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. This estimate was
approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant Director for
Budget Analysis.
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. 946. The bill is not a regulatory measure in
the sense of imposing Government-established standards of
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
enactment of S. 946, as ordered reported.
executive communications
On May 25, 1999, the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of
the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting
forth executive views on S. 946. These reports had not been
received at the time the report on S. 946 was filed. When the
reports become available, the Chairman will request that they
be printed in the Congressional Record for the advice of the
Senate. The testimony provided by the National Park Service at
the Subcommittee hearing follows:
statement of katherine stevenson, associate director for cultural
resource stewardship and partnerships, national park service,
department of the interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 946. This bill would
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer
administrative jurisdiction over approximately one acre of land
within the boundary of the Home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
National Historic Site to the Archivist of the United States to
construct, maintain and operate a visitor orientation facility.
The facility will be used for orientation of visitors to the
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and the Hyde Park
sites managed by the National Park Service. The Department of
the Interior supports enactment of this legislation and
recommends that the committee amend the bill to specify that
the transfer shall be without consideration or reimbursement.
On April 19 of this year, the Administration transmitted to
Congress a similar proposal and recommended its enactment.
An Act of July 18, 1939, provided for the establishment of
both the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and the Home of Franklin
D. Roosevelt National Historic Site as described in the deed
from Franklin D. Roosevelt and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his
wife, to the United States, dated July 24, 1939. Since that
time National Park Service planning documents have called for
the construction of a visitor center for the park. This
legislation will allow both Federal agencies to secure a
visitor orientation facility cooperatively with maximum benefit
to the American pubic.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
owns and operates the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential
Library within the historic core of the Roosevelt Estate. There
is an existing appropriation to NARA for the construction of a
new visitor facility. Although NARA has jurisdiction over
vacant land adjacent to the existing library, that land is
inappropriate for construction of a visitor center because it
would detract from the library. FDR helped to design and site
the presidential library. It is a significant structure in the
cultural landscape of the Home of FDR.
This legislation will allow the transfer of administrative
jurisdiction of National Park Service land to NARA to build a
facility that would be situated in a more appropriate location
and would provide improved visitor access to both the library
and the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This new facility will
serve as the single point of contact for visitors to both the
National Archives presidential library and the three National
Park Service sites that make up the Roosevelt complex in Hyde
Park.
The National Park Service has worked in close cooperation
with the National Archives and Records Administration on the
proposed new visitor facility and this legislation is necessary
to allow for the construction of the visitor facility. We have
also worked closely with New York State's State Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO), the Town of Hyde Park and
significant stakeholders like the Franklin and Eleanor
Roosevelt Institute on the proposed site for the new visitor
center and the transfer of lands.
The legislation states that the terms of the transfer will
be the subject of an agreement between the Secretary of the
Interior and the Archivist of the United States. We will not
finalize that agreement until such time as this legislation is
passed and the environmental compliance required is completed.
A joint visitor center will provide the National Park
Service and the National Archives an important and critically
needed facility at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home and library
at Hyde Park, New York. The visitor center will make it
possible to better serve and educate the American people as
well as visitors from around the world about Franklin and
Eleanor Roosevelt and their important contributions to the
nation and the world.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I will be glad
to answer any questions the committee may have.
changes in existing law
In compliance with paragraph XXVI of the Standing Rules of
the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law
are made by the bill S. 946 as ordered reported.