[House Report 107-599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 107-599
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LOUISIANA PURCHASE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION ACT
_______
July 22, 2002.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Hansen, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 356]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(S. 356) to establish a National Commission on the Bicentennial
of the Louisiana Purchase, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill
do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of S. 356 is to establish a National Commission
on the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase cost the United States $15
million but it doubled the size of the country overnight and
brought vast natural resources that had been untapped. To quote
Tallyrand, ``You have made a noble bargain for yourselves and I
suppose you will make the most of it.'' For the United States,
it was only the beginning of an expansion that would stretch
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
All or part of 15 States were created from the land
acquired in this purchase. It made possible the travels of
Lewis and Clark, whose invaluable insight into the peoples and
land beyond the Mississippi River emboldened many Americans to
search for a new life out West. Around the world, the American
Frontier became synonymous with the search for spiritual,
economic, and political freedom. The Louisiana Purchase helped
shape the American destiny. Commemoration of the Louisiana
Purchase and the related opening of the West can enhance public
understanding of the impact of the democratic westward
expansion on American society.
This bill creates a Commission that will edify, publish,
and display the importance of the Louisiana Purchase to all
Americans. This bipartisan commission is partially modeled
after the celebration of the American Bicentennial--striving to
be inclusive of Americans. The commission will include
important officials from each state created from the Purchase,
museum and education officials, as well as members of Native
American Tribes originating on the lands included in the
Purchase. These officials will work together to recommend,
organize, and oversee the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana
Purchase. Commission tasks include planning the issuance of
coins, stamps, medals, and certificates of recognition. Under a
coordinated effort with libraries, museums, and historical
sites, they will develop education programs for exhibit and
display. The commission will produce and publish educational
materials focusing on the history and the impact of the
Louisiana Purchase.
COMMITTEE ACTION
S. 356 was introduced on February 15, 2001, by Senator Mary
Landrieu (D-LA). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Resources and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on
National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. On July 10, 2002,
the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The
Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands
was discharged from further consideration of the S. 356 by
unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was
then ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives
by unanimous consent.
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 Resources' oversight findings and recommendations
are reflected in the body of this report.
FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
The functions of the proposed advisory committee authorized
in the bill are not currently being nor could they be performed
by one or more agencies, an advisory committee already in
existence or by enlarging the mandate of an existing advisory
committee.
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, credit
authority, or an increase or decrease in expenditures.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the commission
authorized by this bill may accept and spend donations, but
these activities would amount to less than $500,000 annually
and would offset each other.
3. 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 establish a National Commission on
the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, July 16, 2002.
Hon. James V. Hansen,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 356, the Louisiana
Purchase Bicentennial Commission Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew
Pickford.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson,
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
S. 356--Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Commission Act
S. 356 would establish the National Commission on the
Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, consisting of 20
members, including a representative from each of the 14 States
that comprise the former Louisiana Territory. The central
office of the commission would be in Washington, DC, with
additional offices in New Orleans and St. Louis. The commission
would plan and develop activities to commemorate the 200th
anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase in December 2003. For
this purpose, the bill would authorize the commission to accept
and spend private donations. S. 356 would direct the General
Accounting Office to perform an annual audit of the
commission's financial transactions. The act would authorize
the appropriation of $750,000 over the 2002-2004 period to
carry out its provisions.
CBO estimates that the commission would need to spend about
$1.2 million over the 2003-2004 period to fulfill the
requirements of the legislation--in particular, to set up and
staff the three offices and prepare a report of its
recommendations by December 2002. Because S. 356 would allow
the commission to accept and spend contributed funds, pay-as-
you-go procedures would apply to the act. CBO estimates that
any revenues from contributions and subsequent direct spending
would be less than $500,000 annually and would offset each
other.
S. 356 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on State, local, or tribal governments.
On August 17, 2001, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
356, the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Commission Act, as
passed by the Senate on August 3, 2001. The two versions of S.
356 are identical. Differences in the cost reflect a change in
the estimate of when the legislation will be enacted.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew
Pickford, who can be reached at 226-2860. This estimate was
approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for
Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing
law.