[House Report 113-548]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 113-548
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HONORARY CITIZENSHIP FOR
BERNARDO DE GALVEZ Y MADRID
_______
July 22, 2014.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be
printed
_______
Mr. Goodlatte, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H. J. Res. 105]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the
joint resolution (H. J. Res. 105) conferring honorary
citizenship of the United States on Bernardo de Galvez y
Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez, having
considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment
and recommend that the joint resolution do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1
Background and Need for the Legislation.......................... 2
Hearings......................................................... 3
Committee Consideration.......................................... 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................ 4
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................ 4
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 5
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 5
Performance Goals and Objectives................................. 5
Advisory on Earmarks............................................. 5
Section-by-Section Analysis...................................... 5
Purpose and Summary
The joint resolution confers honorary citizenship of the
United States on Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of
Galveston and Count of Galvez.
Background and Need for the Legislation
The purpose of H. J. Res. 105 is to confer honorary United
States citizenship upon Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount
of Galveston and Count of Galvez, in recognition of his many
contributions to, and sacrifices for, the cause of American
independence.
American citizenship is the highest honor that our country
can confer upon a person who is a citizen of another land. The
granting of honorary citizenship is the admission and welcoming
of that person into our national family. As stated by this
Committee in the past, any decision to grant honorary
citizenship is unique and cannot be treated as a precedent. It
should also be noted that ``honorary citizenship'' is a
symbolic gesture. It does not grant any additional legal rights
in the United States or in international law. It also does not
impose additional duties or responsibilities, in the United
States or internationally, on the honoree.
Honorary citizenship is and should always be an
extraordinary honor not lightly conferred and rarely given.
Congress has granted honorary citizenship on six occasions to
seven individuals. Of the seven recipients of the honor, five
received it posthumously (Mother Theresa and Winston Churchill
received it during their lifetimes). The last two individuals
were also heroes of the Revolutionary War:
Casimir Pulaski P.L. 111-94 2009
The Marquis de Lafayette P.L. 107-209 2002
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu P.L. 104-218 1996
[Mother Teresa]
William and Hannah Callowhill P.L. 98-516 1984
Penn
Raoul Wallenberg P.L. 97-54 1981
Winston Churchill P.L. 86-6 1963
As they are described in H. J. Res. 105, General Galvez's
contributions compare very favorably with the previous two
recipients of honorary citizenship who were heroes of the
Revolutionary War. In summarizing General Galvez's aid to the
American colonies, H.J. Res. 105 states that Galvez ``provided
supplies, intelligence, and strong military support to the war
effort''. Indeed, the historical record indicates that, due to
the British blockade of seaports on the Eastern Seaboard, then-
Governor Galvez's secretly-coordinated smuggling operation, and
efforts to clear the Mississippi River of British influence,
helped ensure that George Washington's Continental Army
received necessary weapons and other provisions.
H. J. Res. 105 states that ``Galvez recruited an army of
7,500 men made up of Spanish, French, African-American,
Mexican, Cuban, and Anglo-American forces and led the effort of
Spain to aid the United States' colonists. . . . [He] and his
troops seized the Port of New Orleans and successfully defeated
the British at battles in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Natchez,
Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama.'' Commentators and historians
have uniformly lauded General Galvez's bravery, tenacity, and
tactical military skill in rapidly assembling and leading a
diverse, multi-ethnic regiment. Galvez's forces were victorious
in every battle into which he led them.
H. J. Res. 105 states that Galvez ``led the successful 2-
month Siege of Pensacola, Florida, where his troops captured
the capital of British West Florida and left the British with
no naval bases in the Gulf of Mexico.'' The historical
narrative surrounding Galvez's actions leading up to and
throughout the 2-month-long Battle of Pensacola underscores his
heroism and leadership in pursuit of the objective of pinning
down the British forces and driving them from the Gulf of
Mexico. There is no question that keeping the British occupied
on a second front during the war was critical to the success of
General Washington's campaign. Some historians have noted that
the length and timing of the battle of Pensacola, in particular
(the British surrendered in May 1781), impacted the number of
forces and ships the British could commit to the battle of
Yorktown, the final campaign of the Revolutionary War.
H. J. Res. 105 states that ``Galvez's victories against the
British were recognized by George Washington as a deciding
factor in the outcome of the Revolutionary War.'' Despite his
decisive contributions to the Continental Army's success in the
American Revolution, General Galvez has not, to date, received
the same level of recognition as have other figures, such as
Pulaski and Lafayette. As noted in H. J. Res. 105, the State of
Florida awarded General Galvez the designation of Great
Floridian. Also, the city of Galveston, Texas bears his name.
And in 1976, a statue of Galvez was dedicated along with the
Statues of the Liberators, located near the Department of State
in Washington, DC. The inscription on the statue reads, in
part:
Bernardo de Galvez the great Spanish soldier carried
out a courageous campaign in lands bordering the lower
Mississippi. This masterpiece of military strategy
heightened the pressure of the English in the war
against the American settlers who were fighting for
their independence.
Hearings
The Committee on the Judiciary held no hearings on H. J.
Res. 105.
Committee Consideration
On July 10, 2014, the Committee met in open session and
ordered the joint resolution H. J. Res. 105 favorably reported
without amendment, by voice vote, a quorum being present.
Committee Votes
In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that there
were no recorded votes during the Committee's consideration of
H. J. Res. 105.
Committee Oversight Findings
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the
descriptive portions of this report.
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures
Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does
not provide new budgetary authority or increased tax
expenditures.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets forth, with
respect to the joint resolution, H. J. Res. 105, the following
estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, July 11, 2014.
Hon. Bob Goodlatte, Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H. J. Res. 105, a joint
resolution conferring honorary citizenship of the United States
on Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count
of Galvez.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
Sincerely,
Douglas W. Elmendorf,
Director.
Enclosure
cc:
Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
Ranking Member
H. J. Res. 105--A joint resolution conferring honorary citizenship of
the United States on Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston
and Count of Galvez.
As ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary
on July 10, 2014.
The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed H. J. Res.
105, a joint resolution conferring honorary citizenship of the
United States posthumously on Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid,
Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez. CBO estimates that
enacting H. J. Res. 105 would result in no significant cost to
the Federal Government and would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H. J. Res 105 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.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz.
The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
Duplication of Federal Programs
No provision of H. J. Res. 105 establishes or reauthorizes
a program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of
another Federal program, a program that was included in any
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee estimates that H. J. Res. 105 specifically
directs to be completed no specific rule makings within the
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.
Performance Goals and Objectives
The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H. J.
Res. 105 confers honorary citizenship of the United States on
Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of
Galvez.
Advisory on Earmarks
In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, H. J. Res. 105 does not contain any
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of rule XXI.
Section-by-Section Analysis
After describing his exploits on behalf of American
independence, this joint resolution proclaims Bernardo de
Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez
posthumously to be an honorary citizen of the United States.