[House Report 114-430]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
114th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 114-430
======================================================================
AMENDING THE GULLAH/GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE ACT TO EXTEND THE
AUTHORIZATION FOR THE GULLAH/GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
COMMISSION
_______
February 24, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted
the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3004]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 3004) to amend the Gullah/Geechee Cultural
Heritage Act to extend the authorization for the Gullah/Geechee
Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, having considered the
same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend
that the bill do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of H.R. 3004 is to amend the Gullah/Geechee
Cultural Heritage Act to extend the authorization for the
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.
Background and Need for Legislation
Congress designated the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage
Corridor, an area of land stretching from North Carolina to
Florida, on October 12, 2006 (Public Law 109-338). As a
National Heritage Area, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage
Corridor is not part of the National Park System; however, the
act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide
technical and financial assistance for the development and
implementation of a management plan.
The Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act (Public Law 109-
338) authorized the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
Commission to implement the Corridor's management plan,
ultimately adopted in 2012. Although the Heritage Corridor was
authorized through October 12, 2021, the Commission was only
authorized through October 12, 2016. Without any legislative
change, the Corridor will have to be managed by a different,
yet unconstituted entity. H.R. 3004 simply extends the
authorization for the Commission to October 12, 2021, to be
consistent with the length of authorization for the Corridor.
Committee Action
H.R. 3004 was introduced on July 9, 2015, by Congressman
James E. Clyburn (D-SC). The bill was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On February 2, 2016, the Natural
Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee
was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were
offered, and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the
House of Representatives by unanimous consent on February 3,
2016.
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 Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Compliance With House Rule XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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:
H.R. 3004--To amend the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act to Extend
the Authorization for the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage
Corridor Commission
H.R. 3004 would extend the authorization for the Gullah/
Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission (commission)
through October 12, 2021. The Gullah/Geechee Corridor was
established as a heritage area in 2006 and is not part of the
National Park System (NPS). While the Secretary of the Interior
provides technical and financial assistance for the development
and implementation of the area's management plan, that plan is
implemented by the commission.
Under current law, only the commission can implement the
heritage area's management plan and spend funds appropriated
for that purpose. Although the heritage corridor is authorized
through October 12, 2021, the commission is authorized only
through October 12, 2016.
Based on information from the NPS, CBO expects that if the
authority for the commission is not extended, any funds
appropriated for the corridor would be used for other purposes.
Therefore, CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would
not result in significant additional costs to the federal
government over the 2017-2021 period.
Because enacting H.R. 3004 would not affect direct spending
or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO
estimates that enacting H.R. 3004 would not increase net direct
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2027.
H.R. 3004 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.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Marin Burnett.
The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
2. Section 308(a) of 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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. CBO estimates that
enactment of the bill ``would not result in significant
additional costs to the federal government over the 2017-2021
period.''
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 amend the Gullah/Geechee Cultural
Heritage Act to extend the authorization for the Gullah/Geechee
Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.
Earmark Statement
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
Compliance With Public Law 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
Compliance with H. Res. 5
Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any
specific rule-making proceedings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
Federal Advisory Committee Statement
The functions of the previously authorized advisory
committee being extended by the bill are not currently being
nor could they be performed by one or more agencies, a
different advisory committee already in existence or by
enlarging the mandate of an existing advisory committee.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS ACT OF 2006
* * * * * * *
TITLE II--ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS
* * * * * * *
Subtitle I--Gullah/Geechee Heritage Corridor
SEC. 295. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``Gullah/Geechee Cultural
Heritage Act''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 295D. GULLAH/GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR COMMISSION.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established a local
coordinating entity to be known as the ``Gullah/Geechee
Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission'' whose purpose shall be
to assist Federal, State, and local authorities in the
development and implementation of a management plan for those
land and waters specified in section 295C(b).
(b) Membership.--The local coordinating entity shall be
composed of 15 members appointed by the Secretary as follows:
(1) Four individuals nominated by the State Historic
Preservation Officer of South Carolina and two
individuals each nominated by the State Historic
Preservation Officer of each of Georgia, North
Carolina, and Florida and appointed by the Secretary.
(2) Two individuals from South Carolina and one
individual from each of Georgia, North Carolina, and
Florida who are recognized experts in historic
preservation, anthropology, and folklore, appointed by
the Secretary.
(c) Terms.--Members of the local coordinating entity shall be
appointed to terms not to exceed 3 years. The Secretary may
stagger the terms of the initial appointments to the local
coordinating entity in order to assure continuity of operation.
Any member of the local coordinating entity may serve after the
expiration of their term until a successor is appointed. A
vacancy shall be filled in the same manner in which the
original appointment was made.
(d) Termination.--The local coordinating entity shall
terminate [10 years] 15 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.
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