Monday, Mar 9, 2009
The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the March 6th summary.
In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . That will take you to Thomas, the Library of Congress legislative tracking system. Enter the bill number in the âSearch Bill Textâ block, being sure to also click on the âBill Numberâ option below the block.
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New Public Laws
No new laws.
Floor Action
On March 6th, the House and the Senate passed H.J.Res. 38, making continuing appropriations for FY 2009 through March 10th.
On March 3rd, the House passed the following bills of interest to the National Park Service:
- H.R. 147 (Holt, R-NJ) - A bill to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The Department has not taken a position on the bill as no hearing was held, but testified in support of similar legislation in the 110th Congress.
- H.R. 548 (Gary Miller, R-CA) - A bill to assist citizens, public and private institutions, and governments at all levels in planning, interpreting, and protecting sites where historic battles were fought on American soil during the armed conflicts that shaped the growth and development of the United States. The Department has taken no position on the bill as no hearing was held, but testified in support of similar legislation in the 110th Congress.
Markups
No markups.
Hearings
On March 3rd, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) held a hearing on H.R. 715 (Grijalva) to expand the boundary of Saguaro National Park, to study additional land for future adjustments to the boundary of the park, and for other purposes. This bill would authorize the expansion of the park boundary by approximately 975 acres, direct the Secretary to conduct a study of potential future boundary adjustments for the park, and allow the acquisition or management of State land within the park. The Department supports the bill.
On March 3rd, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) held an oversight hearing on âThe Role of Federal Lands in Combating Climate Changeâ. The purpose of the hearing was to learn more about what federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, were doing to identify the effects of climate change on public lands, the ramifications of a changing climate on the agenciesâ resources, and actions agencies are taking to combat these changes in both the short and long-term. Dr. Thomas R. Armstrong, Senior Advisor for Global Climate Change Programs, USGS, was the witness, accompanied by Don Neubacher, Senior Advisor on Energy, Climate Change, and Oceans Stewardship, NPS, and other technical witnesses from Interior bureaus. The Department strongly endorses identifying and addressing climate change impacts on our lands.
New Bills Introduced
The following bills were introduced:
- H.R. 1297 (Abercrombie, D-HI) - To establish the Hawai'i Capital National Heritage Area.
- H.R. 1320 (Clay, D-MO) - To amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act to increase the transparency and accountability of Federal advisory committees.
- H.R. 1354 (Rehberg, R-MT) - To make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at a discount to certain veterans.
- H.R. 1121 (Foxx, R-NC) - To authorize a land exchange to acquire lands for the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
Upcoming Hearings and Markups
On March 19th, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands has tentative plans to hold an oversight hearing on workforce issues in the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management at 10:00 am in Room: TBD. The witness for the Department has not yet been determined.
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For additional information, please visit the Legislative and Congressional Affairs Office website at http://www.nps.gov/legal/
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Ruby: 1.8.7, Rails: 1.1.6