Weekly Legislative Activities Report

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 April 24th summary. It also covers the previous two weeks, during which Congress was not in session.

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 “Search Bill Text” block, being sure to also click on the “Bill Number” option below the block.

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New Public Laws

On April 21st, President Obama signed into law H.R. 1388 (McCarthy, C.), the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.  The bill reauthorizes and reforms the national service laws.  It is Public Law 111-13.

Floor Action

On April 21st, the House passed H.R. 1694 (Holt), the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Program.  The bill would authorize the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 under the American Battlefield Protection Program.  The Department has not taken a position on the bill as no hearing was held.

Committee Activity

On March 31st, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Bingaman) approved the nomination of Thomas L. Strickland of Colorado to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

On March 31st, the House Natural Resources Committee (Rahall) held an oversight hearing on "The California Drought: Actions by Federal and State agencies to address impacts on lands, fisheries, and water users."  The witness was J. William McDonald, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation.

On April 1st, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (Boxer) approved the nomination of Thomas L. Strickland of Colorado to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

On April 2nd, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests & Public Lands held a hearing on H.R. 1612 (Grijalva), to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand the authorization of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to provide service-learning opportunities on public lands, help restore the Nation’s natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources, train a new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts, and promote the value of public service. The Department strongly supports the bill and would like to work with the committee on some amendments. The witness for the Department was Will Shafroth, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

On April 23rd, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands (Grijalva) held a hearing on the following bills of interest to the National Park Service. The witness was Stephen Whitesell, Associate Director for Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands, National Park Service:

• H.R. 1121 (Virginia Foxx, R-NC), to authorize a land exchange to acquire lands for the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina.  The bill would authorize an exchange of the Parkway’s 20 acres containing a reservoir used for municipal water supply for the town’s 192 acres providing a buffer of open space and recreational opportunities.  The Department supports the bill with amendments on timing, the means of equalizing values, and map references.
• H.R. 1376 (Chet Edwards, D-TX), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Waco Mammoth National Monument in the State of Texas. The Department supports the bill with amendments to add map references.

• H.R. 2001 (Holt, R-NJ) - To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
• H.R. 2079 (Hirono, D-HI) - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study of the Honouliuli Internment Camp site in the State of Hawaii, to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing a unit of the National Park System.
• H.R. 2081 (Holt, R-NJ) - To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a partnership between the Department of Education and the National Park Service to provide educational opportunities for students and teachers.
• H.R. 2097 (Ruppersberger, D-MD) - To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
• S. 871 (Inouye, D-HI) - A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study of the Honoliuli Internment Camp site in the State of Hawaii, to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing a unit of the National Park System.
• S. 742 (Chambliss, R-GA) - A bill to expand the boundary of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, to redesignate the unit as a National Historical Park, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 1849 (Cleaver, D-MO) -  To designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial, to establish the World War I centennial commission to ensure a suitable observance of the centennial of World War I.
• S. 760 (McCaskill, D-MO) - A bill to designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the "National World War I Memorial".
• S. 761 (Bond, R-MO) - A bill to establish the World War I Centennial Commission to ensure a suitable observance of the centennial of World War I, and for other purposes.
• S. 766 (Murkowski, R-AK) - A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue right-of-way permits for natural gas pipeline transportation utility systems in non-wilderness areas within the boundary of Denali National Park and Preserve.
• H.R. 1912 (Connolly, D-VA) - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit against income tax for qualified conservation contributions which include National Scenic Trails.
• H.R. 1917 (Fattah, D-PA) - To establish the Centennial Historic District in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and for other purposes.
• S. 796 (Bingaman, D-NM) - A bill to modify the requirements applicable to locatable minerals on public domain land, and for other purposes.
• S. 816 (Crapo, R-ID) - A bill to preserve the rights granted under the second amendment to the Constitution in national parks and national wildlife refuge areas.