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 July 17th 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 “Search Bill Text” block, being sure to also click on the “Bill Number” option below the block.

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New Public Laws

None.

Floor Action

On July 15th, the House suspended the rules and passed H.R. 1044, (George Miller, D-CA), Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Enhancement Act of 2009, by a vote of 415 yeas - 3 nays.  H.R. 1044 directs the Secretary of Defense to transfer a specified parcel of land within the proposed boundary on the map entitled "Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, Proposed Boundary," dated August 2005, to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior if: (1) the land is excess to military needs; and (2) all environmental remediation actions necessary to respond to environmental contamination have been completed and for other purposes.  Similar language was also included in H.R. 2647, FY 2010 Defense Authorization Act.  The Department has not taken a position on the bill as no hearing was held.

Committee Activity

On July 15th, 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 DOI witness was Kate Stevenson, Acting Deputy Director of Support Services, NPS:

• H.R. 714 (Christensen, D-VI), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park, and for other purposes.  The bill would authorize a noncompetitive lease for up to 40 years, with certain terms and conditions, for the Caneel Bay resort.  The Department supports the bill with minor amendments.
• S. 227 (Cardin, D-MD), to establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, and for other purposes. The bill would authorize two units of the National Park System that related to the life and work of Harriet Tubman, one in Auburn, New York, and one across three counties on Maryland on the Eastern Shore. The Department testified in support of the bill.
• S. 625 (Cornyn, R-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 an amendment to add the map reference.
• S. 853 (Kaufman, D-DE), to designate additional segments and tributaries of White Clay Creek, in the states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill would designate an additional nine miles of the White Clay Creek, in addition to the 190 miles already designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Department testified in support of the bill with one proposed amendment for a corrected map reference.
• S. 1053 (Murkowski, R-AL), to amend the National Law Enforcement Museum Act to extend the termination date.  S. 1053 would amend section 4(f) of Public Law 106-492 to authorize construction of the Museum to begin up to 13 years after the date of enactment of that law.  If amended, the authority to construct the Museum would terminate on November 9, 2013. The Department has no objection to this legislation.
• S. 1117 (Leahy, D-VT), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in implementing cultural heritage, conservation, and recreational activities in the Connecticut River watershed of the States of New Hampshire and Vermont. The bill would authorize a new grant program for projects in the upper Connecticut River watershed, coordinated with the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, authorized at $1 million per year. The Department testified that although we support activities that conserve and enhance the cultural, environmental and recreational resources of the upper Connecticut River watershed, the Department cannot support S. 1117 since there are existing funding mechanisms in federal agencies that can foster the same type of partnership efforts.
• S. 1168 (Schumer, D-NY) and H.R. 1694 (Holt, D-NJ), to 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 bill would establish a matching grant program to acquire battlefield and associated sites related to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.  The bill would also provide $20 million for acquiring both the Civil War Battlefields and Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 Battlefields.  The Department testified in support of the bills with an amendment.

• S. 1442 (Bingaman, D-NM) - A bill 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, establish a grant program for Indian Youth Service Corps, 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.
• H.R. 3215 (Rooney, R-FL) - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service Superintendent of the Everglades National Park, to allow individuals to hunt and kill Burmese pythons within the boundaries of that Park.
• S. 1469 (Boxer, D-CA) - A bill to provide for the administration of Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

• S. 715 (Levin, D-MI), to establish a pilot program to provide for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic lighthouses
• S. 742 (Saxby, R-GA), 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
• S. 1270 (Wyden, D-OR), to modify the boundary of the Oregon Caves National Monument, and for other purposes
• S. 1418 (Udall, Mark, D-CO) and H.R. 2330 (Lamborn, R-CO), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing Camp Hale as a unit of the National Park System
• H.R. 2430 (Hastings, R-WA), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

• H.R. 2802 (Delahunt, D-MA), to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in honor of former President John Adams and his legacy.
• H.R. 2806 (Hastings, R-WA), to authorize the Secretary of Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness.