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 24th 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

No floor action.

Committee Activity

On July 22nd, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the following bills of interest to the National Park Service. The DOI witness was Dan Wenk, Acting Director, NPS: 

• S. 715 (Levin, D-MI), to establish a pilot program to provide for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic lighthouses.  The bill would create a three-year pilot program to provide financial assistance to non-profit organizations, States, or local government entities, for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic light stations. The Department did not present a position on this legislation at the hearing.
• 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.  The bill would add several properties to the historic site that would help broaden understanding of the life and work of President Carter and enhance the visitor experience in Plains, Georgia. The Department supports the bill.
• S. 1270 (Wyden, D-OR), to modify the boundary of the Oregon Caves National Monument, and for other purposes. The bill would add approximately 4,070 acres that are currently managed by the U.S. Forest Service to the monument to enhance the protection of resources and increase quality recreation opportunities. The Department supports the intent of S. 1270 as consistent with the park’s General Management Plan but recommends deferring action on the bill to provide the opportunity to explore ways to maintain interagency coordination.
• 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.  The Department supports both bills with amendments to include the U.S. Forest Service in the study and to delete the section of each bill that focused on water rights since the study would not have any effect on those rights.
• 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.  Legislation is needed to fulfill the preferred alternative of the parks’ fisheries management plan which calls for stocking in a limited number of lakes under certain conditions.  The Department does not oppose H.R. 2430 but would like to work with the committee on amendments to the bill.

On July 24th, the House Budget Committee (Spratt, Jr.) held an oversight hearing on The American Recovery Act and Reinvestment Act: Strengthening Our Economy.  The DOI witness was Ken Salazar, Secretary, Department of the Interior.

New Bills Introduced

None.



Upcoming Committee Activity

On July 28th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Jonathan B. Jarvis, to be the Director of the National Park Service at 10:00 a.m., in room SD-366 Dirksen.

On July 28th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife (Bordallo) will hold a hearing on H.R. 3086 (Bordallo, D-GU), to coordinate authorities within the Department of the Interior and within the Federal Government to enhance the United States' ability to conserve global wildlife and biological diversity and for other purposes.

On July 29th, the House Natural Resources Committee will markup the following bills at 10:00 a.m. in 1324 Longworth House Office Building:

• H.R. 481 (Oberstar, D-MN), to revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 1641 (Inslee, D-WA), to amend the National Trails System Act to provide for a study of the Cascadia Marine Trail.

• 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.