79–006 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 115–535 

JAMES K. POLK PRESIDENTIAL HOME STUDY ACT 

JANUARY 29, 2018.—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. 443] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 443) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the 

suitability and feasibility of designating the James K. Polk Home 

in Columbia, Tennessee, as a unit of the National Park System, 

and for other purposes, 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. 443 is to direct the Secretary of the Interior 

to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the James K. 

Polk Home in Columbia, Tennessee, as a unit of the National Park 

System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

James K. Polk, the 11th president of the United States, lived in 

Columbia, Tennessee, from 1819 until 1824. Nominated as the first 

‘‘dark-horse’’ presidential candidate, Polk unified a split Democratic 

Party to defeat Henry Clay of the Whig Party, assuming office in 

1844. Despite only serving one term, Polk is considered by some to 

be the most efficient President, accomplishing all the domestic and 

foreign policy goals established during his campaign. Although frequently overshadowed by his predecessor, Andrew Jackson, Polk is 

credited with a wide range of policy accomplishments, most notably 

expanding the western territorial holdings of the United States 

through the Mexican-American War and the establishment of the 

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U.S. Naval Academy. Polk left office in 1849, returning to Nashville, Tennessee, where he lived for three months before his death. 

The James K. Polk home in Columbia, Tennessee, was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1961. In April 2015, 

the National Park Service (NPS) completed a reconnaissance survey of the home and determined that the site warrants a special 

resource study to analyze the suitability, feasibility, and need for 

NPS to manage the James K. Polk home. NPS recommended that 

Congress consider authorizing a special resource study for the site. 

The James K. Polk home is the only surviving residence of President Polk, and contains original artifacts from his estate. 

H.R. 443 authorizes a special resource study of the James K. 

Polk home to evaluate its national significance, the suitability and 

feasibility for potential designation of the area as a unit of the National Park System, and the need for NPS management of the resource versus management by other public or private entities. The 

study is informational since Congress would still have to act on 

separate legislation to establish the site as a unit of the National 

Park System. 

A similar bill, S. 99, sponsored by Senator Lamar Alexander (R– 

TN), was favorably reported by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 3, 2017. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 443 was introduced on January 11, 2017, by Congressman 

Scott DesJarlais (R–TN). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on Federal Lands. On January 17, 2018, 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. 

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 AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

ACT

1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and sections 308(a) and 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 

received the following estimate for the bill from the Director of the 

Congressional Budget Office: 

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U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, January 26, 2018. 

Hon. ROB BISHOP, 

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 443, the James K. Polk 

Presidential Home Study Act. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani Shankaran. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL, 

Director. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 443—James K. Polk Presidential Home Study Act 

H.R. 443 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to study 

the suitability and feasibility of designating the home of James K. 

Polk in Columbia, Tennessee, as a unit of the National Park System. Using information from the NPS on the costs of similar studies, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 443 would cost about 

$200,000; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 

Enacting H.R. 443 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 443 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 

10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

H.R. 443 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

On April 7, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 99, the 

James K. Polk Presidential Home Study Act, as ordered reported 

by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on 

March 30, 2017. The two bills are similar and CBO’s estimates of 

their budgetary effects are the same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani Shankaran. 

The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. 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 direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the 

suitability and feasibility of designating the James K. Polk Home 

in Columbia, Tennessee, as a unit of the National Park System. 

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. 

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COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any directed 

rule makings. 

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. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes to existing law. 

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