59–010 

Calendar No. 36 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 110–11 

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON BIRTHPLACE HOME 

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE 

FEBRUARY 15, 2007.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BINGAMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 245] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 245) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace 

Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of 

the National Park System, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 

recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

The purpose of S. 245 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to accept title to the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home 

site, which the Clinton Birthplace Foundation has offered to donate 

to the United States, and to designate the site, upon its acquisition, 

as the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Hope, Arkansas, is the birthplace of William Jefferson Clinton, 

the 42nd President of the United States. The house at 117 S. 

Hervey Street was built in 1917 and later belonged to President 

Clinton’s maternal grandparents, Eldridge and Edith Cassidy. 

President Clinton lived there from his birth in 1946 until his mother married Roger Clinton in 1950. 

The site is currently owned by a non-profit organization, the 

Clinton Birthplace Foundation, and has been restored to the same 

state as when President Clinton lived there. The Foundation has 


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offered to donate the site to the United States for inclusion in the 

National Park System. 

According to the National Park Service, when the home was 

placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, it was 

described as the ‘‘single property most significantly and exclusively 

associated with Clinton’s humble beginnings. . .’’

The National Park Service currently manages several sites associated with the lives of former Presidents. S. 245 would designate 

the Clinton Birthplace Home as a National Historic Site upon the 

donation of the site by the Foundation. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 245 was introduced by Senators Pryor and Lincoln on January 

10, 2007. During the 109th Congress, the Committee considered 

similar legislation, S. 2417, also sponsored by Senators Pryor and 

Lincoln, and H.R. 4192, sponsored by Representative Ross. H.R. 

4192 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 409–12 on 

March 8, 2006. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on both measures on May 16, 2006 (S. Hrg. 109–547). 

At its business meeting on January 31, 2007, the Committee ordered S. 245 to be favorably reported. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 

open business session on January 31, 2007, by a voice vote of a 

quorum present recommends that the Senate pass S. 245. 

SUMMARY OF THE MEASURE

S. 245 directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to designate the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home site located 

at 117 S. Hervey Street in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic 

Site and unit of the National Park System, if unencumbered fee 

simple title to the site is donated by the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Inc. 

The Secretary is directed to administer the site in accordance 

with the laws generally applicable to national historic sites, including the National Park Service Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 1–4) and the 

Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.). 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of the costs of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 245—A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate 

the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in 

Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of the National Park System 

S. 245 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to designate 

the William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in Arkansas as a 

national historic site if the Clinton Birthplace Foundation donates 

the house and related property to the federal government. 

Based on information provided by the NPS, CBO expects that the 

federal government would accept donation of the Clinton home and 

other property in fiscal year 2007. We estimate that the costs of 


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preparing and operating the site as a unit of the National Park 

System would be about $1 million a year, assuming the availability 

of appropriated funds. Enacting S. 245 would not affect direct 

spending or revenues. 

The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

have no significant impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal 

governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation 

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out 

S. 245. 

The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing 

Government-established standards or significant economic responsibilities on private individuals and businesses. 

No personal information would be collected in administering the 

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy. 

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 245. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Because S. 245 is identical to legislation passed by the Senate in 

the 109th Congress, the Committee did not request Executive 

Agency views. The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the Subcommittee hearing on S. 2417 and H.R. 4192 in the 

109th Congress follows: 

STATEMENT OF STEPHEN P. MARTIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify 

on S. 2417 and H.R. 4192, bills that would authorize the 

Secretary to establish the President William Jefferson 

Clinton Birthplace Home as a National Historic Site and 

a unit of the National Park System in Hope, Arkansas. 

H.R. 4192 passed the House of Representatives on March 

8, 2006, without a hearing. The Department supports the 

effort to honor the birthplace home of former President 

Clinton, but suggests amending S. 2417 and H.R. 4192 to 

authorize a study. 

S. 2417 and H.R. 4192 would authorize the Secretary of 

the Interior to designate the William Jefferson Clinton 

Birthplace Home as a National Historic Site and a unit of 

the National Park System should the Secretary acquire, by 

donation only, the birthplace home and any personal property related to that site from the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Inc. The Secretary would administer the unit in accordance with laws generally applicable to preserving national historic sites. It is our understanding that the Clinton Birthplace Foundation also intends to donate the existVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:30 Feb 21, 2007 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR011.XXX SR011

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ing visitor center located at 415 West, Division Street and 

adjacent to the birthplace home, however this property 

was inadvertently left out of S. 2417 and H.R. 4192 when 

the bills were introduced. 

In 1998, Congress passed Public Law 105–391, the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, which requires congressional authorization of areas to be studied 

for potential new units of the National Park System. The 

law also designates the criteria to be followed by the National Park Service (NPS) in determining whether to recommend an area as a unit of the National Park System. 

We recognize the importance of the birthplace of President William Jefferson Clinton and therefore appreciate 

the goals of S. 2417 and H.R. 4192. Consistent with our 

testimony on the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in March 

2001, we suggest, however, that the subcommittee ensure 

that the intent of Congress, as expressed in Public Law 

105–391, is carried out by amending the bill to authorize 

a study of the birthplace and the visitor center to determine whether they conform to the criteria of Public Law 

105–391. We recognize the potential significance of these 

properties and would support an authorization of a new 

study. We would be glad to work with the subcommittee 

on the appropriate language. 

With respect to historical sites, the studies do not only 

look at whether the event or person associated with the 

site was historically significant. They also look at the integrity of the buildings, and other factors, such as whether 

there are other sites that might more appropriately tell the 

story associated with a particular individual. 

The National Park System consists of many previous 

residences of former Presidents. However, there are also 

many residences of former Presidents that are not part of 

the system. A study would look at whether the Federal 

government is the most appropriate entity to manage the 

site. Some sites are managed by other entities, such as 

state governments and private foundations. Conducting a 

professional study allows Congress to be sure it is protecting an area that meets the criteria of the National 

Park System. 

A study also will enable the NPS and the Congress to 

identify the costs in acquiring, restoring, and operating a 

potential site. We believe that the information gathered 

during the study process is invaluable and better ensures 

that the NPS can continue its progress in addressing 

maintenance backlog needs in our national parks. In fact, 

in March 2001, the Department also took the position that 

a study was needed when asked to testify on the designation of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home as a National 

Historic Site. Similar to S. 2417 and H.R. 4192, that bill 

also proposed designation prior to the authorization and 

completion of a study. 

Presidential homes and sites provide a valuable link to 

understanding our country’s history and government and 

are an important part of our national heritage. Plans to 


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purchase and restore the birthplace home of then President William Jefferson Clinton began in 1993, and the 

Clinton Birthplace Foundation, a non-profit organization, 

was formed to purchase, restore, and promote the history 

of the site. The two and one-half story American foursquare home, patterned from a design in France, was built 

in 1917 by Dr. H.S. Garrett. The home is located at 117 

South Hervey Street in Hope, Arkansas, and belonged to 

President Clinton’s maternal grandparents, Eldridge and 

Edith Cassidy. William Jefferson Blythe, as he was then 

known, lived there from his birth in 1946, until his mother 

married Roger Clinton in 1950. 

The residence has been returned to its identical state 

when President Clinton lived there as a young boy. It is 

currently open for public tours operated by the Clinton 

Birthplace Foundation. When the home was placed on the 

National Register of Historic Places in 1994, it was described as ‘‘. . . the single property most significantly and 

exclusively associated with Clinton’s humble beginnings, 

the inner strength he learned from his mother, and the 

dedication to purpose that has sustained him throughout 

his distinguished political career.’’ The William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace site demonstrates the efforts of a local community working together 

to preserve and to tell the story of the birth and childhood 

of a man who later became the 42nd President of the 

United States to present and future generations. 

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to comment. This concludes my prepared remarks and I will be 

happy to answer any questions you or other subcommittee 

members might have. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 245, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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