69–006 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 115–208 

JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE EXPANSION ACT 

JULY 11, 2017.—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. 1719] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 1719) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 

approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, and for 

other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do 

pass. 

The amendments are as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) HISTORIC SITE.—The term ‘‘Historic Site’’ means the John Muir National 

Historic Site in Martinez, California, established by Public Law 88–547 (78 

Stat. 753). 

(2) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map entitled ‘‘John Muir National Historic Site Proposed Boundary Expansion’’, numbered 426/127150, and dated November 2014. 

(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior. 

SEC. 3. JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE LAND ACQUISITION. 

(a) ACQUISITION.—The Secretary may acquire by donation the approximately 44 

acres of land and any interests in the land that is identified on the map. 

(b) BOUNDARY.—On the acquisition of the land authorized under subsection (a), 

the Secretary shall adjust the boundaries of the Historic Site to include the acquired 

land. 

(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The land and any interests in land acquired under subsection (a) shall be administered as part of the National Historic Site. 

Amend the title so as to read: 


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A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, for inclusion 

in the John Muir National Historic Site, and for other purposes. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1719, as ordered reported, is to authorize 

the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of 

land in Martinez, California, for inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The John Muir National Historic Site, established by Congress in 

1964, is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Martinez, California. The historic site preserves the 14-room Italianate Victorian 

mansion where the naturalist and writer John Muir lived, as well 

as a nearby 325 acre tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands 

historically owned by the Muir family. 

H.R. 1719 would authorize the Department of the Interior to acquire, by donation, approximately 44 acres to expand the boundary 

of John Muir National Historic Site. The acreage to be donated is 

directly continuous with Mount Wanda and will allow for better 

public access to trails. 

In the 114th Congress, H.R. 1289, a bill identical to H.R. 1719, 

passed the House by voice vote. Additionally, a similar bill introduced the 113th Congress, H.R. 5699, passed the House by a vote 

of 361–39. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1719 was introduced on March 24, 2017, by Congressman 

Mark DeSaulnier (D–CA). The bill was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On June 22, 2017, the Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was 

discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob Bishop (R– 

UT) offered an amendment designated #1; it was adopted by unanimous consent. No further amendments were offered, and the bill, 

as amended, was ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent on June 27, 2017. 

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, July 5, 2017. 

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. 1719, the John Muir National Historic Site Expansion 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. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 1719—John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act 

H.R. 1719 would expand and adjust the boundary of the John 

Muir National Historic Site in California to include approximately 

44 acres of donated land. The bill stipulates that the land would 

be donated voluntarily by the Muir Heritage Land Trust and would 

be administered as part of the historic site. 

Based on an analysis of information provided by the National 

Park Service (NPS), CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1719 

would have no significant effect on the federal budget. Under the 

legislation, the additional acres could only be acquired through donation. Furthermore, because the NPS does not anticipate the need 

for additional resources or expenditures to manage the property 

once it is acquired, CBO estimates that annual costs to operate and 

maintain the new properties would be minimal. 

Enacting H.R. 1719 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

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

that enacting H.R. 1719 would not increase net direct spending or 

on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

H.R. 1719 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

On April 11, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 729 

as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on March 30, 2017. The two bills arc similar, and 

CBO’s estimates of the budgetary effects are the same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani Shankaran. 

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 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, as ordered reported, is to authorize the Secretary of the 

Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, 

California, for inclusion in the John Muir National Historic Site. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 


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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. 

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 in existing law. 

Æ 


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