19–010

Calendar No. 262

108TH CONGRESS REPORT " SENATE ! 1st Session 108–138

CARTER G. WOODSON HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE 

ESTABLISHMENT ACT OF 2003

AUGUST 26, 2003.—Ordered to be printed

Filed under authority of the order of the Senate of July 29 (legislative day, July 21), 

2003

Mr. DOMENICI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1012]

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the Act (H.R. 1012) to establish the Carter G. Woodson 

Home National Historic Site in the District of Columbia, and for 

other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably 

thereon with an amendment and recommends that the Act, as 

amended, do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof 

the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site 

Act’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

As used in this Act: 

(1) CARTER G. WOODSON HOME.—The term ‘‘Carter G. Woodson Home’’ means 

the property located at 1538 Ninth Street, Northwest, in the District of Columbia, as depicted on the map. 

(2) HISTORIC SITE.—The term ‘‘historic site’’ means the Carter G. Woodson 

Home National Historic Site. 

(3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map entitled ‘‘Carter G. Woodson Home 

National Historic Site’’, numbered 876/82338–A and dated July 22, 2003. 

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

SEC. 3. CARTER G. WOODSON HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Upon acquisition by the Secretary of the Carter G. Woodson 

Home, or interests there-in, the Secretary shall establish the historic site as a unit 

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of the National Park System by publication of a notice to that effect in the Federal 

Register. 

(b) ADDITIONS TO HISTORIC SITE.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may acquire any of the 3 properties immediately north of the Carter G. Woodson Home located at 1540, 1542, and 1544 

Ninth Street, Northwest, described on the map as ‘‘Potential Additions to National Historic Site’’, for addition to the historic site.

(2) BOUNDARY REVISION.—Upon the acquisition of any of the properties described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall revise the boundaries of the historic site to include the property. 

(c) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map shall be available for public inspection in the 

appropriate offices of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. 

(d) ACQUISITION AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may acquire the Carter G. Woodson 

Home or any of the properties described in subsection (b)(1), including interests 

therein, and any improvements to the land by donation, purchase from a willing 

seller with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange. 

(e) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall administer the historic site in accordance with this Act and with laws generally applicable to units of the National Park 

System, including the Act of August 25, 1916 (16 U.S.C. 1, 2–4), and the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.). 

(2) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The Secretary shall prepare a general management plan for the historic site not later than three years after the date on which 

funds are made available for that purpose. 

SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with public or private entities to provide public interpretation and education of AfricanAmerican heritage in the Shaw area of the District of Columbia. 

(b) REHABILITATION.—In order to achieve cost efficiencies in the restoration of 

properties within the historic site, the Secretary may enter into an agreement with 

public or private entities to restore and rehabilitate the Carter G. Woodson Home 

and other properties within the boundary of the historic site, subject to such terms 

and conditions as the Secretary deems necessary. 

(c) AGREEMENT WITH THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN

LIFE AND HISTORY.—In order to reestablish the historical connection between the 

Carter G. Woodson Home and the association Dr. Woodson founded, and to facilitate 

interpretation of Dr. Woodson’s achievements, the Secretary may enter into an 

agreement with The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History 

that allows the association to use a portion of the historic site for its own administrative purposes. Such agreement shall ensure that the association’s use of a portion 

of the historic site is consistent with the administration of the historic site, including appropriate public access and rent, and such other terms and conditions as the 

Secretary deems necessary. 

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out 

this Act.

PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

The purpose of H.R. 1012 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the home of historian and educator, Dr. Carter G. 

Woodson, founder of the organization known today as The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, and upon 

its acquisition, to establish it as a unit of the National Park System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the 

Study of Negro Life and History, renamed as the Association for 

the Study of African-American Life and History. 

Through the Association, Dr. Woodson, the son of slaves who 

earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, dedicated his life to educating the American public about the extensive and positive contributions of African Americans to the Nation’s history and culture. 

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Under Dr. Woodson’s leadership, Negro History Week was designated in 1926. That designation has since evolved into Black History Month in February of each year. 

The property located at 1538 Ninth Street, Northwest, in Washington, D.C. was Dr. Woodson’s home from 1915 to 1950, and also 

served as the headquarters and operations of the Association. The 

Carter G. Woodson home was designated as a National Historic 

Landmark in 1976 for its national significance in African-American 

culture. 

A 2002 study conducted by the National Park Service found that 

the Carter G. Woodson Home is suitable for designation as a unit 

of the National Park System. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 1012 was introduced by Representative Norton on February 

27, 2003 and passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote 

on May 14, 2003. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a 

hearing on H.R. 1012 on June 10, 2003. At the business meeting 

on July 23, 2003, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

ordered H.R. 1012, as amended, favorably reported. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on July 23, 2003, by unanimous vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 1012, if amended 

as described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During its consideration of H.R. 1012, the Committee adopted an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment removes 

Congressional findings and makes clarifying and technical corrections. 

The amendment is explained in detail in the section-by-section 

analysis, below. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 entitles this Act as the ‘‘Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2003.’’

Section 2 contains definitions used in this Act. 

Section 3(a) states that upon acquisition of the Carter G. Woodson Home, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall establish 

the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site as a unit of 

the National Park System. 

Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to acquire any of 3 properties immediately north of the Carter G. Woodson Home as described on map number 876/82338–A, for addition to the historic 

site, and upon acquisition, to include the properties within the 

park. 

Subsection (c) states that the relevant map shall be available for 

public inspection in appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

Subsection (d) authorizes the Secretary to acquire the Carter G. 

Woodson Home or any of the properties described in subsection 

(b)(1), including interest in lands and improvements, by donation, 

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or purchase from willing seller with donated or appropriated funds, 

or by exchange. 

Subsection (e)(1) directs the Secretary to administer the historic 

site in accordance with the National Park Service Organic Act and 

the Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act. 

Paragraph (2) directs the Secretary to prepare a general management plan within three years after the date funds are made available. 

Section 4(a) authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative 

agreements for the purpose of public interpretation and education 

of African-American heritage in the Shaw area of Washington, D.C. 

Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with public or private entities to restore and rehabilitate the 

Carter G. Woodson Home and other properties within the boundary 

of the historic site, subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems necessary. 

Subsection (c) authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with The Association for the Study of African-American Life 

and History that allows the association to use a portion of the historic site for its own administrative purposes, subject to such terms 

and conditions as the Secretary deems necessary. 

Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, August 1, 2003. 

Hon. PETE V. DOMENICI, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1012, the Carter G. 

Woodson National Historic Site Act. 

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

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. 

Sincerely, 

ROBERT A. SUNSHINE

(For Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director). 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 1012—Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site Act 

H.R. 1012 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to establish the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site on property in Washington, D.C. The bill would authorize the NPS to acquire the Woodson home and three other attached row houses by 

donation, purchase, or exchange. In order to facilitate interpretation of the new national historic site, the agency also would be authorized to execute cooperative agreements with local organizations 

that wish to restore the federally acquired properties, provide educational support, and lease onsite space from the NPS. 

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Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1012 would cost the Federal Government $9.5 million over the next five years. Of this amount, we 

estimate that the NPS would spend about $1.7 million in 2004 to 

acquire the Woodson home, the other three row houses, and the 

contents of the Woodson library. Beginning in 2005, about $5 million would be spent to restore the houses and develop interpretive 

exhibits. (Some of this work could be done, at Federal expense, by 

local nonprofit organizations.) Finally, we estimate that the NPS 

would spend about $2.7 over the five-year period to manage and 

operate the site, including the costs of preparing a general management plan and other related studies. 

This estimate is based on information provided by the NPS and 

by local tax authorities. For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 

NPS would acquire the contents of the Woodson library although 

the bill would not specifically authorize the acquisition of personal 

property. If the NPS did not purchase the library, the costs of implementing the bill would be about $0.8 million lower. 

The bill would authorize the NPS to lease space in one of the row 

houses to a local nonprofit organization. Rent collected by the agency could be spent (under existing laws) without further appropriation. This leasing authority would therefore result in additional offsetting receipts and direct spending. CBO estimates that the 

amounts involved would be less than $50,000 per year. 

H.R. 1012 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 Robert A. Sunshine, 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 

H.R. 1012. 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 H.R. 1012, as ordered reported. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

On, July 23, 2003, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of the 

Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting forth 

Executive agency recommendations on H.R. 1012. These reports 

had not been received at the time the report on H.R. 1012 as filed. 

When the reports become available, the Chairman will request that 

they be printed in the Congressional Record for the advice of the 

Senate. The testimony provided by the NPS at the Subcommittee 

hearing follows:

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STATEMENT OF D. THOMAS ROSS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, 

RECREATION AND CONSERVATION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present 

the Department of the Interior’s views on H.R. 1012, a bill 

to establish the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site in the District of Columbia. 

The Department recognizes the appropriateness of establishing the Carter G. Woodson home as a unit of the National Park System. The site was found to be nationally 

significant, as well as suitable and feasible for addition to 

the system, in a study conducted by the National Park 

Service and sent to Congress earlier this year. However, 

we recommend that the committee defer action on H.R. 

1012 during the 108th Congress. The Administration is 

continuing to place a priority on reducing the National 

Park System’s deferred maintenance backlog and wants to 

ensure that funding is not diverted to pay for the cost of 

a new unit of the National Park System, which would include acquiring and rehabilitating property along with operating and maintaining the site. 

Dr. Carter G. Woodson was a prominent American historian and is generally considered the preeminent historian 

of the African-American experience in the United States. 

Born in 1875 to former slaves, Woodson began his formal 

education at age 20 after being denied a public education 

in his home town of Canton, Virginia, and earned several 

degrees from institutions of higher learning. He became 

the second African-American, after W.E.B. DuBois, to earn 

a doctorate from Harvard. During much of Dr. Woodson’s 

life, there was little information about African-American 

life and history. Dr. Woodson’s research uncovered history 

that helped educate the American public about the contributions of African-Americans to our Nation’s history and 

culture. 

From 1915 until 1950, Dr. Woodson lived at 1538 Ninth 

Street, Northwest, a Victorian-style row house built in 

1890 in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His 

home was also the headquarters of the Association for the 

Study of Negro Life and History, which he founded. The 

organization, which was renamed the Association for the 

Study of African-American Life and History, continued to 

operate out of the home until 1970. The association still 

owns the home, but it is unoccupied and in need of restoration. The home was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. 

The National Park Service conducted a special resource 

study on the Carter G. Woodson home during 2001–2002, 

pursuant to P.L. 106–349. The study found that in addition to being nationally significant, the site was suitable 

and feasible for inclusion in the National Park System. 

The suitability finding was based on the determination 

that no existing unit of the National Park System provides 

the opportunity to present the story of Dr. Woodson and 

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his legacy, or interprets African-American history as a 

general subject. It was also based on the fact that the 

home offers the chance to interpret other aspects of the 

community in which Dr. Woodson worked and lived, which 

has numerous historically significant resources associated 

with achievements of African-Americans. The site was 

found feasible for inclusion, with qualifications. Along with 

acquiring the Woodson house itself, to make this a viable 

park unit, the National Park Service would need to acquire three adjacent properties to the north for administrative, interpretive, and visitor service needs, and to meet 

accessibility requirements. The study estimates that the 

one-time cost of acquiring and developing the site would be 

in the range of $5 million to $6.5 million, and the annual 

cost of operating and maintaining the site would be approximately $500,000. 

H.R. 1012 provides authority for the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Carter G. Woodson home as a national historic site after acquiring a majority of the property within the proposed boundary of the unit. The boundary encompasses the Woodson home and the three adjoining houses to the north. The bill also authorizes the Secretary to enter into certain agreements. One agreement 

would be with the Shiloh Community Development Corporation to redevelop the property. This corporation is a 

non-profit organization that intends to build senior housing on the same block as the Woodson home; discussions 

have begun between the National Park Service and the 

corporation about a potential development partnership 

which holds the possibility of providing a cost-effective 

means of restoring the property. 

Another potential agreement permitted by the bill would 

enable the Association for the Study of African-American 

Life and History to use a portion of the historic site for its 

own administrative purposes. The bill would also allow 

partnerships with public and private entities for the purpose of fostering interpretation of African-American heritage in the Shaw area. This provision is intended to facilitate connection of the Woodson home to other significant 

historical and cultural sites in the area for purposes of promoting education and tourism. These provisions are all 

consistent with the findings of the study. 

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement. I would be 

pleased to answer any questions that you or other members of the committee may 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 act H.R. 1012, as ordered reported.

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