U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

79–010 

" ! SENATE 115TH CONGRESS

2d Session 

REPORT

2018

115–221 

Calendar No. 369 

A BILL TO RENAME A WATERWAY IN THE 

STATE OF NEW YORK AS THE ‘‘JOSEPH SANFORD JR. CHANNEL’’ 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND 

TRANSPORTATION 

ON

S. 1668 

APRIL 9, 2018.—Ordered to be printed 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with REPORTScongress.#13
(II) 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman 

ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida 

ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii 

DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts 

DEAN HELLER, Nevada TOM UDALL, New Mexico 

JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma GARY C. PETERS, Michigan 

MIKE LEE, Utah TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois 

SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia MARGARET WOOD HASSAN, New Hampshire 

CORY GARDNER, Colorado CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada 

TODD C. YOUNG, Indiana JON TESTER, Montana 

NICK ROSSI, Staff Director 

ADRIAN ARNAKIS, Deputy Staff Director 

JASON VAN BEEK, General Counsel 

KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director 

CHRISTOPHER DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with REPORTS
Calendar No. 369 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 115–221 

A BILL TO RENAME A WATERWAY IN THE STATE OF 

NEW YORK AS THE ‘‘JOSEPH SANFORD JR. CHANNEL’’ 

APRIL 9, 2018.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. THUNE, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

[To accompany S. 1668] 

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 

which was referred the bill (S. 1668), to rename a waterway in the 

State of New York as the ‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel,’’ having 

considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment 

and recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of S. 1668 is to rename the waterway ‘‘Negro Bar 

Channel’’ as the ‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel.’’ 

BACKGROUND AND NEEDS

Mr. Joseph Sanford, Jr. was an Inwood, New York, volunteer fire 

fighter who died days after suffering critical injuries while responding to a fire call in Woodmere, New York, on December 19, 2014. 

Mr. Sanford, a 17-year veteran of the fire department who was 

posthumously promoted to Chief, was one of the first firefighters on 

the scene. He fell through the first floor of the vacant house and 

was trapped under debris. 

The channel in question divides Nassau County and Queens, 

New York. The waterway received its current name in 1963 under 

an Administrative Directive by then-Secretary of Interior Stewart 

Udall, when he mandated a previous term, a deeply offensive slur, 

used in geographic names on Federal maps and other products be 

changed to ‘‘Negro.’’ The town of Hempstead, New York, sent reVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:42 Apr 10, 2018 Jkt 079010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR221.XXX SR221

lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with REPORTS
2 

quests to the New York State Department of Education’s Committee on Geographic Names and the U.S. Board on Geographic 

Names to approve the name change to ‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel’’ in 2016. However, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has 

a policy that does not allow a geographic feature to be named after 

a deceased person unless the person has been deceased for at least 

5 years. This bill would change any reference to this waterway in 

any law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the 

United States to the ‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel.’’ 

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS

S. 1668 section would rename the waterway in the State of New 

York designated as the ‘‘Negro Bar Channel’’ to be known as the 

‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel.’’ 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 1668 was introduced on July 27, 2017, by Senator Schumer 

and was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation of the Senate. On November 8, 2017, the Committee met in open Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered 

S. 1668 reported favorably without amendment. 

ESTIMATED COSTS

In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the Congressional Budget 

Act of 1974, the Committee provides the following cost estimate, 

prepared by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 1668—A bill to rename a waterway in the State of New York as 

the ‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel’’ 

S. 1668 would redesignate the waterway in New York State referred to as the ‘‘Negro Bar Channel’’ the ‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. 

Channel.’’ The bill also would require any reference to the Negro 

Bar Channel in a law, map, regulation, or other United States 

record be deemed a reference to the Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel. 

CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have no effect 

on the federal budget. Because enacting S. 1668 would not affect 

direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

CBO estimates that enacting S. 1668 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 

10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

S. 1668 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Robert Reese. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

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

Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the legislation, as reported: 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with REPORTS
3 

NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED

S. 1668, as reported, does not create any new programs or impose any new regulatory requirements, and therefore would not 

subject any individuals or businesses to new regulations. 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

S. 1668, as reported, is not expected to have a negative impact 

on the Nation’s economy. 

PRIVACY

S. 1668, as reported, would have no impact on the personal privacy of individuals. 

PAPERWORK

S. 1668, as reported, would not increase paperwork requirements 

for either the private or public sectors, beyond one-time changes to 

public materials listing the current name of the channel. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no provisions 

contained in the bill, as reported, meet the definition of congressionally directed spending items under the rule. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel. 

This section would rename the waterway in the State of New 

York designated as the ‘‘Negro Bar Channel’’ to be known as the 

‘‘Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel.’’ 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the bill as reported 

would make no change to existing law. 

Æ 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with REPORTS