59–006 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 114–335 

BILLY FRANK JR. TELL YOUR STORY ACT 

NOVEMBER 16, 2015.—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. 2270] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 2270) to redesignate the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as the Billy Frank Jr. 

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to establish the Medicine 

Creek Treaty National Historic Site within the wildlife refuge, 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 ‘‘Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act’’. 

SEC. 2. REDESIGNATION OF THE NISQUALLY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. 

(a) REDESIGNATION.—The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State 

of Washington, is redesignated as the ‘‘Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife 

Refuge’’. 

(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any statute, rule, regulation, Executive Order, 

publication, map, paper, or other document of the United States to the Nisqually 

National Wildlife Refuge is deemed to refer to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. 

SEC. 3. MEDICINE CREEK TREATY NATIONAL MEMORIAL, WASHINGTON. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Medicine Creek Treaty National 

Memorial within the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge to commemorate the location of the signing of the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 between 

the United States Government and leaders of the Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, 

and Squaxin Island Indian Tribes. 

(b) ACREAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary of the Interior shall establish 

the boundaries of the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial and provide for admstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with HEARINGS

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ministration and interpretation of the memorial by the United States Fish and 

Wildlife Service. 

(c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of the Interior shall coordinate with representatives of the Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, and Squaxin Island Indian Tribes 

in providing for the interpretation of the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to redesignate the Nisqually 

National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as 

the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to establish 

the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial within the wildlife 

refuge, and for other purposes.’’. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 2270, as amended, is to redesignate the 

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, 

and to establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Historic Site 

within the wildlife refuge. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The bill is intended to honor the life and legacy of Billy Frank, 

Jr., a champion for Native American treaty rights and environmental stewardship in the Puget Sound area in Washington State. 

Frank grew up fishing on the Nisqually River and successfully 

brought together tribes, government officials, and others to improve 

treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and 

salmon recovery in the area. He campaigned against limits on tribal fishing, and his efforts led to a 1974 federal court decision which 

reaffirmed certain tribes’ rights to half of the fish harvest in Washington. Frank, who passed away in 2014, was awarded the Albert 

Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and the Martin Luther King 

Jr. Distinguished Service Award, and was nominated for the Nobel 

Peace Prize in 2010. 

To honor Billy Frank, Jr., H.R. 2270 would redesignate the wildlife refuge on the Nisqually River Delta in the State of Washington 

as ‘‘The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.’’ This 

Refuge was established in 1974 to protect and conserve wildlife in 

the Nisqually River Delta, which is near Puget Sound. The bill also 

creates a National Memorial at the location of the signing of the 

1854 Medicine Creek Treaty, which established reservation land as 

well as the right to fish for Puget Sound area tribes. The bill also 

requires the Secretary of the Interior to involve the Muckleshoot, 

Nisqually, Puyallup, and Squaxin Island Tribes in the development 

of educational materials for use at this National Historic Site. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 2270 was introduced on May 12, 2015, by Congressman 

Denny Heck (D–WA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on Federal Lands. On July 14, 2015, the Subcommittee held a 

hearing on the bill. On October 7, 2015, the Natural Resources 

Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Don Young (R–AK) 

offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute; it was adopted 

by unanimous consent. The bill, as amended, was ordered favorably 

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reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent on 

October 8, 2015. 

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

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 2270—Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act 

H.R. 2270 would designate the wildlife refuge on the Nisqually 

River Delta in the State of Washington as ‘‘The Billy Frank Jr. 

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.’’ 

The bill also would require the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with local Native American tribes, to establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial at the location of the signing 

of the 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty, which established reservation 

land as well as the right to fish for tribes in the Puget Sound area. 

Based on information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost less 

than $500,000 over the 2016–2020 period, any such spending would 

be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 

2270 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, payas-you-go procedures do not apply. 

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2270 would not increase net 

direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 

10-year period beginning in 2026. 

H.R. 2270 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in 

the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on 

state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Marin Burnett. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required by 

clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 

this bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or 

tax expenditures. According to the Congressional Budget Office, implementation of the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 

2016–2020 time period, subject to appropriation. 

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3. 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 redesignate the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, 

located in the State of Washington, as the Billy Frank Jr. 

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, and to establish the Medicine 

Creek Treaty National Historic Site within the wildlife refuge. 

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. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that this 

bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any specific 

rule-making proceedings. 

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. 

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