89–006 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 111–529 

HEART MOUNTAIN RELOCATION CENTER STUDY ACT 

OF 2009 

JULY 13, 2010.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. RAHALL, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

together with 

ADDITIONAL VIEWS 

[To accompany H.R. 3989] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 3989) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility 

of adding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, in the State of 

Wyoming, as a unit of the National Park System, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 

recommend that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 3989 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of adding the Heart Mountain Relocation 

Center, in Park County, Wyoming, as a unit of the National Park 

System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Heart Mountain) in Powell, 

Wyoming (in the northwestern part of the state) was a Japanese 

internment camp opened in August of 1942. It reflected a dark period in American history when prejudice against Asian-Americans 

swept the country following the attack on Pearl Harbor in DecemVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:26 Jul 14, 2010 Jkt 057253 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR529.XXX HR529

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ber of 1941. Heart Mountain was one of ten internment camps set 

up under the authority of Presidential Executive Order 9066, 

signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This Order 

authorized the U.S. government to systematically force JapaneseAmericans from their own homes and businesses and into ‘‘Relocation Centers’’ which were being rapidly constructed around the 

west. 

Citing ‘‘wartime necessity,’’ these citizens (two-thirds of the population of Heart Mountain were American citizens) were never given 

access to a hearing, legal aid or judicial review before being relocated. Further, although no crimes were committed, they were detained indefinitely in barbed-wire enclosed camps without any due 

process. At its peak, nearly 11,000 Japanese-Americans—forced 

from their communities in California, Washington, and Oregon— 

were housed in the camp’s tar-paper barracks. Ironically, this made 

Heart Mountain Wyoming’s third largest ‘‘city’’ at the time. 

On December 17, 1944, the U.S. War Department announced 

revocation of the military’s West Coast exclusion order, and on November 10, 1945, the last internees left Heart Mountain to try to 

rebuild their lives. In the 39 months it was open, 14,000 people 

were forced to live and struggle there. A number of the buildings 

and one guard tower still remain at the Heart Mountain site. For 

many, Heart Mountain constitutes a kind of sacred ground; it is a 

reminder of government injustice against human rights and an important historic touchstone for Japanese-Americans. In 2006, Heart 

Mountain was designated as a National Historic Landmark. 

H.R. 3989 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study to determine the national significance of 

Heart Mountain Relocation Center. Specifically, the bill directs the 

Secretary to: determine the suitability and feasibility of designating Heart Mountain as a unit of the National Park System; consider other alternatives for the preservation and interpretation of 

the site by government or private entities; identify cost estimates 

for land acquisition, interpretation, operation and maintenance of 

the site; identify potential impacts of designation of the site on private landowners; and consult with interested government entities, 

tribes, private and nonprofit organizations, and private property 

owners that may be affected by any such designation. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 3989 was introduced by Representative Cynthia Lummis 

(R–WY) on November 3, 2009. The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. At a 

Subcommittee hearing on April 27, 2010, a representative from the 

Department of the Interior testified in support of this legislation. 

On June 16, 2010, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 

and Public Lands was discharged from the further consideration of 

H.R. 3989 and the full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The bill was ordered favorably reported to the House 

of Representatives by unanimous consent. 

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 


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Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United States 

grants Congress the authority to enact this bill. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) 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)(3)(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. 

2. 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. 

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 authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility 

of adding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, in Park County, 

Wyoming, as a unit of the National Park System. 

4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. 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. 3989—Heart Mountain Relocation Center Study Act of 2009 

H.R. 3989 would require the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a special resource study of the Heart Mountain Relocation 

Center in Wyoming. In the study, the NPS would evaluate the national significance of the site, which was used to intern Japanese 

Americans during World War II, and determine the suitability and 

feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System. 

The NPS would have three years to complete the study and report 

to the Congress on its results. 

Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming the 

availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that carrying out 

the study required by H.R. 3989 would cost about $200,000 over 

the next three years. Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures 

would not apply. 

H.R. 3989 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in 

the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on 

state, local, and tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 


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COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

H.R. 3989 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule 

XXI. 

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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ADDITIONAL VIEWS 

I am grateful to Chairman Rahall, as well as Subcommittee 

Chairman Grijalva, and Ranking Members Hastings and Bishop for 

support of this bill. As has been thoroughly discussed in the Subcommittee hearing, the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Study 

Act would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a 

Special Resource Study (SRS) for the site of the Heart Mountain 

Relocation Center, located in Park County, Wyoming. 

The possibility of adding the 123 acres near Heart Mountain as 

a recognized unit in the National Park System is a local priority 

because it represents for Park County and the entire State of Wyoming an important, if dark, chapter in its history. My involvement 

in this effort was born entirely from the grassroots advocacy for 

preserving these historic landmarks, and ensuring future generations learn the important lessons of this era. I am pleased that the 

local support for this study will mean that private property rights 

are protected, and fewer tax payer dollars will be expended. 

CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS. 

Æ 


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