49–006 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 109–286 

COMMEMORATING THE LITE, OR LIFETIME INNOVATIONS 

OF THOMAS EDISON 

NOVEMBER 10, 2005.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. POMBO, from the Committee on Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1096] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 

(H.R. 1096) to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical 

Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site, having considered the same, report favorably 

thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as 

amended do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Act Commemorating the LITE, or Lifetime Innovations of Thomas Edison’’. 

SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

The purposes of this Act are— 

(1) to recognize and pay tribute to Thomas Alva Edison and his innovations; 

and 

(2) to preserve, protect, restore, and enhance the Edison National Historic 

Site to ensure public use and enjoyment of the Site as an educational, scientific, 

and cultural center. 

SEC. 3. THOMAS EDISON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Thomas Edison National Historical 

Park as a unit of the National Park System (hereafter the ‘‘Historical Park’’). 

(b) BOUNDARIES.—The Historical Park shall be comprised of— 

(1) all property owned by the United States in the Edison National Historic 

Site as well as all property authorized to be acquired by the Secretary of the 

Interior for inclusion in the Edison National Historic Site before the date of the 

enactment of this Act, as generally depicted on the map entitled the ‘‘Edison 

National Historic Site’’, numbered 20003B, and dated April 1977; and 

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(2) all property authorized to be acquired for inclusion in the Historical Park 

by this Act or other law enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

(c) MAP.—The map of the Historical Park shall be on file and available for public 

inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer the Historical Park in accordance with this Act and with the provisions of law generally applicable to units of 

the National Park System, including the Acts entitled ‘‘An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes,’’ approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 

535; 16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.) and ‘‘An Act to provide for the preservation of historic 

American sites, buildings, objects, and antiquities of national significance, and for 

other purposes,’’ approved August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.). 

(b) ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY.—

(1) REAL PROPERTY.—The Secretary may acquire land or interests in land 

within the boundaries of the Historical Park, from willing sellers only, by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange. 

(2) PERSONAL PROPERTY.—The Secretary may acquire personal property associated with, and appropriate for, interpretation of the Historical Park. 

(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may consult and enter into cooperative agreements with interested entities and individuals to provide for the preservation, development, interpretation, and use of the Historical Park. 

(d) REPEAL OF SUPERSEDED LAW.—Public Law 87–628 (76 Stat. 428), regarding 

the establishment and administration of the Edison National Historic Site, is repealed. 

(e) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or 

other record of the United States to the ‘‘Edison National Historic Site’’ shall be 

deemed to be a reference to the ‘‘Thomas Edison National Historical Park’’. 

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry 

out this Act. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1096 is to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor 

to the Edison National Historic Site. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

In 1955 the Edison Laboratory National Monument was established after 1.5 acres and 12 buildings were donated to the federal 

government by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. An additional 16 acres and 

Edison’s home were donated in 1959, and became the Edison Home 

National Historic Site. The two sites, which are approximately one 

mile apart, were redesignated as the Edison National Historic Site 

in 1962. Typically, a historic site is considered by the National 

Park Service to contain a single historical feature, while generally 

a national historic park extends beyond single properties or buildings. Based on this definition, proponents of H.R. 1096 believe the 

Edison Historic Site would be more appropriately designated as a 

national historic park. Supporters of H.R. 1096 anticipate that this 

redesignation will bring more attention, visitation, and revenue to 

the Edison Historic Site. 

H.R. 1096 will redesignate the Edison National Historic Site as 

the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. The Park will encompass all lands currently contained in the Historic Site and property 

designated for inclusion by the Secretary of the Interior prior to 

passage of this Act. 

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COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1096 was introduced on March 3, 2005, by Congressman 

Scott Garrett (R–NJ). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on National Parks. On June 9, 2005, the Subcommittee held a hearing 

on the bill. On October 19, 2005, the full Committee on Resources 

met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged from 

further consideration of the bill by unanimous consent. Congressman Stevan Pearce (R–NM) offered an amendment in the nature 

of a substitute which struck the findings in Section 2 of the legislation. The Pearce amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. 

The bill, as amended, was then 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 Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in 

the body of this report. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Article I, section 8, and Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution 

of the United States grant 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 tax expenditures. According 

to the Congressional Budget Office, enactment of this bill would increase offsetting receipts and direct spending, but ‘‘any net change 

in direct spending would be negligible.’’

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the general performance goal or objective of this bill is to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in the State 

of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic 

Site. 

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: 

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H.R. 1096—Act Commemorating the LITE, or Lifetime Innovations 

of Thomas Edison 

H.R. 1096 would redesignate the Edison National Historic site in 

New Jersey as the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Based 

on information provided by the National Park Service (NPS), CBO 

estimates that implementing this bill would have no significant effect on the federal budget. Under the bill, the unit’s boundaries, the 

agency’s authority to acquire land and execute cooperative agreements with local entities, and annual operating costs would be 

similar or identical to those under existing law. We expect that 

one-time costs to revise NPS brochures, maps, and signs would be 

minimal because most such revisions would take place in conjunction with scheduled reprinting and other routine maintenance. Finally, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1096 would not affect revenues or direct spending. 

H.R. 1096 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 Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4 

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets and existing law in which no 

change is proposed is shown in roman): 

ACT OF SEPTEMBER 5, 1962 

(Public Law 87–628) 

AN ACT to change the names of the Edison Home National Historic Site and the 

Edison Laboratory National Monument, to authorize the acceptance of donations, 

and for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 

United States of America in Congress assembled, øThat the Edison 

Home National Historic Site and the Edison Laboratory National 

Monument, together with adjacent parcels aggregating approximately seventy-one one-hundredths of an acre which have been donated to the United States for addition to the monument, are designated the Edison National Historic Site. 

øSEC. 2. The Secretary of the Interior may accept the donation 

of such lands and interests in lands, for addition to the site, as he 

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determines will further the preservation of the Edison National 

Historic Site and its enjoyment by the public. 

øSEC. 3. The Edison National Historic Site shall be administered 

by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the Act entitled ‘‘An 

Act to establish a National Park Service and for other purposes,’’ approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2, 3), as 

amended and supplemented.¿ 

Æ