49–006 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 109–338 

FRENCH COLONIAL HERITAGE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE 

STUDY ACT OF 2005 

DECEMBER 13, 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. 1728] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 

(H.R. 1728) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the 

suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park 

System, and for other purposes, 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 ‘‘French Colonial Heritage National Historic Site 

Study Act of 2005’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) AREA.—The term ‘‘Area’’ means the French Colonial Heritage Area, which 

includes the Bequette-Ribault, St. Gemme-Amoureaux, and Wilhauk homes, and 

the related and supporting historical assets located in Ste. Genevieve County, 

Missouri. 

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

acting through the Director of the National Park Service. 

SEC. 3. STUDY. 

(a) In General.—Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are made 

available to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the State 

of Missouri— 

(1) complete a study on the suitability and feasibility of designating the Area 

as a unit of the National Park System, which shall include the potential impact 

that designation of the area as a national heritage area is likely to have on land 


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within the proposed area or bordering the proposed area that is privately owned 

at the time that the study is conducted; and 

(2) submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives 

and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report describing the findings of the study. 

(b) Contents.—The study under subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance 

with Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–1 et seq.). 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1728 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the 

French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit 

of the National Park Service. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 1728 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study on the suitability and feasibility of designating the 

French Colonial Heritage Area as a unit of the National Park System. The French Colonial Heritage Area includes the BequetteRibault, St. Gemme-Amoureaux, and Wilhauk homes, and the related and supporting historical assets in Ste. Genevieve County, 

Missouri. The Area contains some of the only existing examples of 

the French Colonial period settlement, including two of the five 

poteaux-en-terre (post-in-the-ground) vertical log French buildings 

remaining in North America, dating from circa 1785, in addition to 

several other important historical resources. Moreover, the Area is 

located within the expanded boundaries of Ste. Genevieve National 

Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. Currently, no unit 

of the National Park System has comparable historic features providing the cultural backdrop required to adequately interpret the 

story of the early French in the New World. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1728 was introduced on April 20, 2005, by Congressman 

Russ Carnahan (D–MO). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on National Parks. On November 16, 2005, the Committee on Resources 

met to consider the bill, at which time the Subcommittee on National Parks 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 removed 

the Findings and Authorization of Appropriations sections of the 

bill as well as added language directing the Secretary of the Interior to study potential impacts a designation would have on private 

property owners. The amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. The bill, as amended, 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 Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in 

the body of this report. 


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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 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. This bill does not 

authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the 

Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply. 

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. 1728—French Colonial Heritage National Historic Site Study 

Act of 2005 

H.R. 1728 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing 

an area of historical houses in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, as a unit 

of the National Park System. Based on information provided by the 

National Park Service and assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that carrying out the proposed study 

would cost about $200,000 over the next three years. Enacting H.R. 

1728 would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 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 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. 


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CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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