79–010

Calendar No. 640

106TH CONGRESS REPORT

2d Session " ! SENATE 106–322

CARTER G. WOODSON HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

STUDY ACT OF 2000

JUNE 27, 2000.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. MURKOWSKI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural

Resources, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 3201]

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was

referred the Act (H.R. 3201) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the

Carter G. Woodson Home in the District of Columbia as a National

Historic Site, and for other purposes, having considered the same,

reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends

that the Act do pass.

PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

The purpose of H.R. 3201 is to direct the Secretary of the Interior, after consultation with the mayor of the District of Columbia,

to prepare a resource study of the home of Dr. Carter G. Woodson

to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a

unit of the National Park System.

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a distinguished historian and the son of

former slaves, was the founder and director of the Association for

the Study of African-American Life and History. Dr. Woodson’s research into African-American history helped to educate the American public about the contributions of African-Americans to the nation’s history and culture. Among the enduring accomplishments of

the Association founded by Dr. Woodson was the establishment of

Negro History Week in 1926, which later became Black History

Month.

In 1915, Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of

Negro Life and History, since renamed the Association for the

2

Study of African-American Life and History. Dr. Woodson directed

the Association’s operations out of his home at 1538 Ninth Street,

NW, in Washington, D.C. Today, the home stands boarded up in

the historic Shaw district of the city.

H.R. 3201 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the

Carter G. Woodson Home to determine its suitability and feasibility

for inclusion as a unit of the National Park System.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 3201 was passed by the House of Representatives on February 15, 2000. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic

Preservation, and Recreation held a hearing on H.R. 3201 on April

27, 2000. At its business meeting on June 7, 2000, the Committee

on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 3201 favorably reported.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION AND TABULATION OF VOTES

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on June 7, 2000, by a unanimous vote of a quorum

present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 3201 as described

herein.

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 designates the Act’s short title.

Section 2 contains congressional findings about Dr. Carter G.

Woodson, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History,

since renamed the Association for the Study of African-American

Life and History, and his home located at 1538 Ninth Street,

Northwest, Washington, D.C.

Section 3 defines the term ‘‘Secretary’’ to mean the Secretary of

the Interior.

Section 4 directs the Secretary to conduct a study to identify the

suitability and feasibility of designating the Carter G. Woodson

Home as a unit of the National Park System. After consultation

with the mayor of the District of Columbia, the study is to be submitted to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the

United States Senate, no later than 18 months after funds are

made available for the study.

Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out the Act.

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

3

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, June 13, 2000.

Hon. FRANK H. MURKOWSKI,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3201, the Carter G.

Woodson Home National Site Study Act of 2000.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased

to provide them. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.

Sincerely,

BARRY B. ANDERSON

(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).

Enclosure.

H.R. 3201—Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site Study Act of

2000

H.R. 3201 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct

a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating

the Carter G. Woodson home in the District of Columbia as a national historic site. The legislation would require the Secretary to

report on the national, historical, and cultural resources within the

study area that merit recognition and designation as a national

historic site.

Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that the federal government would spend up to $75,000 over

the next 18 months to implement H.R. 3201. The act would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures

would not apply. H.R. 3201 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform

Act and would impose no significant costs on state, local, or tribal

governments.

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Deborah Reis and

Ali Aslam. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

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

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out

H.R. 3201. The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing Government-established standards or significant economic

responsibilities on private individuals and businesses.

No personal information would be collected in administering the

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy.

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of H.R. 3201, as ordered reported.

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

On April 27, 2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of the

Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting forth

4

Executive agency recommendations on H.R. 3201. These reports

had not been received at the time the report on H.R. 3201 was

filed. When the reports become available, the Chairman will request that they be printed in the Congressional Record for the advice of the Senate. The testimony provided by the National Park

Service at the Subcommittee hearing follows:

STATEMENT OF JOHN G. PARSONS, ASSOCIATE REGIONAL DI- RECTOR FOR LANDS, RESOURCES, AND PLANNING, NA- TIONAL PARK SERVICE, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear

before you today to present the Department of the Interior’s views on H.R. 3201, a bill to authorize the Secretary

of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of

designating the Carter G. Woodson home in the District of

Columbia as a National Historic Site, and as a unit of the

National Park System.

The Department supports H.R. 3201 with amendments

discussed in our testimony.

H.R. 3201 authorizes the Secretary to conduct a special

resource study of the Carter G. Woodson home and the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History. This study will examine the national significance and

the suitability and feasibility of designating the Carter G.

Woodson home as a unit of the National Park System as

well as the alternatives for management and protection of

the home. After 18 months, the study is to be submitted

to the House of Representatives Committee on Resources

and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson is the father of Negro history. He

was a preeminent historian of African-American life and

history. Dr. Woodson’s life was devoted to educating African-Americans and the American public about the contributions black Americans made in the formation of our

nation’s history and culture. His efforts led to the establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and

History in 1915 because of what he saw as the great need

to educate the American public concerning those contributions. It is because of Dr. Woodson’s efforts that Black History Month is celebrated across the country today.

The association’s headquarters and center of operations

were located in his home at 1538 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, DC. Dr. Woodson directed the association’s operations, trained researchers and staff, managed the association’s budget and fund-raising efforts, and pursued his own

study of African American history.

Through the association, Dr. Woodson dedicated his life

to educating the American public about the contributions

of black Americans to our nation’s history and culture. His

work in bringing history to bear where prejudice and racism had held sway has played an indispensable role in reducing prejudice and making the need for civil rights remedies clear. Among its enduring accomplishments, the association instituted Negro History Week in 1926 to be obVerDate 11-MAY-2000 17:00 Jul 03, 2000 Jkt 079006 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR322.XXX pfrm01 PsN: SR322
5

served during the same week in February as the birthdays

of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. To assure

publication of research on African American history under

Dr. Woodson’s leadership, the association founded the Associated Publishers in 1920. The Association for the Study

of Negro Life and History, renamed the Association for the

Study of African-American Life and History, continues to

serve and educate people of the importance of AfricanAmerican history. Dr. Woodson’s home, a Victorian-style

house built in 1890, has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Today the Carter G. Woodson home

stands boarded up in the historic Shaw District of Washington, DC.

We recommend three amendments to this legislation.

These amendments would insure the study is completed in

conformance with the requirements of the National Park

Omnibus Management Act passed by Congress in 1998.

The text of the amendments is attached to this testimony.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared testimony. I

would be happy to answer any questions you or your committee may have.

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing

Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law are made by the bill H.R. 3201, as ordered reported.

Proposed amendments to H.R. 3201

(1) On page 3, line 19, after ‘‘Senate a’’ add ‘‘special’’.

(2) On page 4, line 1, strike ‘‘identify suitability and feasibility’’

and insert ‘‘include a determination of the national significance,

feasibility, and suitability’’.

(3) On page 4, after line 8, insert the following new subsection:

‘‘(c) CRITERIA.—In conducting the study authorized by

this Act, the Secretary shall use the criteria for the study

of areas for potential inclusion in the National Park System contained in Section 8 of P.L. 91–383, as amended by

Section 303 of the National Parks Omnibus Management

Act (P.L. 105–391, 112 Stat. 3501).’’

Æ