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[House Report 109-622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

109th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     109-622

======================================================================

 
                   MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRAIL STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

 September 6, 2006.--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. 1796]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 1796) to amend the National Trails System Act to 
designate the route of the Mississippi River from its 
headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico for 
study for potential addition to the National Trails System as a 
national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both, and 
for other purposes, 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. 1796 is to amend the National Trails 
System Act to designate the route of the Mississippi River from 
its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico 
for study for potential addition to the National Trails System 
as a national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both, 
and for other purposes.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The Mississippi River is a prominent natural feature of our 
country, an integral part of our history and a critical artery 
for modern commerce. According to the bill's sponsor, 
designating a route along the Mississippi ensures that future 
generations can appreciate, understand and enjoy the great 
waterway.
    H.R. 1796 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study examining the feasibility and suitability of 
including the Mississippi River in the National Trails System. 
Establishing a national trail along the River will connect the 
nearly 40 existing public land units on or very near the River, 
which include national forests, national parks and national 
wildlife refuges.
    H.R. 1796 attempts to control costs by requiring that all 
completed and ongoing studies on the scenic or historical 
importance of the Mississippi River be utilized to complete the 
assessment authorized by this legislation.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 1796 was introduced on April 21, 2005, Congresswoman 
Betty McCollum (D-MN). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks and the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest 
Health. On April 27, 2006, the Subcommittee on National Parks 
held a hearing on H.R. 1796. On July 19, 2006, the Committee on 
Resources met to consider the bill. The Subcommittees were 
discharged from further consideration of the bill by unanimous 
consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered 
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by voice 
vote.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Article I, section 8, clause 3, and Article IV, section 3, 
clause 2 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 
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 amend the National Trails System 
Act to designate the route of the Mississippi River from its 
headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico for 
study for potential addition to the National Trails System as a 
national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both.
    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. 1796--Mississippi River Trail Study Act

    H.R. 1796 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
study whether to establish a national trail along the entire 
length of the Mississippi River. Based on information from the 
National Park Service, CBO estimates that the proposed study 
would cost about $500,000, assuming the availability of 
appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 1796 would not affect direct 
spending or revenues.
    H.R. 1796 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 Megan Carroll. 
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, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

              SECTION 5 OF THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT

             NATIONAL SCENIC AND NATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAILS

  Sec. 5. (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (c) The following routes shall be studied in accordance with 
the objectives outlined in subsection (b) of this section:
  (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  [(42) The] (41) Long Walk Trail.--The Long Walk Trail, a 
series of routes which the Navajo and Mescalero Apache Indian 
tribes were forced to walk beginning in the fall of 1863 as a 
result of their removal by the United States Government from 
their ancestral lands, generally located within a corridor 
extending through portions of Canyon de Chelley, Arizona, and 
Albuquerque, Canyon Blanco, Anton Chico, Canyon Piedra Pintado, 
and Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
  [(41)] (42) Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail.--The 
Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail, a system of trails and 
potential trails extending southward approximately 180 miles 
through western Massachusetts on the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, 
across central Connecticut on the Metacomet Trail and the 
Mattabesett Trail, and ending at Long Island Sound.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (43) Mississippi River Trail.--The route of the Mississippi 
River from its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf 
of Mexico.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                                  
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