69–006 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 115–123 

MEDGAR EVERS HOUSE STUDY ACT 

MAY 16, 2017.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. BISHOP of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1715] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 1715) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study of the Medgar Evers House, located in 

Jackson, Mississippi, 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. 1715 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Medgar Evers 

House, located in Jackson, Mississippi. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 1715 authorizes a special resource study by the Secretary 

of the Interior of the home of the late civil rights activist, Medgar 

Evers, located in Jackson, Mississippi. The Evers family home was 

the site of the assassination of prominent civil rights activist 

Medgar Evers in 1963 by Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the 

White Citizens’ Council. The home, now a museum operated by 

Tougaloo College, contains period furnishings, exhibits, and family 

photographs. The study will seek to determine the national significance of the Medgar Evers site. Based on the degree of significance, 

the Secretary will determine the feasibility of designating the site 

as a unit of the National Park System. During the study, the National Park Service will also consult and collaborate with various 

public and private entities to determine costs and other factors asVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 May 17, 2017 Jkt 069006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR123.XXX HR123

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sociated with the acquisition, preservation, and maintenance of the 

site. 

In the 114th Congress, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D– 

MS) introduced nearly identical legislation as H.R. 959. On June 

16, 2015, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing on 

the bill. At the hearing the National Park Service testified in support of the legislation. On September 8, 2015, the Committee on 

Natural Resources favorably reported the bill. Subsequently, the 

bill passed the House by voice vote on September 16, 2015. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1715 was introduced on March 23, 2017, by Congressman 

Bennie G. Thompson (D–MS). The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 

Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On April 26, 2017, the Natural 

Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee 

was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the House of 

Representatives by unanimous consent on April 27, 2017. 

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 

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

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

ACT

1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and sections 308(a) and 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 

received the following estimate for the bill from the Director of the 

Congressional Budget Office: 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, May 5, 2017. 

Hon. ROB BISHOP, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1715, the Medgar Evers 

House Study Act. 

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

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jon Sperl. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 1715—Medgar Evers House Study Act 

H.R. 1715 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the 

suitability and feasibility of designating the Medgar Evers House 

in Jackson, Mississippi, as a unit of the National Park System. AsVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 May 17, 2017 Jkt 069006 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR123.XXX HR123

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suming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that 

carrying out the proposed study would cost about $200,000. 

Enacting H.R. 1715 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates 

that enacting H.R. 1715 would not increase net direct spending or 

on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

H.R. 1715 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

On April 7, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 644, the 

Medgar Evers House Study Act, as ordered reported by the Senate 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on March 30, 2017. 

The two pieces of legislation are similar and CBO’s estimate of 

their budgetary effects is the same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jon Sperl. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. 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 of the Medgar Evers House, located in 

Jackson, Mississippi. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any directed 

rule makings. 

Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or 

reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95–220, 

as amended by Public Law 98–169) as relating to other programs. 

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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