69–010 

Calendar No. 62 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 115–49 

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK 

ACT OF 2017 

MAY 9, 2017.—Ordered to be printed 

Ms. MURKOWSKI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 267] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (H.R. 267) to redesignate the Martin Luther King, 

Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, and for other 

purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 

without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of H.R. 267 is to redesignate the Martin Luther 

King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the 

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Public Law 96–428 established the Martin Luther King, Junior, 

National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, to preserve, protect, and 

interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present and 

future generations, the places where Martin Luther King, Jr. was 

born, where he lived, worked, and worshiped, and where he is buried, while ensuring connections are made to his life and legacy. 

Since 1980, Congress has twice modified the boundaries of the 

Historic Site and Preservation District (Public Laws 102–575 and 

108–314). H.R. 267 further modifies the boundaries to include the 

Prince Hall Masonic Temple, where the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) established its initial headquarters on 

Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1957. This historic civil 

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rights organization was co-founded by Dr. King, who also served as 

its first president. The SCLC has now relocated to another building 

on the same block. Including the Prince Hall Masonic Temple within the unit’s boundary would enable the National Park Service 

(NPS) to provide technical assistance to the building’s owners with 

respect to repairs, renovations, and maintenance to help preserve 

its historic integrity. 

H.R. 267 also redesignates the National Historic Site as a National Historical Park. The titles given to various areas managed 

by the NPS vary widely, but Congress has generally tried to give 

similar titles to areas that contain certain common features. National Historical Parks are commonly areas of greater physical extent and complexity than National Historic Sites, which may only 

contain a single building. The redesignation of the Historic Site as 

a National Historical Park will make it Georgia’s first National 

Historical Park. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Representative Lewis and 30 cosponsors introduced H.R. 267 on 

January 4, 2017. On March 15, 2017, H.R. 267 was passed by the 

House of Representatives by a voice vote. 

In the 114th Congress, Representative Lewis introduced similar 

legislation, H.R. 2880, on June 24, 2015. The bill was reported favorably by the House Committee on Natural Resources with an 

amendment (H. Rept. 114–431) on February 3, 2016. The House of 

Representatives passed H.R. 2880 by voice vote on February 24, 

2016. H.R. 2880 was received in the Senate on February 25, 2016. 

The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on H.R. 2880 

on March 17, 2016. The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered the bill favorably reported on July 13, 2016 (S. Report 114–337). 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open 

business session on March 30, 2017, and ordered S. 267 favorably 

reported. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 

open business session on March 30, 2017, by a majority voice vote 

of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 267. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 contains the short title. 

Section 2. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park 

Section 2 amends Public Law 96–428 to redesignate the Martin 

Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site as the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historical Park as depicted on the referenced 

map. 

Section 3. References 

Section 3 states any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper or other record of the U.S. to ‘‘Martin Luther King, 

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Junior, National Historic Site’’ shall be deemed to be a reference 

to ‘‘Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.’’ 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office. 

H.R. 267—Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 

2017 

H.R. 267 would redesignate the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, as a National Historic Park 

and expand its existing boundaries to include the original headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). 

The SCLC is a civil rights organization co-founded by Dr. King. 

Based on information provided by the National Park Service, 

CBO estimates that any cost to provide financial and technical assistance for maintenance and upkeep of the privately owned headquarters would be insignificant; any such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 

Enacting H.R. 267 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

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

that enacting H.R. 267 would not increase net direct spending or 

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

H.R. 267 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. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jon Sperl. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 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. 267. 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. 267, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

H.R. 267, as ordered reported, does not contain any congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 

benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Because H.R. 267 is similar to legislation considered by the Committee in the 114th Congress, the Committee did not request Executive Agency views. The testimony provided by the NPS at the 

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hearing before the National Parks Subcommittee on March 17, 

2016, follows: 

STATEMENT OF PEGGY O’DELL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on H.R. 2880, a bill to redesignate 

Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the 

State of Georgia, and for other purposes. 

The Department supports H.R. 2880. 

This legislation has two components: it would redesignate the National Historic Site as a National Historical 

Park and modestly expand the site’s boundaries to incorporate the Prince Hall Masonic Temple, where the Southern Christian Leadership Conference established its initial 

headquarters on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia in 

1957. This historic and distinguished civil rights organization was co-founded by Dr. King, who also served as its 

first president. 

The Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site 

was established by Public Law 96–428 on October 10, 

1980. The historic site, located in Atlanta, Georgia, encompasses 38.38 acres, 18.08 of which are Federally owned. 

The historic elements of the site include: Dr. King’s birth 

home at 501 Auburn Avenue; the original Ebenezer Baptist Church, which he co-pastored with his father from 

1960–1968; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (commonly referred to as the 

‘‘The King Center’’); the Birth Home Block which contains 

portions of the historically African-American Sweet Auburn residential community; and, Historic Fire Station No. 

6 where white firefighters operated within a predominantly African American community. Approximately 

700,000 national and international visitors come to the site 

each year. 

H.R. 2880 would redesignate Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site as the Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historical Park. National historical parks are 

commonly areas of greater physical extent and complexity 

than national historic sites. Both designations denote units 

of the national park system, both are considered to be national parks, and both would be subject to the same laws 

and eligible for the same funding streams. The change in 

designation would not alter the management or operation 

of the park in any way. However, designating a unit as a 

national historical park, as opposed to a national historic 

site, is a way to let potential visitors know that the unit 

probably contains a greater collection of resources, or properties, than a national historic site, which may simply be 

one building. It is a more accurate designation for the collection of resources at this park, and we believe that the 

re-designation will increase awareness of the park. 

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H.R. 2880 would also expand the boundary of the Martin 

Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site to include the 

Prince Hall Masonic Temple at 332–34 Auburn Avenue in 

Atlanta. Prince Hall was the historic national headquarters for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference where Dr. King was a co-founder and first president. Today, the SCLC is located in a new facility on the 

same block. Including the Prince Hall Masonic Temple 

within the unit’s boundary will permit the National Park 

Service to provide technical assistance to the building’s 

owners with respect to repairs, renovations, and maintenance that would preserve its historic integrity. 

H.R. 2880 also updates the official park boundary map 

to recognize a land exchange between the National Park 

Service and the City of Atlanta that was authorized by 

Public Law 108–314 in 2005. That exchange permitted the 

National Park Service to exchange a vacant lot with no 

historic significance for city-owned property that has enabled the National Park Service to establish easy street access to the park’s visitor center and museum. H.R. 2880 

replaces the previous park boundary map with a new map 

that incorporates both the land exchange authorized by 

Public Law 108–314 and the boundary expansion proposed 

in H.R. 2880. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be 

happy to answer any questions that you or other members 

of the subcommittee may have. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the original 

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): 

PUBLIC LAW 96–428, AS AMENDED

AN ACT To establish the øMartin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site¿ Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park in the State of Georgia, and for other 

purposes. 

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

United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) in order 

to protect and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education 

of present and future generations the places where Martin Luther 

King, Junior, was born, where he lived, worked, and worshipped, 

and where he is buried, there is hereby established the øMartin 

Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site¿ Martin Luther King, 

Jr. National Historic Park in the State of Georgia. The ønational 

historic site¿ national historic park shall consist of that real property in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, within the boundary generally 

depicted on øthe map entitled ‘‘Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Boundary Map’’, number 489/80,013B, and 

dated September 1992¿ the map entitled ‘‘Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historical Park Proposed Boundary Revision’’, numbered 

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489/128,786 and dated June 2015, together with the property 

known as 234 Sunset Avenue, Northwest. The map referred to in 

this subsection shall be on file and available for public inspection 

in the local and Washington, District of Columbia offices of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. 

(b) In furtherance of the purposes of this Act, there is hereby established the Martin Luther King, Junior, Preservation District, 

which shall consist of the area identified as ‘‘Preservation District’’ 

in the map referred to in subsection (a) of this section. 

SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to 

as ‘‘the Secretary’’) shall administer the øMartin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site¿ Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park and Preservation District in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and the provisions of law generally applicable to 

national øhistoric sites¿ historic parks, including the Act of August 

25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2–4) and the Act of August 21, 

1935 (49 Stat. 666; 16 U.S.C. 461–7). 

(b)(1) Within the ønational historic site¿ national historic park 

the Secretary is authorized to acquire by donation, purchase with 

donated or appropriated funds, transfer, or exchange, lands and interests therein, except that property owned by the State of Georgia 

or any political subdivision thereof may be acquired only by donation or exchange. 

(2) Notwithstanding the acquisition authority contained in paragraph (1), any lands or interests therein which are owned wholly 

or in part, by the widow of Martin Luther King, Junior, or by the 

Martin Luther King, Junior, Center for Social Change, shall be acquired only with the consent of the owner thereof, except that— 

(A) the Secretary may acquire such property in accordance 

with the provisions of this section if he determines that the 

property is undergoing or is about to undergo a change in use 

which is inconsistent with the purposes of this Act, and 

(B) with respect to properties owned by the Center for Social 

Change, the Secretary shall have the first right of refusal to 

purchase such property for a purchase price not exceeding the 

fair market value of such property on the date it is offered for 

sale. 

(3) Property may be acquired pursuant to this section subject to 

such conditions and reservations as in the judgment of the Secretary are not inconsistent with the purposes of this Act and the 

administration of the ønational historic site¿ national historic park, 

including, in the event that the burial site of Martin Luther King, 

Junior, is acquired, the condition that his widow may be interred 

therein. 

(4) Any and all legal or equitable title, interests, or encumbrances, if any, held by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the property designated ‘‘Parcel A’’ on the map referenced in section one are hereby conveyed to the Secretary to be 

administered in accordance with the purposes of this Act. 

(5) Structural space requirements of the National Park Service to 

meet its administrative, operational, and interpretive functions for 

the ønational historic site¿ national historic park and preservation 

district shall, to the maximum extent feasible without displacing 

residents, be met within the district through the adaptive use of 

existing structures. 

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SEC. 3. (a) Within the ønational historic site¿ national historic 

park, the Secretary may convey a freehold or leasehold interest in 

any property, for such sums as he deems appropriate, and subject 

to such terms and conditions and reservations as will assure the 

use of the property in a manner which is, in the judgment of the 

Secretary, consistent with the purposes of this Act and the administration of the ønational historic site¿ national historic park. The 

Secretary shall offer the last owner or tenant of record a reasonable 

opportunity to purchase or lease, as appropriate, the property proposed to be conveyed prior to any conveyance under this subsection, and in the case of a lease to such tenant of record, the initial rental charge shall not be substantially more than the last rent 

paid by the tenant for that property, with any future increases not 

to exceed the general escalation of rental rates in the surrounding 

area. 

(b) The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with 

the owners of properties of historical or cultural significance as determined by the Secretary, pursuant to which the Secretary may 

mark, interpret, improve, restore, and provide technical assistance 

with respect to the preservation and interpretation of such properties. Such agreements shall contain, but need not be limited to, 

provisions that the Secretary shall have the right of access at reasonable times to public portions of the property for interpretive and 

other purposes, and that no changes or alterations shall be made 

in the property except by mutual agreement. The authorities in 

this subsection shall also be available to the Secretary with respect 

to properties within the Martin Luther King, Junior, Preservation 

District. 

(c) The Secretary may, in carrying out his authorities with respect to the interpretation of properties within the ønational historic site¿ national historic park and the preservation district, accept the services and assistance, with or without reimbursement 

therefor, of qualified persons and entities to the extent he deems 

necessary and appropriate. Funds appropriated for the purposes of 

this Act may be expended for the improvement, restoration, and 

maintenance of properties in which the Secretary has acquired a 

leasehold interest. 

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary 

shall give first preference to the Martin Luther King, Junior, Center for Social Change with respect to any contract for a concession 

to sell books, postcards, tapes, or similar types of appropriate mementos related to the purposes of this Act, on facilities operated 

and maintained by the Secretary within the øhistoric site¿ historic 

park: Provided, That agreement can be reached on terms and conditions acceptable to the Secretary. 

(e) The Secretary is authorized to take only such actions within 

and upon the grounds of the Ebenezer Baptist Church as will directly support appropriate public visitation to and within the 

church in accordance with the purposes of this Act, or which will 

assist in the maintenance or preservation of those portions of said 

church which are directly related to the purposes of this Act. 

SEC. 4. (a) There is hereby established the øMartin Luther King, 

Junior, National Historic Site¿ Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Park Advisory Commission (hereinafter referred to in this 

section as the ‘‘Commission’’). The Commission shall consist of thirVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 10, 2017 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR049.XXX SR049
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teen members, eleven of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary 

as follows: 

(1) three members appointed for terms of three years from 

recommendations submitted by the governing body of the Martin Luther King, Junior, Center for Social Change; 

(2) two members appointed for terms of four years from recommendations submitted by the Governor of the State of Georgia, one of whom shall have professional expertise in historic 

preservation matters; 

(3) two members appointed for terms of five years from recommendations submitted by the mayor of the city of Atlanta, 

Georgia, one of whom shall represent the economic and cultural interests of the Sweet Auburn Historic District; 

(4) one member appointed for a term of five years from recommendations submitted by the governing body of the Ebenezer Baptist Church; 

(5) the Chairman of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission 

and one additional member from the Commission to be chosen 

by the Commission; and 

(6) one member, appointed for a term of five years by the 

Secretary, who shall chair the Commission. In addition to the 

foregoing members, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, or such other appropriate family member as may be designated by the immediate family of Martin Luther King, Junior, and the Director 

of the National Park Service shall be ex officio members of the 

Commission. 

(b) Any vacancy in the membership of the Commission shall be 

filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was 

made. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation as such, but the Secretary may pay expenses of Commission 

members reasonably incurred by them in carrying out their responsibilities under this section upon presentation of vouchers signed 

by the chair of the Commission. Necessary administrative services 

and expenses shall be provided to the Commission by the Department of the Interior. 

(c) The function of the Commission shall be to: 

(1) advise the Secretary with respect to the formulation and 

execution of plans for and the overall administration of the 

ønational historic site¿ national historic park and the preservation district, including advice with respect to the consummation of cooperative agreements, and interpretation of properties, and the use and appreciation of the ønational historic 

site¿ national historic park and the preservation district by the 

public; 

(2) prepare a generalized impact area plan for a one-mile radius outside the District which shall examine overall community development goals, plans, and efforts within that area, including historic preservation, transportation, parking, housing, 

urban revitalization, and parks and recreation functions, in 

order to maximize beneficial relationships between these goals, 

plans, and efforts and the district herein established; and 

(3) prepare, on the basis of the findings and recommendations of the impact area plan required by the preceding paragraph, a detailed development plan for the neighborhoods and 

outlying commercial areas immediately outside the district for 

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such development, conservation, preservation, rehabilitation 

activities and transportation, parking, and land use planning 

as would complement and enhance the District and the purposes for which the District is established. 

(d) The Secretary is directed to provide the appropriate planning 

agency of the city of Atlanta an amount of the local planning funds 

authorized by section 6 sufficient for that agency to provide such 

staff and technical assistance to the Advisory Commission as are 

required for it to develop the plans required by subsection (c) of 

this section. Such plans, prepared in full coordination with and opportunities for participation by, all relevant public agencies and 

private groups, shall be delivered to the Secretary in a timely fashion for use in preparing the general management plan for the district. 

(e) The Commission shall terminate ten years from the effective 

date of this Act. 

SEC. 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no fees shall 

be charged for entrance or admission to the ønational historic site¿ 

national historic park or the preservation district established by 

this Act. 

SEC. 6. Effective October 1, 1980, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 

authority to enter into contracts, to incur obligations, or to make 

payments under this Act shall be effective only to the extent, and 

in such amounts, as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts. 

SEC. 7. (a) In order to better integrate the east and west portions 

of the Martin Luther King, Junior, Preservation District, the Federal Highway Administration, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation, is hereby directed to insure that any 

design and reconstruction of the North Interstate 85 and Interstate 

75 Expressway over Auburn and Edgewood Avenues in the city of 

Atlanta, Georgia, and the interchange at Edgewood Avenue, shall 

minimize the adverse impacts on the preservation district. 

(b) In carrying out the provisions of this subsection, the Federal 

Highway Administration shall require that, where feasible, any 

major change required for the Auburn Avenue overpass results in 

a design which permits a wider distance between overpass support 

structures and the disposition of understructure development 

rights for appropriate business or recreation uses. 

(c) Plans for the construction, exterior renovation, or demolition 

of by the National Park Service or any Federal agency must be 

submitted to the Atlanta Urban Design Commission in a timely 

fashion for its review and comment. 

SEC. 8. Within three complete fiscal years from the effective date 

of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Interior 

and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives 

and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United 

States Senate, a comprehensive general management plan for the 

øhistoric site¿ historic site and the preservation district consistent 

with the provisions of this Act and pursuant to the provisions of 

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section 12(b) of the Act of August 18, 1970 (84 Stat. 825), as 

amended (16 U.S.C. la–1 et seq.). 

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