59–010 

Calendar No. 236 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 110–106 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING THE 

SOLDIERS’ MEMORIAL MILITARY MUSEUM 

JUNE 26, 2007.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BINGAMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1047] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the Act (H.R. 1047) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility 

of designating the Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum located in 

St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System, 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. 1047 is to direct the Secretary of the Interior 

to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

The Soldiers’ Memorial is a tribute to and a cultural resource 

center for all veterans located in the greater St. Louis area, including southern Illinois. In 1923, the residents of St. Louis voted to 

purchase a memorial plaza and construct a memorial to commemorate the citizens of St. Louis who lost their lives in World War I. 

A seven-block site was purchased and the construction of the Soldiers’ Memorial began on October 21, 1935. President Franklin D. 

Roosevelt officially dedicated the site on October 14, 1936, and the 

building was opened to the public on Memorial Day in 1938. 

H.R. 1047 authorizes a study of the Soldiers’ Memorial Military 

Museum at 1315 Chestnut Street in the greater St. Louis area to 


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determine its eligibility to become a unit of the National Park System. The study will be conducted in accordance with the criteria 

contained in section 8(c) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5(c)). 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 1047, sponsored by Rep. Clay, passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote on March 5, 2007. The House passed 

similar legislation, H.R. 452, during the 109th Congress, also sponsored by Rep. Clay. That bill passed the House by a voice vote on 

December 13, 2005. 

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

1047 on April 26, 2007. At its business meeting on May 23, 2007, 

the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 

1047 favorably reported, without amendment. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an 

open business session on May 23, 2007, by a unanimous voice vote 

of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 1047. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1(a) contains congressional findings. 

Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to carry 

out a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating 

the Solders’ Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, as 

a unit of the National Park System. 

Subsection (c) requires the study to be undertaken in accordance 

with section 8(c) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5(c)). 

Subsection (d) directs the Secretary to submit a report describing 

the results of the study to the Senate Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, June 1, 2007. 

Hon. JEFF BINGAMAN, 

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. 1047, an act to authorize 

the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the 

suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers’ Memorial 

Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the 

National Park System. 

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

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. 

Sincerely, 

PETER R. ORSZAG, Director. 

Enclosure. 


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H.R. 1047—An act to authorize the Secretry of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum located in St. 

Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System 

H.R. 1047 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating 

the Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, as 

a unit of the National Park System. 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. 1047 would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

The legislation 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. 

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. 1047. The Act 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. 1047, as ordered reported. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The testimony provided by the National Park Service on H.R. 

1047 at the Subcommittee hearing on April 26, 2007 follows: 

STATEMENT OF DANIEL N. WENK, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to appear before you today to 

present the Department of the Interior’s views on H.R. 

1047, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 

conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility 

of designating the Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park 

System. 

The Department opposes H.R. 1047, which is identical to 

legislation the Department opposed in the 109th Congress. 

While it is an architecturally beautiful structure, the St. 

Louis Soldiers’ Memorial (Memorial) is not distinguished 

beyond that of many other war memorials in cities all over 

the United States. The Memorial is currently listed as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but at 

this time has not been nominated. Therefore, it is not 

known whether it meets the criteria for national significance, which is the minimum standard a memorial must 


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meet for inclusion in the National Park System. Finally, in 

a time of tight budgets and a refocusing on the core mission of the National Park Service, we believe that funding 

should be directed toward completing previously authorized studies. 

The Soldiers’ Memorial is a tribute to and a cultural resource center for all veterans located in the greater St. 

Louis area, including southern Illinois. In 1923, the residents of St. Louis voted to purchase a memorial plaza and 

construct a memorial to commemorate the citizens of St. 

Louis who lost their lives in World War I. A seven-block 

site was purchased and the construction of the Soldiers’ Memorial began on October 21, 1935. President Franklin 

D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the site on October 14, 

1936 and the building was opened to the public on Memorial Day in 1938. H.R. 1047 would authorize a study of the 

Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum at 1315 Chestnut 

Street in the greater St. Louis area to determine its eligibility to become a unit of the National Park System. The 

study would be conducted in accordance with the criteria 

contained in Section 8(c) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 

1a–5(c)). 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared testimony. I 

would be pleased to answer any questions you or the subcommittee 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 Act H.R. 1047, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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