59–006 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 114–431 

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK 

ACT OF 2016 

FEBRUARY 24, 2016.—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. 2880] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 2880) to redesignate the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes, 

having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an 

amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park 

Act of 2016’’. 

SEC. 2. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

The Act entitled ‘‘An Act to establish the Martin Luther King, Junior, National 

Historic Site in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes’’ (Public Law 96–428) 

is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a) of the first section, by striking ‘‘the map entitled ‘Martin 

Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Boundary Map’, number 489/ 

80,013B, and dated September 1992’’ and inserting ‘‘the map entitled ‘Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Proposed Boundary Revision’, numbered 489/128,786 and dated June 2015’’; 

(2) by striking ‘‘Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site’’ each 

place it appears and inserting ‘‘Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical 

Park’’; 

(3) by striking ‘‘national historic site’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘national historical park’’; 

(4) by striking ‘‘historic site’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘historical 

park’’; and 

(5) by striking ‘‘historic sites’’ in section 2(a) and inserting ‘‘historical parks’’. 

SEC. 3. REFERENCES. 

Any reference in a law (other than this Act), map, regulation, document, paper, 

or other record of the United States to ‘‘Martin Luther King, Junior, National HisVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Feb 27, 2016 Jkt 059006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6621 E:\HR\OC\HR431.XXX HR431

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toric Site’’ shall be deemed to be a reference to ‘‘Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historical Park’’. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 2880 is to redesignate the Martin Luther 

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

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

On October 10, 1980, Congress passed Public Law 96–428, establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, 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. . . .’’ 

The original boundary of the Historic Site was generally centered 

on a portion of Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, that includes 

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and 

the immediate neighborhood. The legislation also designated a 

Preservation District that extended protection beyond the immediate neighborhood surrounding Dr. King’s birthplace and Ebenezer 

Baptist Church to include the broader Sweet Auburn community’s 

commercial district. 

Since 1980, Congress has twice modified the boundaries of the 

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

Public Law 108–314). H.R. 2880 further modifies the boundaries to 

include the Prince Hall Masonic Temple. The Prince Hall Masonic 

Temple is where the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 

(SCLC) 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 SCLC has now relocated to another building 

on the same block. Including the Prince Hall Masonic Temple within the unit’s boundary permits 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 redesignates the National Historic Site as a National Historical Park. The titles given to various areas managed 

by the National Park Service 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. Redesignation of 

the Historic Site does not affect the laws or policies that govern the 

area. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 2880 was introduced on June 24, 2015, by Congressman 

John Lewis (D–GA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on Federal Lands. On February 2, 2016, the Natural Resources 

Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Tom McClintock (R– 

CA) offered an amendment designated #1. The amendment was 


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adopted by unanimous consent. No other amendments were offered, 

and the bill, as amended, was ordered favorably reported to the 

House of Representatives by unanimous consent on February 3, 

2016. 

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 

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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. 2880—Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act 

of 2015 

H.R. 2880 would designate the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia as the Martin Luther King, 

Junior, 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. 

Because enacting H.R. 2880 would not affect direct spending or 

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

that enacting H.R. 2880 would not increase net direct spending or 

on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year period beginning in 2027. 

H.R. 2880 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 Marin Burnett. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of 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 


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tax expenditures. The Congressional Budget Office has concluded 

that ‘‘any cost . . . would be insignificant’’ and subject to appropriation. 

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 redesignate the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia. 

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. The Chairman does not believe that this 

bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any specific 

rule-making proceedings. 

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 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, 

and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in 

roman): 

PUBLIC LAW 96-428 

AN ACT To establish the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site 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 Historical Park in the State of Georgia. The ønational 


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historic site¿ national historical 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 

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’’ 

inthe 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 Historical Park and Preservation District in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and the provisions of law generally applicable to 

national øhistoric sites¿ historical 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 historical 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. 

(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 

historical 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 


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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 tomeet its administrative, operational, and interpretive 

functions for the ønational historic site¿ national historical 

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. 

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

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 historical 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 ma enter into cooperative agreements with the 

owners of properties o f 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 historical 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¿ historical 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 diVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Feb 27, 2016 Jkt 059006 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR431.XXX HR431

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rectly 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 

Historical Park Advisory Commission (hereinafter referred to in 

this section as the ‘‘Commission’’). The Commission shall consist of 

thirteen 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 historical 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 historical 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, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Feb 27, 2016 Jkt 059006 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR431.XXX HR431

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cluding 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 

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 historical 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 

75Expressway 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 m 

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 any structure or change in land use within the preservation district 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 


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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¿ historical park and the preservation district consistent with the provisions of this Act and pursuant to the provisions of section 12(b) of the Act of August 18, 1970 (84 Stat. 8251, 

as amended (16 U.S.C. la-1 et seq.). 

Æ 


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