39–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 113–592 

WEST HUNTER STREET BAPTIST CHURCH STUDY ACT 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 4119] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 4119) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church 

in Atlanta, 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 ‘‘West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act’’. 

SEC. 2. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special resource study 

of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church, located at 775 Martin Luther 

King Jr. Drive, SW., Atlanta, Georgia and the block on which the church is located. 

(b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Secretary 

shall— 

(1) evaluate the national significance of the site; 

(2) determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the area as a unit 

of the National Park System; 

(3) consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, and interpretation 

of the site by Federal, State, or local governmental entities, or private and nonprofit organizations; 

(4) consult with interested Federal, State, or local governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations or any other interested individuals; 

(5) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance associated with the alternatives; 

(6) consider the effect of the designation of the study area as a unit of the 

National Park System on— 

(A) existing commercial and recreational activities, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting, and on the authorizaVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 18, 2014 Jkt 039006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6621 E:\HR\OC\HR592.XXX HR592

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tion, construction, operation, maintenance, or improvement of energy production and transmission infrastructure; and 

(B) the authority of State and local governments to manage those activities. 

(7) identify any authorities, including condemnation, that will compel or permit the Secretary to influence or participate in local land use decisions (such 

as zoning) or place restrictions on non-Federal lands if the study area is designated a unit of the National Park System. 

(c) NOTIFICATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS.—Upon commencement of the 

study, owners of private property adjacent to the area will be notified of the study’s 

commencement and scope. 

(d) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under subsection (a) shall be conducted 

in accordance with the National Park System General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a5(c)). 

(e) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made 

available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report containing the results of the 

study and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 4119 is to direct the Secretary of the Interior 

to conduct a special resource study of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

During the Civil Rights movement, the West Hunter Street Baptist Church served as a headquarters for many civil rights workers 

and organizers. Founded in 1881 as the Friendship Baptist Church, 

the congregation later moved in 1906 to a stone building on West 

Hunter Street, which was later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. 

Drive. During the Civil Rights movement, the church, and the 

block on which it is located, became a center for the movement. It 

held many civil rights mass meetings, strategy sessions and nonviolent conflict resolution training. The church was the site of leadership meetings, and doubled as a school for nonviolent protest 

during initiatives such as the Voter Education Project and the 

Freedom Summer of 1964. It was also a spiritual refuge for the 

men and women who worked for equal rights. In 1973, the congregation moved to a new location on what was then called Gordon 

Street. 

H.R. 4119 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

special resource study on the West Hunter Street Church located 

at 775 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW. in Atlanta, Georgia, and 

the block on which the church is located, to determine if it meets 

the criteria for designation as a unit in the National Park System. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 4119 was introduced on February 28, 2014, by Congressman 

Henry ‘‘Hank’’ Johnson (D–GA). The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 

Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On 

July 29, 2014, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On 

July 30, 2014, the Full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob Bishop (R–UT) offered an amendment designated #1 

to the bill; the amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. No 


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further amendments were offered, and the bill, as amended, was 

then adopted and ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. 

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. 4119—West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act 

H.R. 4119 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resources study of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church 

in Atlanta, Georgia, to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of including the site in the National Park System. Based on information 

provided by the National Park Service and assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that conducting the 

study would cost about $150,000 over the next three years. 

Enacting H.R. 4119 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

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

H.R. 4119 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 Martin von Gnechten. 

The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 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 

tax expenditures. Based on information provided by the National 

Park Service and assuming the availability of appropriated funds, 

CBO estimates that conducting the study would cost about 

$150,000 over the next three years. 

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 direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

special resource study of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church 

in Atlanta, Georgia. 


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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

If enacted, the bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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