39–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 113–589 

TO AMEND THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL DEVELOPMENT ACT TO 

EXTEND TO [SIC] THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK COMMISSION 

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 S. 476] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (S. 476) to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act to extend to [sic] the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that 

the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of S. 476 is to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio 

Canal Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 

National Historical Park Commission. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

S. 476 would extend the authorization of the Chesapeake and 

Ohio (C&O) Canal National Historical Park Commission for 10 

years. The current authorization expired in January 2011 and was 

originally authorized in 1971. The responsibility of the Commission 

is to advise the Secretary of the Interior on matters related to the 

park. The C&O Canal Park stretches 185 miles along the shoreline 

of the Potomac River. The Commission was intended to provide the 

diverse jurisdictions a seat at the table on topics involving the 

canal. The Commission is comprised of 19 members, with 8 chosen 

at the recommendation of the counties, 8 from the governors of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The 

final three, including the Chairman, are appointed by the Secretary 

of the Interior. 


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COMMITTEE ACTION

S. 476 was introduced on March 6, 2013, by Senator Benjamin 

Cardin (D–MD). On July 9, 2014, the bill passed the Senate by 

unanimous consent with an amendment. The bill was then 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 Natural Resources Committee met to 

consider S. 476. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. No 

amendments were offered and the bill was 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: 

S. 476—An act to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National 

Historical Park Commission 

S. 476 would extend the authorization of the Chesapeake and 

Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission for an additional 

10 years. The Commission’s original authority expired in 2011. 

Based on information provided by the National Park Service, CBO 

estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant effect on the federal budget. Commission members would 

serve without compensation; however, certain expenses could be reimbursed. CBO estimates that those payments would be small. 

Enacting S. 476 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

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

S. 476 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 May 29, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 476 as 

ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources on May 16, 2013. The two versions of the legislation are 

identical, and the CBO cost estimates are the same. 


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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, credit authority, spending authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or 

tax expenditures. Based on information provided by the National 

Park Service, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation 

would have no significant effect on the federal budget. 

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 amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission. 

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, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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