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[House Report 106-66]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

106th Congress                                                   Report
  1st Session           HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                 106-66

=======================================================================

 
            GATEWAY VISITOR CENTER AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1999

                                _______

 March 17, 1999.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______

  Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 449]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 449) to authorize the Gateway Visitor Center at 
Independence National Historical Park, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                          purpose of the bill

    The purpose of H.R. 449 is to authorize the Gateway Visitor 
Center at Independence National Historical Park.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The National Park Service's general management plan for 
Independence National Historical Park calls for the 
revitalization of Independence Mall in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. A key component to this revitalization is the 
construction of a new ``Gateway Visitor Center.'' The new 
visitor center would replace the current one and would serve as 
an orientation center not only for Independence Mall, but also 
for the City of Philadelphia and other regional attractions. 
This new visitor center would be operated by the Gateway 
Visitor Center Corporation, a nonprofit organization, 
representing the various public and civic interests of the 
greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Gateway Visitor 
Center Corporation will raise funds for and cooperate in a 
program to design, develop, construct, and operate the proposed 
Gateway Visitor Center. In addition, all activities engaged in 
by the Corporation, as authorized by the cooperative agreement, 
shall be used for the operation and administration of the 
Center.
    Private and public funds will be used to develop the 
visitor center on national park property. As planned, the 
Center would be an approximately 50,000 square foot visitor 
facility estimated to cost approximately $25 million. After 
construction, the Center would be owned by the National Park 
Service. The park as a whole attracts more than 3.1 million 
visitors annually from around the nation and the world to see 
some of our country's greatest icons like Independence Hall and 
the Liberty Bell. The park's current visitor center is poorly 
located and inconvenient to the majority of visitors. 
Furthermore, the current housing for the Liberty Bell is 
obsolete and needs to be moved to a better location.
    H.R. 449 would establish the Gateway Visitor Center at 
Independence National Historical Park by authorizing the 
Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement 
with Gateway Visitor Center Corporation to construct and 
operate a regional visitor center on Independence Mall to 
provide information, interpretation, facilities, and services 
to visitors to Independence National Historical Park, its 
surrounding historic sites, and the City of Philadelphia. 
Revenues generated by the Corporation by authorized activities 
shall be used to operate and administer the Center.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 449 was introduced on February 2, 1999, by Congressman 
Robert Borski (D-PA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks and Public Lands. On February 25, 1999, the 
Subcommittee met to consider the bill. No amendments were 
offered and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the Full 
Resource Committee by voice vote. On March 3, 1999, the Full 
Resources Committee met to consider H.R. 449. No amendments 
were offered and the bill was then ordered favorably reported 
to the House of Representatives by voice vote.

            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 Resources' oversight findings and recommendations 
are reflected in the body of this report.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8 and Article IV, section 3 of the 
Constitution of the United States grant Congress the authority 
to enact this bill.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) 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)(3)(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.
    2. 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.
    3. Government Reform Oversight Findings. Under clause 
3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee has received no report of 
oversight findings and recommendations from the Committee on 
Government Reform on this bill.
    4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. 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:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, March 10, 1999.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 449, the Gateway 
Visitor Center Authorization Act of 1999.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry A. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 449--Gateway Visitor Center Authorization Act of 1999

    CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 449 would cost less 
than $1 million a year, subject to the availability of 
appropriated funds. H.R. 449 would authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to execute an agreement with the Gateway Visitor 
Center Corporation under which this nonprofit organization 
would construct and operate a regional visitor center on 
Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bill would 
authorize the corporation to charge fees, sell food, 
merchandise, and tickets, and provide information, facilities, 
and services to visitors to the Independence National 
Historical Park and other regional sites. Amounts earned from 
fees and sales would be used by the corporation to help pay for 
its operating expenses. The National Park Service (NPS) would 
provide visitor information and facilities and offer 
interpretive programs.
    Based on information provided by the NPS, and assuming 
appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO expects that the 
agency would provide an annual contribution toward the 
operation of the center. The appropriate federal contribution 
has not yet been determined by the NPS, but CBO estimates that 
it could be several hundred thousand dollars a year. Some of 
the annual contribution may be offset by savings in operating 
expenses that may be realized when the NPS closes its existing 
visitor center at the park once the new Gateway Visitor Center 
becomes operational in fiscal year 2000.
    H.R. 449 would not affect direct spending or receipts; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
    The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. This estimate was 
approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant Director for 
Budget Analysis.

                    compliance with public law 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                        changes in existing law

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

                                
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