69–010 

Calendar No. 664 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 110–312 

CE ́ SAR ESTRADA CHA ́ VEZ STUDY ACT 

APRIL 10, 2008.—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. 359] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the Act (H.R. 359) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special study of sites associated with the life of 

Ce ́sar Estrada Cha ́vez and the farm labor movement, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment 

and recommends that the Act do pass. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of H.R. 359 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the 

life of Ce ́sar Estrada Cha ́vez and the farm labor movement. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

H.R. 359 directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 

resource study of sites associated with the life of Ce ́sar Estrada 

Cha ́vez. Cha ́vez was born on March 31, 1927 on a small farm in 

Yuma, Arizona. At age 10, Cha ́vez and his family became migrant 

farm workers, laboring in fields across the Southwest, enduring the 

hardships and injustices of farm worker life. 

In 1952, Cha ́vez left the fields and became a community activist 

working for civil rights and social justice. In 1962, he founded the 

National Farm Workers Association, which later became the 

United Farm Workers of America, working for the rights and protections of farm workers. Cha ́vez died on April 22, 1993. 

H.R. 359 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a study to determine whether any of the sites associated with 

Cha ́vez’s life meets the criteria for being listed on the National 


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Register of Historic Places or possible designation as national historic landmarks. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 359, sponsored by Representative Solis, passed the House of 

Representatives by a voice vote on July 10, 2007. Companion legislation, S. 327, was introduced by Senators McCain and Salazar on 

July 10, 2007. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing 

on both bills on September 11, 2007. (S. Hrg. 110–213.) 

During the 109th Congress, the Committee held a hearing on 

similar legislation (S. 670; S. Hrg. 109–74) although no further action was taken. 

During the 108th Congress, similar legislation (S. 164) was reported by the Committee on March 19, 2003 (S. Rpt. 108–20) and 

passed the Senate by unanimous consent on April 7, 2003. No further action was taken in the House of Representatives. 

At its business meeting on January 30, 2008, the Committee on 

Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 359 favorably reported, without amendment. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an open 

business session on January 30, 2008, by a voice vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 359. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 contains the short title the ‘‘Ce ́sar Estrada Cha ́vez 

Study Act.’’

Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to complete a 

special resource study of sites in the State of Arizona, the State of 

California, and other States significant to the life of Ce ́sar E. 

Cha ́vez to determine appropriate methods for preserving and interpreting the sites and to determine whether any of the sites meets 

the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places 

or designation as a National Historic Landmark. The Secretary is 

directed to consult with relevant parties and provide a completed 

report of the study to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate no later than 3 years after the date 

on which funds are made available. 

Section 3 authorizes the appropriations of such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 359—Ce ́sar Estrada Cha ́vez Study Act 

H.R. 359 would direct the Department of the Interior to conduct 

a study of sites in Arizona, California, and other states that might 

be suitably preserved and used to commemorate the life of Ce ́sar 

Cha ́vez and the farm labor movement. The study also would determine whether any of the sites meet the criteria for being listed in 

the National Register of Historic Places or designated as a national 


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historic landmark. The act would authorize the appropriation of 

whatever amounts are necessary for the study and would require 

the department to report on its findings and recommendations 

within three years of receiving funds. 

Assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that it would cost $250,000 over the next three years to complete 

the required study and report. Enacting the legislation would not 

affect revenues or direct spending. 

H.R. 359 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. 

On May 7, 2007, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 359 

as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources 

on May 2, 2007. The two versions of the legislation are identical, 

as are the estimated costs. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 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. 359. 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. 359, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

H.R. 359, as reported, does not contain any congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the September 11, 2007 subcommittee hearing follows: 

STATEMENT OF DANIEL N. WENK, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present 

the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 327 and 

H.R. 359, bills to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 

conduct a special resource study of sites associated with 

the life of Ce ́sar Estrada Cha ́vez and the farm labor movement. 

The Department supports both bills, which are virtually 

identical to each other and to legislation that we supported 

during the 108th and 109th Congresses. While the Department supports the authorization of this study, we also believe that any funding requested should be directed first 

toward completing previously authorized studies. We recVerDate Aug 31 2005 06:01 Apr 12, 2008 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR312.XXX SR312

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ommend a technical amendment to S. 327, described later 

in this statement. 

This study will provide a good opportunity to work with 

the Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez Foundation and others to identify valuable resources associated with the story of Cha ́vez’s life 

and the movement he led and ways to protect those resources. Ask historians to name one person who had the 

greatest impact on farm labor, and the name of Ce ́sar 

Estrada Cha ́vez leaps to mind. Between the 1950s and the 

1980s Cha ́vez cultivated a life-long commitment to bringing respect, dignity, and democracy to the nation’s farmworkers, many of whom were Hispanic. After an initial career as a community organizer, Cha ́vez focused his organizing skills on the farmworkers, inspiring them to look 

their employers in the eyes, stand up for their rights and 

take active roles in creating their union and wielding its 

power. As a result of his efforts, he continues to serve as 

a symbol not only for Hispanic-Americans, but for all 

Americans, of what can be accomplished in this country 

through unified, courageous, and nonviolent action. 

Cha ́vez’s death on April 22, 1993, brought a resurgence 

of interest in his life and work and a new wave of assessments recognizing his national and, indeed, international 

significance. He has taken his place among other national 

labor leaders in the Department of Labor’s Hall of Fame 

and been recognized by an ever-increasing number of 

states and communities with special holidays, events, and 

place names. Because of the tremendous impact he had, 

we believe it is appropriate to study sites associated with 

Ce ́sar Cha ́vez and the farm labor movement he led in 

order to consider ways to preserve and interpret this story 

of enormous social change. 

The National Park Service and the Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez 

Foundation first discussed the possibility of conducting a 

national historic landmark study of sites related to the 

work of Cha ́vez and the farmworkers’ movement several 

years ago, as a way of identifying sites important to the 

history of the man as well as the migrant worker. The 

Foundation represents and fosters the ongoing legacy of 

Cha ́vez and has a strong interest in seeing that heritage 

preserved. In 2002, the National Park Service collaborated 

with the Foundation and scholars at universities in Washington State and California in preparing a preliminary assessment and scope for future research on sites associated 

with Cha ́vez and the farmworkers’ movement. The information gathered through that assessment would give the 

National Park Service a head start on the study authorized by S. 327 and H.R. 359. 

The legislation would authorize a study of sites in Arizona, California, and other States that are significant to 

the life of Ce ́sar Cha ́vez and the farm labor movement in 

the western United States to determine appropriate methods for preserving and interpreting sites. Through this 

study, the National Park Service could examine whether 

certain sites are suitable and feasible for addition to the 


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National Park System. The study would be conducted in 

accordance with the criteria for new area studies contained 

in Title III of the National Parks Omnibus Management 

Act of 1998. 

The study also would consider whether any sites meet 

the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic 

Places or for designation as a National Historic Landmark. 

This would enable the National Park Service to complete 

the work that was begun with the preliminary assessment 

described earlier. The legislation specifically requires that 

the National Park Service consult with the Ce ́sar E. 

Cha ́vez Foundation, the United Farm Workers Union, and 

other entities involved in historic preservation on this 

study. The study is estimated to cost approximately 

$250,000. 

If the committee acts on S. 327, we recommend amending it on page 1, line 6 and on page 2, line 1 by inserting 

‘‘special’’ before ‘‘resource study’’ to use the term for the 

proposed study that is normally used for such studies and 

to make it consistent with the title of the bill. H.R. 359 as 

passed by the House includes this change, which the Department recommended in testimony before the House 

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public 

Lands on March 29, 2007. 

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. I would be 

pleased to answer any questions you or the other members 

of 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. 359, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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