The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the October 30th summary.

In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . That will take you to Thomas, the Library of Congress legislative tracking system. Enter the bill number in the “Search Bill Text” block, being sure to also click on the “Bill Number” option below the block.

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New Public Laws

On October 29th, the President signed into law the following bills of interest to the National Park Service:

• H.R. 621 (Kingston, R-GA), the Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. It is P.L. 111-86. The law includes an amendment to the Jamestown Coin Act that removes the National Park Service as a beneficiary of the Jamestown coin surcharges, and substitutes the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, a park partner, as the beneficiary of the NPS share.  It is anticipated that Colonial NHP will benefit from the surcharges based on an agreement the park has with the association. 
• H.R. 2647 (Skelton, D-MO), the National Defense Authorization Act.  It is P.L. 111-84. The law contains three provisions of interest to the National Park Service: Title XIX provides FERS employees credit for unused sick leave, limited expansion of the class of individuals eligible to receive an actuarially reduced annuity under the civil service retirement system (CSRS), computation of certain annuities based on part-time service, authority to deposit refunds under FERS, retirement credit for service of certain employees transferred from District of Columbia service to federal service, and non-foreign area retirement equity assurance. Title XXVIII, Subtitle E, Sec. 2853, provides for the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, to be administered as a unit of the National Park System.  It also allows for future transfer to the Secretary of the Interior five acres of land if the Secretary of the Army determines that the land is excess to military needs. Sec. 2872 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility and suitability of designating the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia as a unit of the National Park System. 

Floor Action

On October 26th, the House passed the following by voice vote:

• H.R. 1471 (Bishop, D-GA) - To expand the boundary of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, to redesignate the unit as a National Historical Park, and for other purposes.  The Department supports the bill.
• H.R. 1641 (Inslee, D-WA- To amend the National Trails System Act to provide for a study of the Cascadia Marine Trail. The Department supports the bill.
• H.R. 2806  (Hastings, R-WA) - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the park or the wilderness.  The Department opposes the bill.

On October 29th, the House and Senate agreed on Conference Report 111-316 to accompany H.R. 2996 (Dicks, D-WA), the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2010, clearing the measure for the President’s signature.

Committee Activity

On October 28th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) approved by voice vote H.R. 118 (Frelinghuysen, R-NJ), a bill to authorize the addition of 100 acres to Morristown National Historical Park in the state of New Jersey. The bill was amended to include willing seller language.

On October 28th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks (Udall) held an oversight hearing on the current and expected impacts of climate change on units of the National Park System.  The DOI witness was NPS Director Jon Jarvis.

On October 29th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests (Wyden) held a hearing on S. 1442 (Bingaman), to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand the authorization of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to provide service-learning opportunities on public lands, establish a grant program for Indian Youth Service Corps, help restore the Nation's natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources, train a new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts, and promote the value of public service.  The DOI witness was Robert Stanton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management, and Budget.

On October 29th, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia (Lynch) approved H.R. 1849 (Cleaver, D-MO), to designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial, and to establish the World War I centennial commission to ensure a suitable observance of the centennial of World War I.

New Bills Introduced

The following bills of interest to the NPS were introduced:

• S. 1933 (Bingaman, D-NM) - A bill to establish an integrated Federal program that protects, restores, and conserves natural resources by responding to the threats and effects of climate change, and for other purposes.
•  S. 2097 (Thune, R-SD) - A bill to authorize the rededication of the District of Columbia War Memorial as a National and District of Columbia World War I Memorial to honor the sacrifices made by American veterans of World War I.

Upcoming Committee Activity

On November 4th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks (Udall) will hold a hearing on the following bills at 2:30 p.m. in Room SD-366 Dirksen.  The DOI witness is not yet determined:

• S. Res. 275 (Kerry, D-MA), A resolution honoring the Minute Man National Historical Park on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
• S. 1405 (Kennedy, D-MA), to redesignate the Longfellow National Historic Site, Massachusetts, as the “Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site”.
• S. 1413 (Kerry, D-MA), to amend the Adams National Historical Park Act of 1998 to include the Quincy Homestead within the boundary of the Adams National Historical Park, and for other purposes.
• S. 1767 (Burr, R-NC) and H.R. 1121 (Foxx, R-NC), to authorize a land exchange to acquire land for the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 2802 (Delahunt, D-MA), to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in honor of former President John Adams and his legacy, and for other purposes.

On November 5th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) will hold a hearing on the following bills of interest to the National Park Service.  The hearing is scheduled at 10:00 a.m. in Room 1334 Longworth.  The DOI witness is not yet determined:

• H.R. 3388 (Forbes, R-VA), To modify the boundary of Petersburg National Battlefield in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 3603 (Marshall, D-GA), To rename the Ocmulgee National Monument.
• H.R. 3804 (Tonko, D-NY), To make technical corrections to various Acts affecting the National Park Service, to extend, amend, or establish certain National Park Service authorities, and for other purposes.

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Contact Information
Name: LaTonya R. Ward, Legislative Specialist