[Senate Report 110-305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 657
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-305
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ALEXANDER HAMILTON BOYHOOD HOME STUDY
ACT OF 2007
_______
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 S. 1969]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 1969) to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of designating Estate Grange and
other sites related to Alexander Hamilton's life on the island
of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands as a unit of
the National Park System, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments
and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
1. On page 2, strike lines 1 through 22 and insert the
following:
SEC. 2. STUDY.
2. On page 4, strike line 1 and insert the following:
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 1969 is to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of designating Alexander Hamilton's
boyhood home, Estate Grange, and other sites related to his
life on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as
a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755-1804) was a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention, principal author of the Federalist
Papers, and was appointed by George Washington as the first
Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton was killed in a shooting
duel with Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804.
Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, and
moved as a young boy to Estate Grange, his mother's home on the
island of St. Croix in what is now the U.S. Virgin Islands. It
is here that young Alexander Hamilton gained valuable skills in
banking and writing that later led to his role as a founding
father of the United States of America.
S. 1969 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a special resource study to determine if the site--and
others on the islands associated with the early life of
Alexander Hamilton--is appropriate for addition to the National
Park System.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 1969 was introduced by Senator Hatch and others on
August 2, 2007. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 1969 on September 27, 2007. (S. Hrg. 110-266.)
At its business meeting on January 30, 2008, the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 1969 favorably
reported, with amendments.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on January 30, 2008, by a voice vote of a
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1969, if
amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
During the consideration of S. 1969, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources amended the bill to strike the
section containing findings and to renumber the subsequent
section accordingly.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Alexander
Hamilton Boyhood Home Study Act of 2008''.
Section 2(a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a special resource study of Alexander Hamilton's
boyhood home and other sites and resources associated with his
life on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.
Subsection (b) directs the Secretary to evaluate the
national significance of the sites and resources; and the
suitability and feasibility of designating the sites and
resources as a unit of the National Park System.
Subsection 2(c) describes the criteria for the study shall
conform to Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5).
Subsection 2(d) requires the Secretary to submit the study
to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate containing the results of the study and
any findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Secretary
within 3 years after the date on which funds are first made
available for the study.
Section 3 authorizes the appropriation 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:
S. 1969--Alexander Hamilton Boyhood Home Study Act of 2007
S. 1969 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to
study the suitability and feasibility of designating Estate
Grange and other sites associated with Alexander Hamilton's
life on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, as a unit of the
National Park System. Based on information provided by the NPS
and assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO
estimates that enacting S. 1969 would cost $250,000 over the
next three years. Enacting S. 1969 would not affect direct
spending or revenues.
S. 1969 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 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 S. 1969. The bill 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 S. 1969, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 1969, 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 27, 2007 Subcommittee on National Parks hearing
follows:
Statement of Daniel N. Wenk, Deputy Director, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to provide the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 1969, a bill to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of
designating Estate Grange and other sites related to Alexander
Hamilton's life on the island of St. Croix in the United States
Virgin Islands as a unit of the National Park System, and for
other purposes.
The Department supports S. 1969. However, the Department
feels that priority should be given to the 37 previously
authorized studies for potential units of the National Park
System, potential new National Heritage Areas, and potential
additions to the National Trails System and National Wild and
Scenic River System that have not yet been transmitted to the
Congress.
Studies of this type typically take approximately three
years to complete after funds are made available. We estimate
the cost for this study to be approximately $250,000.
S. 1969 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, in
consultation with the Governor of the Virgin Islands, to
conduct a special resource study of Estate Grange and other
sites and resources associated with the life of Alexander
Hamilton on St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The study
would evaluate the sites according to established criteria to
determine whether it is appropriate for addition to the
National Park System, or whether it is better suited to
protection by another entity.
Hamilton was born out of wedlock in Charlestown, Nevis, the
capital of the island of Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Leeward
Islands, West Indies to James A. Hamilton, the fourth son of a
Scottish laird, and Rachel Faucett Lavien, of part French
Huguenot descent. There is, however, some evidence that
Hamilton's biological father may have been a Nevis merchant
named Thomas Stevens.
In 1765, a business assignment led James Hamilton to move
the family to Christiansted, St. Croix. James then abandoned
Rachel and their two sons. After James left, Rachel supported
the family by keeping a small store in Christiansted. She
contracted a ``severe fever'' and died on February 19, 1768,
leaving Hamilton effectively orphaned.
After his mother's death, Hamilton was twice adopted and
worked as a clerk with a local import-export firm with ties to
the New York area. Impressed with his writings, the local
community created a fund to send him to New Jersey for a formal
education. He was attending King's College in New York when the
Revolutionary War began.
During the Revolutionary War, Hamilton served as an
artillery captain, was an aide-de-camp to General George
Washington, and led three battalions at the Battle of Yorktown.
One of America's first constitutional lawyers, he was a
leader in calling the U.S. Constitutional Convention in 1787
and was one of the two chief authors of the Federalist Papers,
the most cited contemporary interpretation of intent for the
United States Constitution. Under President Washington,
Hamilton became the first Secretary of the Treasury.
The Estate Grange, a former rum factory and sugar
plantation, was once the home of Hamilton's mother and she is
buried on the premises. The 115-acre estate is situated
approximately 1.5 to 2 miles southwest of Christiansted
National Historic Site and is owned by the Armstrong Trust.
In 1886, the Great House, which has five bedrooms and four
baths, was used as a convalescent home for Danish gendarmes
stricken by yellow fever at the Christiansted barracks. In
later years the Great house was modified, by subsequent owners,
by adding a grand staircase on the southwest corner of the
building and converting the gallery to a dining room. The
basement, with arched window openings and passageways, includes
stone and coral-walled bedrooms, as-well-as storage areas.
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 bill S. 1969, as
ordered reported.