H.R. 1287 (111th): Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Partnership Act

Introduced:
Mar 03, 2009 (111th Congress, 2009–2010)
Sponsor:
Rep. Peter Visclosky [D-IN1]
Status:
Died (Passed House)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on September 8, 2009 but was never passed by the Senate.

Progress
Introduced Mar 03, 2009
Referred to Committee Mar 03, 2009
Passed House Sep 08, 2009
Cosponsors
1 cosponsors (1D) (show)
Committees

House Natural Resources

Senate Energy and Natural Resources

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a partnership with the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission regarding the use of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center as a visitor center for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Sep 09, 2009.
4 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

3/2/2010--Reported to Senate without amendment.
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced.
The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.) Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Partnership Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint partnership with the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission with regard to the use of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center as a visitor center for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Allows the Secretary to:
(1) plan, design, construct, and install exhibits in the Center related to the use and management of the resources at the Lakeshore, at a cost under $1.5 million; and
(2) use park staff from the Lakeshore in the Center to provide visitor information and education.
States that, for the purposes of the acquisition of lands or interests in lands outside the present boundaries of the Lakeshore, lands may be considered contiguous to other lands if the lands touch them, or are separated from them by only a public or private right-of-way, such as a road, railroad, or utility corridor.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hr1287.

Background

The Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center is located in northwest Indiana along the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Dorothy Buell was president of the Save the Dunes Council. Through the efforts of the Save the Dunes Council and other organizations, the 89th Congress designated 8,330 acres of land and water as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Today, the Dunes consist of over 15,000 acres of Federally protected park land.

The Dunes are home to sandy beaches along Lake Michigan, as well as a variety of plant and wild life. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was recognized by Congress in 1966 through the efforts of Henry Cowles, a University of Chicago botanist, Illinois Senator Paul H. Douglas, and Ms. Buell, who lived near the Dunes and was an English teacher.

 

Summary

H.R. 1287 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission. This memorandum is to establish the management and operational duties for the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center.

After entering into a memorandum of understanding, the Secretary and the Commission would be authorized to then lease space in the Visitor Center for a visitor informational center for Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The Secretary would be authorized to install exhibits and information centers related to the use and resources of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore costing no more than $1.5 million. Additionally, the Secretary would be authorized to use park staff from the Indiana Dunes to provide visitors with information at the exhibit and information center.

 

Cost

A CBO score for H.R. 1287 was not yet available at press time.  However, according to the score for and identical bill passed in the 110th Congress, CBO estimates that "the NPS would spend $1.5 million over the 2009-2013 period for exhibits in the new visitor facility.  CBO also estimates that the leasing provisions of the bill would create budget authority of about $2 million in 2009 for a capital lease that would be executed with the Porter County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission (PCCRVA, the owner of the visitor center).  We estimate that annual lease payments under the new contract would increase direct spending by about $1 million over the 2009-2018 period."

 

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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