H.R. 1541, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain property related to the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas, and for other purposes

H.R. 1541 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire, by donation only, the Civil War-era structure known as the “Lunette Blair” blockhouse and to incorporate the structure into the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Bourbon County, Kansas. The bill also would modify the boundary of the site to include this property.

Based on analysis of information provided by the NPS, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1541 would have no significant effect on the federal budget. Under the legislation, the blockhouse could only be acquired through donation. CBO estimates that costs to operate and maintain the new property over the next five years would be less than $500,000 because the NPS does not anticipate the need for significant additional resources to manage the property once it is acquired.

Enacting H.R. 1541 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1541 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

H.R. 1541 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 April 7, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 189, the Fort Scott National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources on March 30, 2017. S. 189 would authorize the NPS to acquire 4 acres of private land and facilities adjacent to the blockhouse historic site using appropriated funds or through a land exchange. CBO’s estimated cost for S. 189 is greater than for H.R. 1541 because of that difference.