[Pages S9660-S9661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AUTHORIZATION ACT OF
1998

Mr. GORTON. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to
the consideration of calendar No. 488, H.R. 3504.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:

A bill (H.R. 3504) to amend the John F. Kennedy Center Act
to authorize appropriations for the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts and to further define the criteria
for capital repair and operation and maintenance.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate
consideration of the bill?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, the bill now before the Senate is the
``John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Authorization Act.''
The concept of a national Center for the performing arts originated
during the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. President
Eisenhower envisioned a national cultural center in the nation's
capital, and in 1958, with the support of Congress, he signed into law
the National Cultural Center Act, which established the Center as an
independently administered bureau of the Smithsonian Institution.
Following the death of President Kennedy, the Congress in 1964 renamed
the Center in honor of the late president.
The Kennedy Center was opened to the public in September 1971. The
response was overwhelming--so much so that the Center's Board of
Trustees requested help from Congress in maintaining and operating the
Center, for the benefit of the millions of visitors. In 1972, Congress
authorized the National Park Service to provide maintenance, security,
and other services necessary to maintain the facility. For the next two
decades, the Park Service received federal appropriations for the
maintenance and operation of the Presidential monument.
In the early part of this decade, however, it became clear that the
Kennedy Center facility--which had not seen comprehensive capital
repair since its opening--had deteriorated significantly due to both
age and intensive public use. Those repairs that had taken place--such
as the 1977 repair of the leaking roof--were undertaken in response to
threatening conditions. The Board of Trustees, with the support of the
Park Service, therefore set out to achieve a more effective long-term
approach to management of the facility, with one entity responsible for
both the care of the physical plant and the staging of performance
activities.
In 1994, therefore, Congress approved and the President signed the
John F. Kennedy Center Act Amendments (Public Law 103-279). That Act
authorized the transfer of all capital repair, operations, and
maintenance of the Center from the Park Service to the Kennedy Center
Board of Trustees.
The Act also directed the Board to develop a comprehensive, multi-
year plan for the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the Kennedy
Center. In 1995, the Board delivered the Comprehensive Building Plan,
which set forth a long-term, two-stage program for the remediation of
substandard building conditions, as well as continuous maintenance for
the future. Phase I, scheduled for Fiscal Years 1995 through 1998, has
concluded successfully. During this time, several major projects were
completed, including the installation of a new, energy-efficient
heating and cooling system, replacement of the leaking roof and roof
terrace, and the major renovation of the Concert Hall. Phase II is
scheduled to take place over the next eleven fiscal

[[Page S9661]]

years, through Fiscal Year 2009. This stage will involve the massive
``Center Block'' project, during which the Opera House will be
overhauled, as well as projects to make improvements to the plaza,
improve accessibility to the theaters, install fire and other safety
technology, and make a host of other repairs designed to ensure that
the facility meets life safety standards.
That brings us to the legislation we are considering today. For the
major Phase II projects to get underway, Congress must revise the 1994
Act to authorize appropriate funding for the next several fiscal years.
This bill authorizes significant funding levels for the next eleven
fiscal years for maintenance as well as capital repair work.
The bill before the Senate is H.R. 3504, the House-passed bill. It is
almost identical to S. 2038, legislation that I introduced and that was
reported by the Environment and Public Works Committee on June 12,
1998. Because of the similarity in the two bills, we are pleased to
pass the House bill without amendment sending it to the President for
his signature.
The Kennedy Center is a living Presidential memorial and a national
monument, and as such demands a high standard of maintenance and
upkeep. As an ex-officio member of the Board, and Chairman of the
authorizing Committee, I am dedicated to the appropriate restoration
and preservation of the facility, which millions of Americans have
enjoyed for more than a quarter of a century.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter from the
Congressional Budget Office setting forth the budgetary impacts of this
legislation be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, July 23, 1998.
Hon. John H. Chafee,
Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S.
Senate, Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3504, the John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Authorization Act
of 1998.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Christina
Hawley Sadoti.
Sincerely,
James L. Blum
(For June E. O'Neill, Director).
Enclosure.

Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

H.R. 3504--John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Authorization Act of 1998
Summary: H.R. 3504 would provide additional authorizations
in the amount of $146 million for capital projects,
operations, and maintenance at the John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts for fiscal years 1999 through 2003.
Because H.R. 3504 would not affect direct spending or
receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
H.R. 3504 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of
1995 (UMRA).
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of H.R. 3504 is shown in the following
table.
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function
500 (education, training, employment, and social services).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorizations under current law:
Authorization levels.......... 20 21 0 0 0 0
Estimated outlays............. 18 20 9 4 3 1
Proposed changes:
Authorization levels.......... ........... 12 34 34 34 32
Estimated outlays............. ........... 4 19 26 30 33
Authorization under H.R. 3504:
Authorization levels.......... 20 33 34 34 34 32
Estimated outlays............. 18 24 29 30 33 34
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Basis of estimate: H.R. 3504 would amend the John F.
Kennedy Center Act to reauthorize appropriations for the John
F. Kennedy Center. The bill would authorize spending on
maintenance, repair, and security at $13 million for 1999,
$14 million for each of fiscal years 2000 and 2001, and $15
million for each of fiscal years 2002 and 2003. Capital
projects would be authorized at $20 million annually for
fiscal years 1999-2001, $19 million for fiscal year 2002, and
$17 million for fiscal year 2003. Currently these functions
are authorized through fiscal year 1999--maintenance, repair
and security at $12 million and capital projects at $9
million. Thus, enactment of H.R. 3504 would result in a net
increase in authorizations of $12 million for fiscal year
1999 and $146 million over the 1999-2003 period. Assuming
that the amounts authorized are appropriated and that
spending follows historical outlay patterns, H.R. 3504 would
result in increased outlays of $112 million during fiscal
years 1999-2003.
Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 3504
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 and would
not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
Previous CBO estimates: On May 6, 1998, CBO provided an
identical estimate for H.R. 3504 as ordered reported by the
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In
addition, CBO provided an identical estimate for a similar
bill, S. 2038, on May 22, 1998.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Cost: Christina Hawley
Sadoti; Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Marc
Nicole; and Impact on the Private Sector: Jean Wooster.
Estimate approved by: Paul N. Van de Water, Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.

Mr. GORTON. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read
a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the
table, and that any statements relating to the bill appear at the
appropriate place in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 3504) was considered read the third time and passed.

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