Description:
H.R. 494 would authorize the expansion of the Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island, Georgia, by increasing the maximum acreage from 250 to 305 acres. The monument preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe, the founder of the state of Georgia.
The National Park Service (NPS) would be permitted to expand the monument boundary only through donations or purchases of land made using appropriated funds. According to the NPS, the existing park boundary exceeds the current acreage cap. The legislation would expand the cap to accommodate the current size of the monument and permit the NPS to acquire about 20 additional acres. Based on information the county provided to the NPS about the value of different parcels, CBO estimates that the cost of acquiring certain properties that are adjacent to the monument would be about $1 million. Any such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 494 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 494 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 494 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.
