Preserving America’s Battlefields Act

Preserving America's Battlefields Act

This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program and expands the purposes of the American Battlefield Protection Program to include

• the preservation and protection of nationally significant battlefields of not only the Civil War but also the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and
• the enhancement of visitors' experiences at those battlefields.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 225 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 225

To provide for partnerships among State and local governments, regional 
entities, and the private sector to preserve, conserve, and enhance the 
   visitor experience at nationally significant battlefields of the 
    American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 24, 2019

  Mr. Isakson (for himself, Mr. Kaine, and Mr. Blunt) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for partnerships among State and local governments, regional 
entities, and the private sector to preserve, conserve, and enhance the 
   visitor experience at nationally significant battlefields of the 
    American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preserving America's Battlefields 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION ACT OF 2002.

    Section 2 of the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2002 
(Public Law 107-359) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    ``(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            ``(1) Battlefields of the American Revolution, War of 1812 
        and the Civil War--
                    ``(A) provide a means for the people of the United 
                States to understand our Nation's turbulent first 
                century;
                    ``(B) serve as living memorials to those who fought 
                and sacrificed in these conflicts to establish and 
                maintain our freedom and liberty;
                    ``(C) serve as training grounds for our Nation's 
                Armed Forces; and
                    ``(D) serve as heritage tourism destinations, 
                generating revenue for local economies.
            ``(2) According to the Report on the Nation's Civil War 
        Battlefields, prepared by the National Park Service and updated 
        in 2010, of the 383 Civil War battlefields identified as 
        national preservation priorities--
                    ``(A) only at 31 battlefields is more than half of 
                the surviving landscape permanently protected;
                    ``(B) at 227 battlefields, less than half of the 
                surviving landscape is permanently protected;
                    ``(C) 65 battlefields have no protection at all; 
                and
                    ``(D) 113 battlefields have been severely hampered 
                by development since the Civil War or are on the verge 
                of being overwhelmed.
            ``(3) According to the 2007 Report to Congress on the 
        Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 
        Sites in the United States, prepared by the National Park 
        Service, of the 243 principal Revolutionary War and War of 1812 
        battlefields identified as national preservation priorities--
                    ``(A) almost 70 percent lie within urban areas as 
                denoted in the 2000 U.S. Census;
                    ``(B) 141 are lost or extremely fragmented, with 
                residential and commercial development being the chief 
                threats;
                    ``(C) 100 other battlefields retain significant 
                features and lands from the period of battle, although 
                on average these battlefields retain only 37 percent of 
                the original historic scene;
                    ``(D) of these 100 surviving but diminished battle 
                landscapes, 82 are partially owned and protected by 
                public and nonprofit stewards, although the extent of 
                that protection varies from site to site;
                    ``(E) 18 are without any legal protection;
                    ``(F) the condition of two battlefields is unknown, 
                with additional research and survey being required to 
                determine their exact location and condition; and
                    ``(G) the paucity of existing battlefield 
                landscapes necessitates preservation and maintenance of 
                what precious little remains today.
    ``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            ``(1) to act quickly and proactively to preserve and 
        protect nationally significant battlefields of the American 
        Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War through conservation 
        easements and fee-simple purchases of those battlefields from 
        willing sellers; and
            ``(2) to create partnerships among State and local 
        governments, regional entities, and the private sector to 
        preserve, conserve, and enhance the visitor experience at 
        nationally significant battlefields of the American Revolution, 
        War of 1812, and Civil War.''.

SEC. 3. PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.

    Section 308103(f) of title 54, United States Code, is amended to 
read as follows:
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to provide grants under this section 
$20,000,000 for each fiscal year through 2028, of which not more than 
10 percent may be used each fiscal year as follows:
            ``(1) Not more than $1,000,000 for projects and programs 
        that modernize battlefield interpretive and educational assets 
        through the deployment of technology, disbursed through the 
        competitive grant process to non-profit organizations.
            ``(2) Not more than $1,000,000 for grants to organizations 
        described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
        1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code 
        to be used for projects that restore day-of-battle conditions 
        on land preserved through Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant 
        Program funds.''.
                                 <all>