American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act of 2023

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3448 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3448

 To amend chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, to enhance the 
         protection and preservation of America's battlefields.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2023

Ms. Stefanik (for herself, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Ferguson, Ms. Letlow, Ms. 
Wexton, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Clyde, Mr. Bacon, Mr. 
    Wittman, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Van Drew, Mr. 
 Ciscomani, Mr. Trone, Mr. Lamborn, Ms. Houlahan, and Mrs. McClellan) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, to enhance the 
         protection and preservation of America's battlefields.

    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 ``American Battlefield Protection 
Program Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 308101 of title 54, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 308101. Definitions
    ``In this chapter:
            ``(1) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary, 
        acting through the American Battlefield Protection Program.
            ``(2) Battlefield reports.--The term `Battlefield Reports' 
        means, collectively--
                    ``(A) the document entitled `Report on the Nation's 
                Civil War Battlefields', prepared by the Civil War 
                Sites Advisory Commission, and dated July 1993; and
                    ``(B) the document entitled `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, and dated September 2007.''.
    (b) Preservation Assistance.--Section 308102(a) of title 54, United 
States Code, is amended by striking ``Federal'' and all that follows 
through ``organizations'' and inserting ``Federal agencies, States, 
Tribes, local governments, other public entities, educational 
institutions, and nonprofit organizations''.
    (c) Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants Improvements.--Section 
308103 of title 54, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Eligible Site Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible 
site'--
            ``(1) means a site that--
                    ``(A) is not within the exterior boundaries of a 
                unit of the National Park System; and
                    ``(B) is identified in the Battlefield Reports as a 
                battlefield; and
            ``(2) excludes sites identified in the Battlefield Reports 
        as associated historic sites.'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``State and local 
        governments'' and inserting ``States, Tribes, local 
        governments, and nonprofit organizations''; and
            (3) in subsection (c), by striking ``State or local 
        government'' and inserting ``State, Tribe, or local 
        government''.
    (d) Battlefield Restoration Grants Improvements.--Section 308105 of 
title 54, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a battlefield 
restoration grant program (referred to in this section as the 
`program') under which the Secretary may provide grants to States, 
Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations for projects 
that restore day-of-battle conditions on--
            ``(1) land preserved and protected under the battlefield 
        acquisition grant program established under section 308103(b); 
        or
            ``(2) battlefield land that is--
                    ``(A) owned by a State, Tribe, local government, or 
                nonprofit organization; and
                    ``(B) referred to in the Battlefield Reports.''; 
                and
            (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Eligible Sites.--The Secretary may make grants under this 
section for Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War battlefield 
sites--
            ``(1) eligible for assistance under the battlefield 
        acquisition grant program established under section 308103(b); 
        or
            ``(2) on battlefield land that is--
                    ``(A) owned by a State, Tribe, local government, or 
                nonprofit organization; and
                    ``(B) referred to in the Battlefield Reports.''.
    (e) Updates and Improvements.--Chapter 3081 of title 54, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 308106. Updates and improvements to Battlefield Reports
    ``Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 
section, and every 10 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report that updates the Battlefield Reports to reflect--
            ``(1) preservation activities carried out at the 
        battlefields in the period since the publication of the most 
        recent Battlefield Reports update;
            ``(2) changes in the condition, including core and study 
        areas, of the battlefields during that period; and
            ``(3) any other relevant developments relating to the 
        battlefields during that period.''.
    (f) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 3081 of 
title 54, United States Code, is amended as follows:
            (1) By amending the item relating to section 308101 to read 
        as follows:

``308101. Definitions''.
            (2) By adding at the end the following:

``308106. Updates and improvements to Battlefield Reports''.
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