[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2921 Engrossed in House (EH)]

103d CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 2921

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

  To authorize appropriations for the preservation and restoration of 
  historic buildings at historically black colleges and universities.





103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2921

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To authorize appropriations for the preservation and restoration of 
  historic buildings at historically black colleges and universities.

    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 ``Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Nation's historically black colleges and 
        universities have contributed significantly to the effort to 
        attain equal opportunity through postsecondary education for 
        African-American, low-income, and educationally disadvantaged 
        Americans;
            (2) over our Nation's history, States and the Federal 
        Government have discriminated in the allocation of land and 
        financial resources to support these institutions, thus forcing 
        them to rely on the generous support of private individuals and 
        other charitable organizations;
            (3) the development of this source of private and 
        charitable financial support for historically black colleges 
        and universities has resulted in structures and buildings of 
        historic importance and architecturally unique design on the 
        campuses of these institutions; and
            (4) many of these structures and buildings are national 
        treasures worthy of preservation and restoration for future 
        generations of all Americans as well as for the students and 
        faculty of these institutions.

SEC. 3. PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION GRANTS FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS AT 
              HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

    (a) Authority To Make Grants.--From the amounts made available to 
carry out the National Historic Preservation Act for the fiscal years 
1995 through 1998, the Secretary of the Interior shall make grants in 
accordance with this section to eligible historically black colleges 
and universities for the preservation and restoration of historic 
buildings and structures on the campus of these institutions.
    (b) Grant Conditions.--Grants made under subsection (a) shall be 
subject to the condition that the grantee covenants, for the period of 
time specified by the Secretary, that--
            (1) no alteration will be made in the property with respect 
        to which the grant is made without the concurrence of the 
        Secretary; and
            (2) reasonable public access to the property with respect 
        to which the grant is made will be permitted by the grantee for 
        interpretive and educational purposes.
    (c) Matching Requirement For Buildings and Structures listed on the 
National Register of Historic Places.--(1) Except as provided by 
paragraph (2), the Secretary may obligate funds made available under 
this section for a grant with respect to a building or structure listed 
on the National Register of Historic Places only if the grantee agrees 
to match, from funds derived from non-Federal sources, the amount of 
the grant with an amount that is equal or greater than the grant.
    (2) The Secretary may waive paragraph (1) with respect to a grant 
if the Secretary determines from circumstances that an extreme 
emergency exists or that such a waiver is in the public interest to 
assure the preservation of historically significant resources.
    (d) Funding Provisions.--(1) Not more than $20,000,000 for fiscal 
year 1995 and not more than $15,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
1996, 1997, and 1998 may be made available under this section.
    (2) Of the amounts made available under this section for fiscal 
year 1995, $5,000,000 shall be available only for grants under 
subsection (a) to Fisk University.
    (3) Of the amounts made available under this section for fiscal 
year 1995, $10,000,000 shall be available only for grants under 
subsection (a) to those historically black colleges and universities 
identified for inclusion in the Department of the Interior Historically 
Black College and University Historic Preservation Initiative.
    (e) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate such regulations 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``historically black colleges and 
        universities'' has the same meaning given the term ``part B 
        institution'' by section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 
        1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
            (2) The term ``historic building and structures'' means a 
        building or structure listed on the National Register of 
        Historic Places or designated a National Historic Landmark.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 23 
      (legislative day, November 22), 1993.

            Attest:






                                                                 Clerk.