1.
This Act may be cited as the
Presidential Sites Improvement
Act
.
2.
Congress finds that—
(1)
there are many sites honoring Presidents located throughout the
United States, including Presidential birthplaces, homes, museums, burial
sites, and tombs;
(2)
most of the sites are owned, operated, and maintained by
non-Federal entities such as State and local agencies, family foundations,
colleges and universities, libraries, historical societies, historic
preservation organizations, and other nonprofit organizations;
(3)
Presidential sites are often expensive to maintain;
(4)
many Presidential sites are in need of capital, technological,
and interpretive display improvements for which funding is insufficient or
unavailable; and
(5)
to promote understanding of the history of the United States by
recognizing and preserving historic sites linked to Presidents of the United
States, the Federal Government should provide grants for the maintenance and
improvement of Presidential sites.
3.
In this Act:
(1)
The term Grant Commission means the Presidential
Site Grant Commission established by section 4(d).
(2)
The term Presidential site means a site that
is—
(A)related to a
President of the United States;
(B)of national
significance;
(C)
managed, maintained, and operated for, and is accessible to, the
public; and
(D)
owned or operated by—
(i)
a State; or
(ii)
a private institution, organization, or person.
(3)
The term Secretary means the Secretary of the
Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service.
4.
Grants for Presidential sites
(a)
The Secretary shall award grants for major maintenance and
improvement projects at Presidential sites to owners or operators of
Presidential sites in accordance with this section.
(b)
(1)
A grant awarded under this section may be used for—
(A)
repairs or capital improvements at a Presidential site (including
new construction for necessary modernization) such as—
(i)
installation or repair of heating or air conditioning systems,
security systems, or electric service; or
(ii)
modifications at a Presidential site to achieve compliance with
requirements under titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C.
12131 et seq.); and
(B)
interpretive improvements to enhance public understanding and
enjoyment of a Presidential site.
(2)
(A)
Of the funds made available to award grants under this
Act—
(i)
15 percent shall be used for emergency projects, as determined by
the Secretary;
(ii)
65 percent shall be used for grants for Presidential sites
with—
(I)
a 3-year average annual operating budget of less than $700,000
(not including the amount of any grant received under this section); and
(II)
an endowment in an amount that is less than 3 times the annual
operating budget of the site; and
(iii)
20 percent shall be used for grants for Presidential sites
with—
(I)
an annual operating budget of $700,000 or more (not including the
amount of any grant received under this section); and
(II)
an endowment in an amount that is equal to or more than 3 times
the annual operating budget of the site.
(B)
If any funds allocated for a category of projects described in
subparagraph (A) are unexpended, the Secretary may use the funds to award
grants for another category of projects described in that subparagraph.
(c)
Application and award procedure
(1)
Not later than a date to be determined by the Secretary, an owner
or operator of a Presidential site may submit to the Secretary an application
for a grant under this section.
(2)
Involvement of Grant Commission
(A)
The Secretary shall forward each application received under
paragraph (1) to the Grant Commission.
(B)
Consideration by Grant Commission
Not later than 60 days after receiving an application from the
Secretary under subparagraph (A), the Grant Commission shall return the
application to the Secretary with a recommendation of whether the proposed
project should be awarded a Presidential site grant.
(C)
Recommendation of Grant Commission
In making a decision to award a Presidential site grant under
this section, the Secretary shall take into consideration any recommendation of
the Grant Commission.
(3)
Not later than 180 days after receiving an application for a
Presidential site grant under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
(A)
award a Presidential site grant to the applicant; or
(B)
notify the applicant, in writing, of the decision of the
Secretary not to award a Presidential site grant.
(4)
(A)
The Federal share of the cost of a project at a Presidential site
for which a grant is awarded under this section shall not exceed 50
percent.
(B)
The non-Federal share of the cost of a project at a Presidential
site for which a grant is awarded under this section may be provided in cash or
in kind.
(d)
Presidential Site Grant Commission
(1)
There is established the Presidential Site Grant
Commission.
(2)
The Grant Commission shall be composed of—
(A)
the Director of the National Park Service; and
(B)
4 members appointed by the Secretary as follows:
(i)
A State historic preservation officer.
(ii)
A representative of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation.
(iii)
A representative of a site described in subsection
(b)(2)(A)(ii).
(iv)
A representative of a site described in subsection
(b)(2)(A)(iii).
(3)
A member of the Grant Commission shall serve a term of 2
years.
(4)
The Grant Commission shall—
(A)
review applications for Presidential site grants received under
subsection (c); and
(B)
recommend to the Secretary projects for which Presidential site
grants should be awarded.
(5)
Ineligibility of sites during term of representative
A site described in clause (iii) or (iv) of paragraph (2)(B)
shall be ineligible for a grant under this Act during the 2-year period in
which a representative of the site serves on the Grant Commission.
(6)
The Grant Commission shall not be subject to the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. App.).
(e)
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010, to remain available
until expended.