[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 146 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 146

To amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to establish a 
     battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and 
protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites 
 of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2009

  Mr. Holt (for himself, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Rothman of New Jersey, Mr. 
Welch, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Langevin, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Blumenauer, and Mr. 
 Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to establish a 
     battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and 
protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites 
 of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, 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 ``Revolutionary War and War of 1812 
Battlefield Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. BATTLEFIELD ACQUISITION GRANT PROGRAM FOR BATTLEFIELDS OF THE 
              REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND WAR OF 1812.

    (a) Grant Program.--The American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 
(section 604 of division I of Public Law 104-333; 16 U.S.C. 469k) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(e) Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program for Battlefields of the 
Revolutionary War and War of 1812.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Battlefield report.--The term `battlefield 
                report' means 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) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means a State or local government.
                    ``(C) Eligible site.--The term `eligible site' 
                means a site that--
                            ``(i) is not within the exterior boundaries 
                        of a unit of the National Park System; and
                            ``(ii) is identified in the battlefield 
                        report.
                    ``(D) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the 
                Secretary of the Interior, acting through the American 
                Battlefield Protection Program.
            ``(2) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a 
        battlefield acquisition grant program for nationally 
        significant battlefields and associated sites of the 
        Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 under which the Secretary 
        may make grants to eligible entities to pay the Federal share 
        of the cost of acquiring fee-simple or lesser interests from 
        willing sellers in eligible sites for the preservation and 
        protection of those eligible sites.
            ``(3) Nonprofit partners.--An eligible entity may acquire 
        an interest in an eligible site using a grant under this 
        subsection in partnership with a nonprofit organization.
            ``(4) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the 
        total cost of acquiring an interest in an eligible site under 
        this subsection shall be not less than 50 percent.
            ``(5) Limitations on land use.--An interest in an eligible 
        site acquired under this subsection shall be subject to section 
        6(f)(3) of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 
        U.S.C. 4601-8(f)(3)).
            ``(6) Reports.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the 
                date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
                shall submit to Congress a report on the activities 
                carried out under this subsection.
                    ``(B) Update on battlefield report.--Not later than 
                3 years after the date of the enactment of this 
                subsection, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
                report that updates the battlefield report to reflect--
                            ``(i) preservation activities carried out 
                        at the 677 battlefields and associated sites 
                        identified in the battlefield report during the 
                        period between publication of the battlefield 
                        report and the update;
                            ``(ii) changes in the condition of the 
                        battlefields and associated sites during that 
                        period; and
                            ``(iii) any other relevant developments 
                        relating to the battlefields and associated 
                        sites during that period.
            ``(7) Authorizations of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There are authorized to be 
                appropriated to the Secretary from the Land and Water 
                Conservation Fund to provide grants under this 
                subsection $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 
                through 2014.
                    ``(B) Update of battlefield report.--There are 
                authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
                out paragraph (6)(B), $500,000.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) References to other battlefield acquisition program.--
        Subsection (d) of the American Battlefield Protection Act of 
        1996, as added by section 3 of Civil War Battlefield 
        Preservation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-359; 116 Stat. 3016), 
        is amended--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                ``Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program'' and inserting 
                ``Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program for 
                Battlefields of the Civil War''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``grant program'' 
                and inserting ``grant program for battlefields of the 
                Civil War''; and
            (2) Termination of authority.--Subsection (f) of the 
        American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996, as redesignated by 
        subsection (a)(1), is amended--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                ``Repeal'' and inserting ``Expiration''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``is repealed'' 
                and inserting ``expires''.
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