[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5318 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5318

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
   provide funding for memorials honoring veterans, law enforcement 
          officers, and firefighters, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 29, 2023

Ms. Tenney (for herself and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
   provide funding for memorials honoring veterans, law enforcement 
          officers, and firefighters, 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 ``Remembering Our Local Heroes Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR MEMORIALS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a grant program to 
fund construction, restoration, renovation, and maintenance for covered 
memorials.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary 
        may award grants to units of local government and nonprofit 
        organizations.
            (2) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under the 
        Program, a unit of local government or nonprofit organization 
        shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
        such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
        may require.
            (3) Priority.--In awarding grants under the Program, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to grants that will fund 
        projects--
                    (A) for which strong support is demonstrated from 
                the local community; and
                    (B) that memorialize individuals or groups, living 
                or deceased--
                            (i) who are broadly viewed to have 
                        contributed positively, in a manner 
                        demonstrating exemplary public service, to 
                        their community or to the United States; or
                            (ii) who distinguished themselves through 
                        acts of bravery in which they risked their 
                        lives.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Grant funds awarded under the Program may only 
be used for construction, restoration, renovation, or maintenance for 
covered memorials.
    (d) Limitation on Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may not award more than 1 
        grant in a fiscal year with respect to any single--
                    (A) unit of local government or nonprofit 
                organization; or
                    (B) covered memorial.
            (2) Amount.--No grant awarded under the Program may exceed 
        $100,000.
    (e) Matching Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--The recipient of a grant under the Program 
        shall provide non-Federal matching funds equal to not less than 
        50 percent of the grant.
            (2) In-kind support.--The non-Federal matching funds 
        described in paragraph (1) may include in-kind support.
    (f) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary to carry out the Program $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2024 through 2028.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered memorial.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``covered memorial'' 
                means any statue, monument, sculpture, memorial, 
                plaque, inscription, or other structure or landscape 
                feature, including a garden or memorial grove that is--
                            (i) owned or administered by a unit of 
                        local government or nonprofit organization; and
                            (ii) designed to perpetuate in a permanent 
                        manner the memory of individuals or groups, 
                        living or deceased, who--
                                    (I) are veterans of the Armed 
                                Forces who served on or after April 6, 
                                1917;
                                    (II) are members of the Armed 
                                Forces killed while on active duty as a 
                                result of injuries incurred in the line 
                                of duty on or after April 6, 1917;
                                    (III) have served as law 
                                enforcement officers; or
                                    (IV) have served as firefighters.
                    (B) Exception.--The term ``covered memorial'' does 
                not include any item listed in subparagraph (A) that is 
                located within the interior of a structure or a 
                structure which is primarily used for other purposes.
            (2) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the grant program 
        established under this section.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) Unit of local government.--The term ``unit of local 
        government'' means--
                    (A) a unit of general government below the State 
                level, including a city, county, municipality, town, 
                township, or village;
                    (B) the government of the District of Columbia;
                    (C) the government of, or a unit of general 
                government within, American Samoa, Guam, the 
                Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the 
                United States, and any other territory or possession of 
                the United States; or
                    (D) the Tribal Government of a federally recognized 
                Indian Tribe.
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