[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 126 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6874-H6875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION ACT OF 2002

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5125) to amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 
1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
battlefield acquisition grant program, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5125

       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 ``Civil War Battlefield 
     Preservation Act of 2002''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Civil War battlefields provide a means for the people 
     of the United States to understand a tragic period in the 
     history of the United States.
       (2) According to the Report on the Nation's Civil War 
     Battlefields, prepared by the Civil War Sites Advisory 
     Commission, and dated July 1993, of the 384 principal Civil 
     War battlefields--
       (A) almost 20 percent are lost or fragmented;
       (B) 17 percent are in poor condition; and
       (C) 60 percent have been lost or are in imminent danger of 
     being fragmented by development and lost as coherent historic 
     sites.
       (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to act quickly and proactively to preserve and protect 
     nationally significant Civil War battlefields through 
     conservation easements and fee-simple purchases of those 
     battlefields from willing sellers; and

[[Page H6875]]

       (2) to create partnerships among State and local 
     governments, regional entities, and the private sector to 
     preserve, conserve, and enhance nationally significant Civil 
     War battlefields.

     SEC. 3. BATTLEFIELD ACQUISITION GRANT PROGRAM.

       The American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 
     469k) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as paragraph (3) of 
     subsection (c), and indenting appropriately;
       (2) in paragraph (3) of subsection (c) (as redesignated by 
     paragraph (1))--
       (A) by striking ``Appropriations'' and inserting 
     ``appropriations''; and
       (B) by striking ``section'' and inserting ``subsection'';
       (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
       ``(d) Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program.--
       ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
       ``(A) Battlefield report.--The term `Battlefield Report' 
     means the document entitled `Report on the Nation's Civil War 
     Battlefields', prepared by the Civil War Sites Advisory 
     Commission, and dated July 1993.
       ``(B) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
     State or local government.
       ``(C) Eligible site.--The term `eligible site' means a 
     site--
       ``(i) that is not within the exterior boundaries of a unit 
     of the National Park System; and
       ``(ii) that 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 under which the 
     Secretary may provide grants to eligible entities to pay the 
     Federal share of the cost of acquiring interests 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) Limitation 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. 460l-8(f)(3)).
       ``(6) Reports.--
       ``(A) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this subparagraph, the Secretary shall 
     submit to Congress a report on the activities carried out 
     under this subsection.
       ``(B) Update of battlefield report.--Not later than 2 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 384 
     battlefields during the period between publication of the 
     Battlefield Report and the update;
       ``(ii) changes in the condition of the battlefields during 
     that period; and
       ``(iii) any other relevant developments relating to the 
     battlefields during that period.
       ``(7) Authorization 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 2004 through 2008.
       ``(B) Update of battlefield report.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out paragraph 
     (6)(B), $500,000.''; and
       (4) in subsection (e)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``as of'' and all that 
     follows through the period and inserting ``on September 30, 
     2008.''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and provide 
     battlefield acquisition grants'' after ``studies''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. 
Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) to explain this 
legislation.
  Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of H.R. 5125, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 
2002.
  On July 15, I introduced this bill, along with five of my colleagues, 
to show Congress's continued commitment to preserving these historic 
sites.
  I believe by preserving history, we teach future generations not only 
where we are from, but also what we are about and where we are heading. 
Preserving our past allows us to teach our children about the valor of 
the soldiers who fought and died, the strife families overcame, 
challenges that our society met, and struggles our ideals conquered. 
These battlefields are living classrooms to remind future generations 
of our Nation's history.
  If enacted, this measure seeks to authorize the American Battlefield 
Preservation Program, ABPP, a proven program Congress funded in 1999 at 
$8 million and again in 2002 at $11 million.
  The Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, CWBPP, has been 
enormously successful. The fiscal year 1999 appropriations were used to 
save nearly 7,000 acres of battlefield land, and generated an 
additional $16 million in non-Federal money for preservation.
  This is a fiscally responsible program that promotes non-Federal 
partnerships with States and localities. Grants are competitively 
awarded through the American Battlefield Protection Program, ABPP, an 
arm of the National Park Service.
  Money authorized in H.R. 5125 is to be used for the acquisition from 
willing sellers of priority battlefield properties outside NPS 
boundaries. Last year 63 Members and 12 Senators signed bipartisan 
letters supporting the fiscal year 2002 appropriation for this same 
purpose.
  A companion bill, S. 2968, was introduced with tripartisan support. 
Senators Sarbanes, Sessions and Jeffords are all in support of this. 
Funding will take place in 2002 after last year's $11 million 
appropriation is exhausted. Thereafter the bill authorizes $10,000 a 
year for Civil War battlefield preservation, with a minimum one-to-one 
match requirement.
  This bill also authorizes $500,000 for ABPP to update the 993 Civil 
War Sites Advisory Commission report, which prioritizes the 384 major 
conflicts of the Civil War by the status of threats to their integrity.
  This authorization bill, which would fund battlefield preservation 
from fiscal year 2004 through 2008, would provide predictability and 
certainty to the program's nonfunded partners as they prepare grant 
applications and make budgetary decisions.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Utah (Chairman Hansen) and 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), as well as the 
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and the gentlewoman from the 
Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for their commitment to preserving 
our Nation's past.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
her remarks.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, this bill has a very worthy goal, and 
we have no objection to its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5125, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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