[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 194 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9775-H9776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PRESERVING AMERICA'S BATTLEFIELDS ACT

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 6108) to provide for partnerships among State and local 
governments, regional entities, and the private sector to preserve, 
conserve, and enhance the visitor experience at nationally significant 
battlefields of the American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6108

       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 ``Preserving America's 
     Battlefields Act''.

     SEC. 2. CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION ACT OF 2002.

       Section 2 of the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 
     2002 (Public Law 107-359) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       ``(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       ``(1) Battlefields of the American Revolution, War of 1812 
     and the Civil War--
       ``(A) provide a means for the people of the United States 
     to understand our Nation's turbulent first century;
       ``(B) serve as living memorials to those who fought and 
     sacrificed in these conflicts to establish and maintain our 
     freedom and liberty;
       ``(C) serve as training grounds for our Nation's Armed 
     Forces; and
       ``(D) serve as heritage tourism destinations, generating 
     revenue for local economies.
       ``(2) According to the Report on the Nation's Civil War 
     Battlefields, prepared by the National Park Service and 
     updated in 2010, of the 383 Civil War battlefields identified 
     as national preservation priorities--
       ``(A) only at 31 battlefields is more than half of the 
     surviving landscape permanently protected;
       ``(B) at 227 battlefields, less than half of the surviving 
     landscape is permanently protected;
       ``(C) 65 battlefields have no protection at all; and
       ``(D) 113 battlefields have been severely hampered by 
     development since the Civil War or are on the verge of being 
     overwhelmed.
       ``(3) According to the 2007 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, of the 243 principal Revolutionary War and War of 
     1812 battlefields identified as national preservation 
     priorities--
       ``(A) almost 70 percent lie within urban areas as denoted 
     in the 2000 U.S. Census;
       ``(B) 141 are lost or extremely fragmented, with 
     residential and commercial development being the chief 
     threats;
       ``(C) 100 other battlefields retain significant features 
     and lands from the period of battle, although on average 
     these battlefields retain only 37 percent of the original 
     historic scene;
       ``(D) of these 100 surviving but diminished battle 
     landscapes, 82 are partially owned and protected by public 
     and nonprofit stewards, although the extent of that 
     protection varies from site to site;
       ``(E) 18 are without any legal protection;
       ``(F) the condition of two battlefields is unknown, with 
     additional research and survey being required to determine 
     their exact location and condition; and
       ``(G) the paucity of existing battlefield landscapes 
     necessitates preservation and maintenance of what precious 
     little remains today.
       ``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
       ``(1) to act quickly and proactively to preserve and 
     protect nationally significant battlefields of the American 
     Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War through conservation 
     easements and fee-simple purchases of those battlefields from 
     willing sellers; and
       ``(2) to create partnerships among State and local 
     governments, regional entities, and the private sector to 
     preserve, conserve, and enhance the visitor experience at 
     nationally significant battlefields of the American 
     Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War.''.

     SEC. 3. PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.

       Section 308103(f) of title 54, United States Code, is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary to provide grants under 
     this section $15,000,000 for each fiscal year through 2025, 
     of which not more than 10 percent may be used each fiscal 
     year as follows:
       ``(1) Not more than $1,000,000 for projects and programs 
     that modernize battlefield interpretive and educational 
     assets through the deployment of technology, disbursed 
     through the competitive grant process to non-profit 
     organizations.
       ``(2) Not more than $1,000,000 for grants to organizations 
     described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 
     of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such 
     Code to be used for projects that restore day-of-battle 
     conditions on land preserved through Battlefield Land 
     Acquisition Grant Program funds.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice), the sponsor of this 
excellent piece of legislation that protects our heritage and our 
battlefields.
  Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for 
the opportunity to speak on behalf of my bill, H.R. 6108, the 
Preserving America's Battlefields Act.
  Mr. Speaker, the American Battlefield Protection Program was first 
authorized in 1996 by Congress in order to promote and protect 
significant American battlefield sites, as well as to provide an 
educational platform for current and future generations of Americans. 
Since the inception of this program, Battlefield Land Acquisition 
Grants have been used extensively to preserve portions of dozens of 
battlefield sites that have played a significant role in the American 
Revolution,

[[Page H9776]]

the War of 1812, and the American Civil War.
  These dollar-for-dollar matching land grants have saved more than 
30,000 acres of battlefields across 20 States. Just this past year, in 
my own district, this program assisted in securing 180 acres of 
battlegrounds surrounding the site of Kettle Creek Battlefield, which 
is the site of the only significant patriot victory in Georgia during 
the Revolutionary War.
  This bill would reauthorize the successful bipartisan Federal grant 
programs, and would dedicate a portion of that authorization for 
educational purposes and for the restoration and interpretation of 
high-priority battlefield sites.
  This will help make these battlegrounds beautiful, historic, and 
educational tourist destinations. This program has been one of the most 
successful and efficient land grant programs in our Nation's history, 
continually receiving bipartisan support. Both former Presidents George 
W. Bush and Barack Obama supported the program's authorization and 
subsequent reauthorizations, respectively. I am very proud to say that 
this bill has continued in that rich tradition of bipartisan support 
here in the 115th Congress.
  With the 250th anniversary of our Nation's founding fast approaching, 
there is no better time to protect our battlefields and prepare them 
for the influx of visitors expected during that time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bishop, the minority, our hardworking 
Natural Resources Committee staff, and the American Battlefield Trust 
for helping us get this bill across the finish line.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6108, which authorizes 
additional funding for the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program.
  This program has a long track record of efficiently and cost-
effectively preserving battlefield sites from the American Revolution, 
the Civil War, and the War of 1812.
  By utilizing public-private funding matches, through which Federal 
contributions are leveraged with private sector funds, the program 
maximizes the preservation impact of every dollar spent. It is critical 
that we extend this grant matching program because many of these 
historic battlefield sites lack permanent protection and are under 
threat from encroaching development. If we don't act swiftly, we could 
soon lose access to sites of significant historical importance.
  By extending additional funding to this program, and by allowing a 
portion of this new funding to go towards educational and interpretive 
upgrades at these sites, we ensure that future generations of Americans 
will always remember the sacrifices made to preserve our Nation.
  Unfortunately, I worry that this legislation, as important as it is 
for preserving our Nation's history, rings somewhat hollow.
  We need to recognize that the grant program H.R. 6108 extends is 
funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired in 
September for the second time this Congress.
  At our committee's hearing on H.R. 6108, our distinguished witness 
from the American Battlefield Trust recognized that this proposal 
doesn't hold water unless LWCF is reauthorized.
  Mr. Speaker, while I rise in support of H.R. 6108, I also urge my 
colleagues to support the permanent reauthorization of LWCF.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is one of those bills that makes an old history 
teacher's heart fill with joy. It is one of the right things to do. We 
are talking about areas that are living memorials to the heroism and to 
the sacrifice of those people who made this country what it is.
  This bill is about preserving our history, helping us know, 
understand, and retain the story of who we are as a nation, and also 
how we arrived there as a nation. All of that is significant.
  It is significant in that it will reauthorize the program through 
2025, it is significant because it also will reauthorize an 
authorization level, which is, in practicality, what we have available 
to spend on this particular program, but, more importantly, it also 
involves the private sector becoming involved in this. Indeed, if our 
history is to be maintained, it is not going to be done simply by the 
government mandating it. We have to involve the private sector to 
become part of understanding why these areas are significant and what 
is the lesson to be learned there.
  Not only will his bill talk about acquisition of land for these 
battlefield areas, but also about how we restore this land to the way 
it was at the time that history was being made on these properties, 
and, more importantly, how do we improve the education resources. So 
the story of what we are as a Nation, the story of what this specific 
site meant as we become a unified Nation as we move forward, that is 
retained and passed on from generation to generation. That is a 
significant issue and is a significant process.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Georgia for his commitment 
to understanding how important battlefields are to the history of this 
country and how important it is that that history is passed on to 
future generations. That is why this is a significant program that 
needs to go forward.
  Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of 
this particular legislation, and 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. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 6108, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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