[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.
____________________