69–006 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 115–157 

TO REAUTHORIZE THE HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES 

AND UNIVERSITIES HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM 

JUNE 2, 2017.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. BISHOP of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1135] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 1135) to reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Historic Preservation program, having considered the 

same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1135 is to reauthorize the Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation program. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

In 1988, the National Park Service (NPS) established the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Preservation Program with the award of grants to document, preserve, and stabilize 

historic structures on HBCU campuses. Throughout the history of 

the program, NPS has awarded over $60 million to HBCUs to assist them in repairing historic buildings. Historic preservation 

projects may include: structural stabilization, repairing damaged 

masonry, replacing antiquated electrical and plumbing systems, 

abating environmental hazards such as asbestos, repairing termite 

damage, fixing leaking roofs, and providing handicapped accessibility. 

Funding for preservation and restoration at HBCUs from the 

Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) was initially authorized by the 

Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (Public 

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Law 104–333). Specifically, Congress authorized $29 million to be 

appropriated and required HBCUs to raise 50 percent of the funds 

locally to match the federal grant. Further, the law specified that 

of the amount to be appropriated, $23 million in grants would be 

earmarked for 12 particular colleges and universities. Later, funding provided in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 Interior Appropriations 

Act (Public Law 106–291) completed the 12 ongoing projects authorized in the 104th Congress. In 2003, Congress amended Public Law 104–333 to authorize $10 

million in additional appropriations for each of FYs 2003 through 

2008, and lowered the matching requirement to 30 percent. Although funding was authorized, Congress did not appropriate the 

full $10 million in each of those years. Instead, Congress appropriated $0 in FY2003, $2.96 million in FY2004, $3.45 million in 

FY2005, $2.96 million in FY2006, and $0 in FY2007 and FY2008. 

Since FY2008, no further appropriations were authorized for 

HBCUs from the HPF. However, in supplemental appropriations 

for FY2009 in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 

2009 (Public Law 111–5), Congress appropriated an additional $15 

million for HBCUs (and waived the nonfederal matching requirement for these funds). 

In the 114th Congress, Congressman James E. Clyburn (D–SC) 

introduced nearly identical legislation as H.R. 295. On February 

11, 2016, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative 

hearing on the bill. At the hearing, Dr. Henry Tisdale, president 

of Claflin University, a HBCU located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, testified in favor of the bill. NPS also offered testimony in 

support of the legislation. Subsequently, the bill was reported favorably by the Committee on Natural Resources on May 10, 2016 

(House Report 114–549), and on September 12, 2016, the bill 

passed the House by voice vote. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1135 was introduced on February 16, 2017, by Congressman 

James E. Clyburn (D–SC). The bill was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On April 26, 2017, the Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was 

discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, 

and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent on April 27, 2017. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

ACT

1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and sections 308(a) and 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 

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received the following estimate for the bill from the Director of the 

Congressional Budget Office: 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, May 26, 2017. 

Hon. ROB BISHOP, 

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1135, a bill to reauthorize 

the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Program. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jon Sperl. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 1135—A bill to reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Historic Preservation Program 

H.R. 1135 would authorize the appropriation of $10 million annually from 2018 through 2024 for the Historic Preservation Fund 

to provide grants for the restoration and preservation of historic 

buildings ct Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). 

No funds have been appropriated for this program since 2009. 

Although the legislation would authorize an annual appropriation of $10 million through 2024, CBO estimates that demand for 

the preservation grants would be less than that amount. Information from the National Park Service (NPS) suggests that many eligible institutions cannot provide the 30 percent of the project cost 

from nonfederal funds that is required under current law to receive 

a preservation grant. Based on an analysis of information from the 

NPS about the expected number of grant applications and the 

amount of a typical grant award, CBO estimates that implementing legislation would cost about $3 million a year and $16 million over the 2018–2022 period, assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts. 

Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates 

that enacting H.R. 1135 would not increase net direct spending or 

on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

H.R. 1135 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jon Sperl. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill is to reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Historic Preservation program. 

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EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4 

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5 

Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any directed 

rule makings. 

Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or 

reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95–220, 

as amended by Public Law 98–169) as relating to other programs. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italics, 

and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in 

roman): 

OMNIBUS PARKS AND PUBLIC LANDS MANAGEMENT 

ACT OF 1996 

* * * * * * * 

DIVISION I 

* * * * * * * 

TITLE V—HISTORIC AREAS AND CIVIL 

RIGHTS 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 507. HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HISTORIC BUILDING RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION. 

(a) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.—From the amounts made 

available to carry out the National Historic Preservation Act, the 

Secretary of the Interior shall make grants in accordance with this 

section to eligible historically black colleges and universities for the 

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preservation and restoration of historic buildings and structures on 

the campus of these institutions. 

(b) GRANT CONDITIONS.—Grants made under subsection (a) shall 

be subject to the condition that the grantee covenants, for the period of time specified by the Secretary, that— 

(1) no alteration will be made in the property with respect 

to which the grant is made without the concurrence of the Secretary; and 

(2) reasonable public access to the property with respect to 

which the grant is made will be permitted by the grantee for 

interpretive and educational purposes. 

(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT FOR BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES

LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by paragraphs (2) and 

(3), the Secretary may obligate funds made available under 

this section for a grant with respect to a building or structure 

listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places only if the grantee agrees to match, from funds derived from non-Federal sources, the amount of the grant with 

an amount that is equal or greater than the grant. 

(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive paragraphs (1) and 

(3) with respect to a grant if the Secretary determines from circumstances that an extreme emergency exists or that such a 

waiver is in the public interest to assure the preservation of 

historically significant resources. 

(3) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary shall not obligate funds made 

available under subsection (d)(2) for a grant with respect to a 

building or structure listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places unless the grantee agrees to 

provide, from funds derived from non-Federal sources, an 

amount that is equal to 30 percent of the total cost of the 

project for which the grant is provided. 

(d) FUNDING PROVISION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Under section 108 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act, $29,000,000 shall be made available to carry 

out the purposes of this section. Of amounts made available 

pursuant to this section, $5,000,000 shall be available for 

grants to Fisk University, $2,500,000 shall be available for 

grants to Knoxville College, $2,000,000 shall be available for 

grants to Miles College, Alabama, $1,500,000 shall be available 

for grants to Talladega College, Alabama, $1,550,000 shall be 

available for grants to Selma University, Alabama, $250,000 

shall be available for grants to Stillman College, Alabama, 

$200,000 shall be available for grants to Concordia College, 

Alabama, $2,900,000 shall be available for grants to Allen University, South Carolina, $1,000,000 shall be available for 

grants to Claflin College, South Carolina, $2,000,000 shall be 

available for grants to Voorhees College, South Carolina, 

$1,000,000 shall be available for grants to Rust College, Mississippi, and $3,000,000 shall be available for grants to 

Tougaloo College, Mississippi. 

(2) ADDITIONAL FUNDING.—In addition to amounts made 

available under paragraph (1), there is authorized to be appropriated from the Historic Preservation Fund to carry out this 

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section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003 through 

2008ø.¿ and each of fiscal years 2018 through 2024. 

(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall develop such guidelines 

as may be necessary to carry out this section. 

(f) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 

(1) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES.—The term ‘‘historically 

black colleges and universities’’ has the same meaning given 

the term ‘‘part B institution’’ by section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 

(2) HISTORIC BUILDING AND STRUCTURES.—The term ‘‘historic 

building and structures’’ means a building or structure listed 

on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic 

Places or designated a National Historic Landmark. 

* * * * * * * 

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