II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3568 

To amend chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, to enhance the 

protection and preservation of America’s battlefields. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 10, 2024 

Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. WARNER, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

CORNYN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WICKER, and Mr. TILLIS) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, 

to enhance the protection and preservation of America’s 

battlefields. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Battlefield 

5 Protection Program Enhancement Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM 

7 IMPROVEMENTS. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 308101 of title 54, 

9 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

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1 ‘‘§ 308101. Definitions 

2 ‘‘In this chapter: 

3 ‘‘(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

4 the Secretary, acting through the American Battle5 field Protection Program. 

6 ‘‘(2) BATTLEFIELD REPORTS.—The term ‘Bat7 tlefield Reports’ means, collectively— 

8 ‘‘(A) the document entitled ‘Report on the 

9 Nation’s Civil War Battlefields’, prepared by 

10 the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, and 

11 dated July 1993; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the document entitled ‘Report to 

13 Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revo14 lutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the 

15 United States’, prepared by the National Park 

16 Service, and dated September 2007.’’. 

17 (b) PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.—Section 

18 308102(a) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by 

19 striking ‘‘Federal’’ and all that follows through ‘‘organiza20 tions’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal agencies, States, Tribes, 

21 local governments, other public entities, educational insti22 tutions, and nonprofit organizations’’. 

23 (c) BATTLEFIELD LAND ACQUISITION GRANTS IM24 PROVEMENTS.—Section 308103 of title 54, United States 

25 Code, is amended— 

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1 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBLE SITE DEFINED.—In this section, the 

4 term ‘eligible site’— 

5 ‘‘(1) means a site that— 

6 ‘‘(A) is not within the exterior boundaries 

7 of a unit of the National Park System; and 

8 ‘‘(B) is identified in the Battlefield Reports 

9 as a battlefield; and 

10 ‘‘(2) excludes sites identified in the Battlefield 

11 Reports as associated historic sites.’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘State and 

13 local governments’’ and inserting ‘‘States, Tribes, 

14 local governments, and nonprofit organizations’’; 

15 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘State or local 

16 government’’ and inserting ‘‘State, Tribe, or local 

17 government’’; and 

18 (4) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘under this 

19 section’’ and inserting ‘‘under this section, including 

20 by States, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit 

21 organizations,’’. 

22 (d) BATTLEFIELD RESTORATION GRANTS IMPROVE23 MENTS.—Section 308105 of title 54, United States Code, 

24 is amended— 

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1 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab4 lish a battlefield restoration grant program (referred to 

5 in this section as the ‘program’) under which the Secretary 

6 may provide grants to States, Tribes, local governments, 

7 and nonprofit organizations for projects that restore day8 of-battle conditions on— 

9 ‘‘(1) land preserved and protected under the 

10 battlefield acquisition grant program established 

11 under section 308103(b); or 

12 ‘‘(2) battlefield land that is— 

13 ‘‘(A) owned by a State, Tribe, local govern14 ment, or nonprofit organization; and 

15 ‘‘(B) referred to in the Battlefield Re16 ports.’’; and 

17 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE SITES.—The Secretary may make 

20 grants under this section for Revolutionary War, War of 

21 1812, and Civil War battlefield sites— 

22 ‘‘(1) eligible for assistance under the battlefield 

23 acquisition grant program established under section 

24 308103(b); or 

25 ‘‘(2) on battlefield land that is— 

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1 ‘‘(A) owned by a State, Tribe, local govern2 ment, or nonprofit organization; and 

3 ‘‘(B) referred to in the Battlefield Re4 ports.’’. 

5 (e) UPDATES AND IMPROVEMENTS.—Chapter 3081 

6 of title 54, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

7 the end the following: 

8 ‘‘§ 308106. Updates and improvements to Battlefield 

9 Reports 

10 ‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact11 ment of this section, and every 10 years thereafter, the 

12 Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that updates 

13 the Battlefield Reports to reflect— 

14 ‘‘(1) preservation activities carried out at the 

15 battlefields in the period since the publication of the 

16 most recent Battlefield Reports update; 

17 ‘‘(2) changes in the condition, including core 

18 and study areas, of the battlefields during that pe19 riod; and 

20 ‘‘(3) any other relevant developments relating 

21 to the battlefields during that period.’’. 

22 (f) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

23 for chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, is 

24 amended as follows: 

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1 (1) By amending the item relating to section 

2 308101 to read as follows: 

‘‘308101. Definitions.’’. 

3 (2) By adding at the end the following: 

‘‘308106. Updates and improvements to Battlefield Reports.’’. 

Æ