TITLE I—PRESERVE AMERICA 
PROGRAM 
SEC. 101. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to authorize the Preserve 
America Program, including— 
(1) the Preserve America grant program within 
the Department of the Interior; 
(2) the recognition programs administered by the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; and 
(3) the related efforts of Federal agencies, work-
ing in partnership with State, tribal, and local gov-
ernments and the private sector, to support and pro-
mote the preservation of historic resources. 
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. 
(2) HERITAGE
TOURISM.—The term ‘‘heritage 
tourism’’ means the conduct of activities to attract 
and accommodate visitors to a site or area based on 
the unique or special aspects of the history, landscape 
(including trail systems), and culture of the site or 
area. 
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(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means the 
Preserve America Program established under section 
103(a). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 103. ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the Depart-
ment of the Interior the Preserve America Program, under 
which the Secretary, in partnership with the Council, may 
provide competitive grants to States, local governments (in-
cluding local governments in the process of applying for des-
ignation as Preserve America Communities under section 
104), Indian tribes, communities designated as Preserve 
America Communities under section 104, State historic 
preservation offices, and tribal historic preservation offices 
to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, 
education, and historic preservation planning activities. 
(b) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The following projects shall be 
eligible for a grant under this title: 
(A) A project for the conduct of— 
(i) research on, and documentation of, 
the history of a community; and 
(ii) surveys of the historic resources of 
a community. 
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(B) An education and interpretation project 
that conveys the history of a community or site. 
(C) A planning project (other than building 
rehabilitation) that advances economic develop-
ment using heritage tourism and historic preser-
vation. 
(D) A training project that provides oppor-
tunities for professional development in areas 
that would aid a community in using and pro-
moting its historic resources. 
(E) A project to support heritage tourism in 
a Preserve America Community designated 
under section 104. 
(F) Other nonconstruction projects that 
identify or promote historic properties or provide 
for the education of the public about historic 
properties that are consistent with the purposes 
of this Act. 
(2) LIMITATION.—In providing grants under this 
title, the Secretary shall only provide 1 grant to each 
eligible project selected for a grant. 
(c) PREFERENCE.—In providing grants under this 
title, the Secretary may give preference to projects that 
carry out the purposes of both the program and the Save 
America’s Treasures Program. 
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(d) CONSULTATION AND NOTIFICATION.— 
(1) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult 
with the Council in preparing the list of projects to 
be provided grants for a fiscal year under the pro-
gram. 
(2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days be-
fore the date on which the Secretary provides grants 
for a fiscal year under the program, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the Senate, the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives, and the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives a list of any eligible projects that are to be pro-
vided grants under the program for the fiscal year. 
(e) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The non-Federal share of the 
cost of carrying out a project provided a grant under 
this title shall be not less than 50 percent of the total 
cost of the project. 
(2) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non- 
Federal share required under paragraph (1) shall be 
in the form of— 
(A) cash; or 
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(B) donated supplies and related services, 
the value of which shall be determined by the 
Secretary. 
(3) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that each applicant for a grant has the capacity to 
secure, and a feasible plan for securing, the non-Fed-
eral share for an eligible project required under para-
graph (1) before a grant is provided to the eligible 
project under the program. 
SEC. 104. DESIGNATION OF PRESERVE AMERICA COMMU-
NITIES. 
(a) APPLICATION.—To be considered for designation as 
a Preserve America Community, a community, tribal area, 
or neighborhood shall submit to the Council an application 
containing such information as the Council may require. 
(b) CRITERIA.—To be designated as a Preserve Amer-
ica Community under the program, a community, tribal 
area, or neighborhood that submits an application under 
subsection (a) shall, as determined by the Council, in con-
sultation with the Secretary, meet criteria required by the 
Council and, in addition, consider— 
(1) protection and celebration of the heritage of 
the community, tribal area, or neighborhood; 
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(2) use of the historic assets of the community, 
tribal area, or neighborhood for economic development 
and community revitalization; and 
(3) encouragement of people to experience and 
appreciate local historic resources through education 
and heritage tourism programs. 
(c) LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PREVIOUSLY CERTIFIED 
FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES.—The Council 
shall establish an expedited process for Preserve America 
Community designation for local governments previously 
certified for historic preservation activities under section 
101(c)(1) of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 
U.S.C. 470a(c)(1)). 
(d) GUIDELINES.—The Council, in consultation with 
the Secretary, shall establish any guidelines that are nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
SEC. 105. REGULATIONS. 
The Secretary shall develop any guidelines and issue 
any regulations that the Secretary determines to be nec-
essary to carry out this title. 
SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this title $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, 
2011, 2012, and 2013, to remain available until expended. 
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TITLE II—SAVE AMERICA’S 
TREASURES PROGRAM 
SEC. 201. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to authorize within the De-
partment of the Interior the Save America’s Treasures Pro-
gram, to be carried out by the Director of the National Park 
Service, in partnership with— 
(1) the National Endowment for the Arts; 
(2) the National Endowment for the Humanities; 
(3) the Institute of Museum and Library Serv-
ices; 
(4) the National Trust for Historic Preservation; 
(5) the National Conference of State Historic 
Preservation Officers; 
(6) the National Association of Tribal Historic 
Preservation Officers; and 
(7) the President’s Committee on the Arts and 
the Humanities. 
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) COLLECTION.—The term ‘‘collection’’ means 
a collection of intellectual and cultural artifacts, in-
cluding documents, sculpture, and works of art. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means a Federal entity, State, local, or tribal gov-
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ernment, educational institution, or nonprofit organi-
zation. 
(3) HISTORIC
PROPERTY.—The term ‘‘historic 
property’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
301 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 
U.S.C. 470w). 
(4) NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT.—The term ‘‘na-
tionally significant’’ means a collection or historic 
property that meets the applicable criteria for na-
tional significance, in accordance with regulations 
promulgated by the Secretary pursuant to section 
101(a)(2) of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(16 U.S.C. 470a(a)(2)). 
(5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means the 
Save America’s Treasures Program established under 
section 203(a). 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector of the National Park Service. 
SEC. 203. ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the Depart-
ment of the Interior the Save America’s Treasures program, 
under which the amounts made available to the Secretary 
under section 205 shall be used by the Secretary, in con-
sultation with the organizations described in section 201, 
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subject to subsection (f)(1)(B), to provide grants to eligible 
entities for projects to preserve nationally significant collec-
tions and historic properties. 
(b) DETERMINATION OF GRANTS.—Of the amounts 
made available for grants under section 205, not less than 
50 percent shall be made available for grants for projects 
to preserve collections and historic properties, to be distrib-
uted through a competitive grant process administered by 
the Secretary, subject to the eligibility criteria established 
under subsection (e). 
(c) APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS.—To be considered for 
a competitive grant under the program an eligible entity 
shall submit to the Secretary an application containing 
such information as the Secretary may require. 
(d) COLLECTIONS AND HISTORIC PROPERTIES ELIGI-
BLE FOR COMPETITIVE GRANTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A collection or historic prop-
erty shall be provided a competitive grant under the 
program only if the Secretary determines that the col-
lection or historic property is— 
(A) nationally significant; and 
(B) threatened or endangered. 
(2) ELIGIBLE
COLLECTIONS.—A determination 
by the Secretary regarding the national significance 
of collections under paragraph (1)(A) shall be made 
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in consultation with the organizations described in 
section 201, as appropriate. 
(3) ELIGIBLE HISTORIC PROPERTIES.—To be eli-
gible for a competitive grant under the program, a 
historic property shall, as of the date of the grant ap-
plication— 
(A) be listed in the National Register of 
Historic Places at the national level of signifi-
cance; or 
(B) be designated as a National Historic 
Landmark. 
(e) SELECTION CRITERIA FOR GRANTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall not pro-
vide a grant under this title to a project for an eligi-
ble collection or historic property unless the project— 
(A) eliminates or substantially mitigates the 
threat of destruction or deterioration of the eligi-
ble collection or historic property; 
(B) has a clear public benefit; and 
(C) is able to be completed on schedule and 
within the budget described in the grant applica-
tion. 
(2) PREFERENCE.—In providing grants under 
this title, the Secretary may give preference to 
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projects that carry out the purposes of both the pro-
gram and the Preserve America Program. 
(3) LIMITATION.—In providing grants under this 
title, the Secretary shall only provide 1 grant to each 
eligible project selected for a grant. 
(f) CONSULTATION
AND
NOTIFICATION
BY
SEC-
RETARY.— 
(1) CONSULTATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph 
(B), the Secretary shall consult with the organi-
zations described in section 201 in preparing the 
list of projects to be provided grants for a fiscal 
year by the Secretary under the program. 
(B) LIMITATION.—If an entity described in 
subparagraph (A) has submitted an application 
for a grant under the program, the entity shall 
be recused by the Secretary from the consultation 
requirements under that subparagraph and sub-
section (a). 
(2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days be-
fore the date on which the Secretary provides grants 
for a fiscal year under the program, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the Senate, the Committee on Natural Re-
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sources of the House of Representatives, and the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives a list of any eligible projects that are to be pro-
vided grants under the program for the fiscal year. 
(g) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The non-Federal share of the 
cost of carrying out a project provided a grant under 
this title shall be not less than 50 percent of the total 
cost of the project. 
(2) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non- 
Federal share required under paragraph (1) shall be 
in the form of— 
(A) cash; or 
(B) donated supplies or related services, the 
value of which shall be determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(3) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that each applicant for a grant has the capacity and 
a feasible plan for securing the non-Federal share for 
an eligible project required under paragraph (1) be-
fore a grant is provided to the eligible project under 
the program. 
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