Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 tur-
bulent 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 Na-
tion’s Armed Forces; and 
‘‘(D) serve as heritage tourism destina-
tions, generating revenue for local economies. 
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‘‘(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 pro-
tected; 
‘‘(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, pre-
pared by the National Park Service, of the 243 prin-
cipal Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battle-
fields identified as national preservation priorities— 
‘‘(A) almost 70 percent lie within urban 
areas as denoted in the 2000 U.S. Census; 
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‘‘(B) 141 are lost or extremely fragmented, 
with residential and commercial development 
being the chief threats; 
‘‘(C) 100 other battlefields retain signifi-
cant features and lands from the period of bat-
tle, 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, al-
though the extent of that protection varies from 
site to site; 
‘‘(E) 18 are without any legal protection; 
‘‘(F) the condition of two battlefields is un-
known, 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 main-
tenance 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 
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through conservation easements and fee-simple pur-
chases 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 pro-
vide grants under this section $20,000,000 for each fiscal 
year through 2028, 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 condi-
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tions on land preserved through Battlefield Land 
Acquisition Grant Program funds.’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 512 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 307 
[Report No. 116–627] 
A BILL 
To provide for partnerships among State and local 
governments, regional entities, and the private 
sector to preserve, conserve, and enhance the vis-
itor experience at nationally significant battle-
fields of the American Revolution, War of 1812, 
and Civil War, and for other purposes. 
DECEMBER 8, 2020 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
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