I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3498
To amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to establish 
a battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and protection 
of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolu-
tionary War and the War of 1812, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2003
Mr. HOLT (for himself, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. 
MCHUGH, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. SWEENEY, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. BOEHLERT, 
Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SANDERS, 
Mr. SKELTON, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CASE, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. COOPER, Mr. 
SHAYS, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 
to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for 
the acquisition and protection of nationally significant 
battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War 
and the War of 1812, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Revolutionary War and 
War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The battlefields of the American Revolu-
tionary War and the War of 1812 provide a unique 
means for the people of the United States to relate 
to these epic struggles in the history of the United 
States and to understand their importance in the es-
tablishment and early development of the United 
States. 
(2) Urbanization, suburban sprawl, and un-
planned commercial and residential development are 
constantly encroaching on many of the nationally 
significant battlefields of the American Revolu-
tionary War and the War of 1812, as well as on as-
sociated sites, and this encroachment poses a severe 
and growing risk to the preservation of such battle-
fields and related sites. 
(3) According to the Revolutionary War and 
War of 1812 Historical Preservation Study, pre-
pared by the National Park Service, and dated Sep-
tember 2003, of the 825 principal nationally signifi-
cant battlefields and associated sites of the Amer-
ican Revolutionary War and the War of 1812—
(A) thirteen percent are lost; 
(B) thirty percent are fragmented or in 
poor condition; or
(C) twenty-seven percent may be destroyed 
or impaired within the next ten years, and nine 
percent of this percentage figure are in immi-
nent danger of damage occurring within the 
next three years. 
SEC. 3. BATTLEFIELD ACQUISITION GRANT PROGRAM FOR 
BATTLEFIELDS 
OF 
THE 
REVOLUTIONARY 
WAR AND WAR OF 1812. 
(a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The American Battlefield 
Protection Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 469k) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub-
section (f); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(e) BATTLEFIELD ACQUISITION GRANT PROGRAM 
FOR BATTLEFIELDS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND 
WAR OF 1812.—
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) BATTLEFIELD
REPORT.—The term 
‘battlefield report’ means the document entitled 
‘Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Historic 
Preservation Study’, prepared by the National 
Park Service, and dated September 2003. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi-
ble entity’ means a State or local government.