Title: Rejecting and Eliminating the Foul Use of Symbols Exulting Confederate Principles Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Rejecting and Eliminating the Foul Use of Symbols Exulting Confederate Principles Act or the REFUSE Confederate Principles Act
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish, within the National Park Service (NPS), a program to be known as the Emancipation Historic Preservation Program to award grants to states and other eligible entities to
Interior shall also provide technical assistance to eligible entities related to these activities.
None of the funds made available by this bill may be used by Interior, the NPS, or an eligible entity for the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, or new construction of a Confederate symbol.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 672 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 672

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
  provide funds for the removal of Confederate symbols, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2021

   Mr. Rush introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
  provide funds for the removal of Confederate symbols, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rejecting and Eliminating the Foul 
Use of Symbols Exulting Confederate Principles Act'' or the ``REFUSE 
Confederate Principles Act''.

SEC. 2. EMANCIPATION HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
the Director, shall establish, within the National Park Service, a 
program to be known as the ``Emancipation Historic Preservation 
Program'' to--
            (1) award grants to eligible entities in accordance with 
        this section to--
                    (A) remove a Confederate symbol;
                    (B) remove and replace a Confederate symbol with an 
                alternative monument, memorial, statue, commemorative 
                structure, symbol, or signage;
                    (C) remove and replace a Confederate symbol with an 
                alternative monument, memorial, statue, commemorative 
                structure, symbol, or signage to commemorate or depict 
                the freedom of enslaved African Americans; and
                    (D) remove and transfer a Confederate symbol to a 
                State historic preservation program as defined in 
                section 60.3 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations; 
                and
            (2) provide technical assistance to eligible entities 
        related to the activities described in paragraph (1).
    (b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to applications that include activities described 
in subsection (a)(1)(C) and (a)(1)(D).
    (c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require, including--
            (1) a plan for how the eligible entity will use grant funds 
        to carry out one or more of the activities described in 
        subsection (a)(1);
            (2) if the application is for activities described in 
        subsection (a)(1)(C), information demonstrating the relevance 
        of the eligible entity's application to activities described in 
        subsection (a)(1)(C); and
            (3) if the application is for activities described in 
        subsection (a)(1)(D), information identifying the eligible 
        entity as a State historic preservation program as defined in 
        section 60.3 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations for 
        activities described in subsection (a)(1)(D).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to provide grants under this section, 
$15,000,000 for each fiscal year through 2031, of which $9,000,000 for 
each fiscal year shall be made available to State historic preservation 
programs as defined in section 60.3 of title 36, Code of Federal 
Regulations, for costs related to the removal, transfer, and storage of 
Confederate symbols under subsection (a)(1)(D).

SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS ON USE OF FUNDS.

    None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the 
Secretary, the Director, or an eligible entity for the preservation, 
rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, or new construction of a 
Confederate symbol.

SEC. 4. REPORTS.

    (a) Grantee Reports to Secretary and Director.--Not later than 90 
days after the earlier of the date of expiration of a project period or 
the completion of a project, each entity that receives a grant under 
this Act shall submit to the Secretary and the Director a final report 
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (b) Annual Report to Congress.--Not later than October 31 of each 
calendar year after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report of the progress of the grant program 
established pursuant to this Act.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Confederate symbol.--The term ``Confederate symbol'' 
        includes--
                    (A) a Confederate flag; or
                    (B) a monument, memorial, statue, commemorative 
                structure, symbol, or signage that honors a Confederate 
                leader, Confederate soldier, the Confederate States of 
                America, or the Confederacy in general.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Park Service.
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a State;
                    (B) a political subdivision of a State, including--
                            (i) a city; and
                            (ii) a county;
                    (C) a territory or insular possession of the United 
                States;
                    (D) the District of Columbia;
                    (E) an Indian Tribe (which has the meaning given 
                the term ``Indian tribe'' in section 4 of the Indian 
                Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
                U.S.C. 5304));
                    (F) a special purpose district, including park 
                districts;
                    (G) an academic institution; or
                    (H) a State historic preservation program, as 
                defined in section 60.3 of title 36, Code of Federal 
                Regulations.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
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