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1 [1] (October 7, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbhk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AmerCongressional Research Service Unformig the legislative debate sincej 1914 American Battlefield Protection Program S October 7, 2019 The American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) promotes the preservation of significant sites where historic battles were fought on American soil. Initiated by the Secretary of the Interior in 1991, the program was officially authorized by Congress in 1996 in the American Battlefield Protection Act (P.L. 104-333; 54 U.S.C. §§308101- 308103). The ABPP is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and comprises two distinct competitive grant programs: the Battlefield Planning Grant Program and the Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program. ABPP Planning Grant Program Under the Battlefield Planning Grant Program, NPS awards grants to groups, institutions, organizations, governments (local, state, and tribal), and federal entities sponsoring preservation projects at historic battlefields. The program supports projects that include site identification and documentation, planning and consensus building, and educational programs, among others. Any battlefield or associated site on American soil is eligible for funding under this grant program. Planning grants are not awarded for land acquisition or capital improvements. Applicants for the Battlefield Planning grants are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds or in-kind services for these projects. Figure I. Appropriations for ABPP Planning Grant Program: FY2010-FY2019 ($ in thousands) C111-e1 DoIrs MR-a 2019 D.11-1s S 1, O 81,4OO S1, 200 S Sources: CRS, with data from annual NPS Budget Justifications for FY2012-FY2020. Figures were taken from the volume published two years following the fiscal year in question (e.g., for FY20 15, figures are from FY20 17 document). FY20 19 figures reflect enacted totals. Notes: Totals reflect appropriations for both grant-making purposes and grant administration. Reported totals differ from the appropriated totals, as obligations may carry over from year to year. Current dollars have been converted to real 2019 dollars using the GDP (Chained) Price Index column in Table 10.1 from the Office of Management and Budget, Historical Tables, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/. Authorization and Funding History NPS first awarded Battlefield Planning grants for preservation projects at historic battlefields in 1992 under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. In 1996, Congress authorized the program under the American Battlefield Protection Act. At that time, Congress authorized to be appropriated $3 million annually for a duration of 10 years. Congress permanently authorized discretionary appropriations at $3 million annually for the program in 2009 (P.L. 111-11). Battlefield Planning grants are funded as part of NPS appropriations within the agency's National Recreation and Preservation (NR&P) account. Appropriations for the program are split between two subaccounts within the NR&P account: direct grant-making funds are provided under the Cultural Programs activity, and grant administration funding is provided under a separate Grants Administration activity. Typically, Congress has not funded the program at the full authorized level. Actual appropriations for the program have remained unchanged at just under $1.4 million annually since FY2015 (Figure 1). Recent Grant-Making Trends According to NPS, the program has helped to protect and enhance battlefields through 620 projects in 42 states and territories. Individual project funding historically has ranged from $5,000 to more than $100,000. From FY2015 to FY2019, total annual grant funding averaged roughly $1.16 million. New York received the largest amount of program funding during this period, at just over $800,000 for 15 projects, followed by South Carolina and Virginia. See Figure 2 for an overview of the 10 states that received the largest amount of funding from FY2015 to FY2019. Figure 2. FY201 5-FY2019 Planning Grants: Ten Most- Awarded States (current $ in thousands) 0 V FY 17 IsO F SC' Md HI FL S : PA $ 30 $o 00 Ssoa S600 .0800 5900 Source: NPS, Battlefield Planning Grants, at http://www.n ps.gov/su bjects/battlefields/battlefield- plan n ing- grants.htm. tps:/crs repos.coG Cess. o