YourVoice.Now Summary
EnvironmentTransparency & AccountabilityFederal grants to save battlefields would run through 2036 — and sites from two more wars could qualify.
Environment
Federal money for these grants was set to stop after 2028. States, Tribes, towns, and nonprofits use it to pay part of the cost of buying battlefield land.
One smaller program fixes up battlefield ground, and the other updates displays. They now share one $2 million pot instead of getting $1 million each.
Today the grants cover only Civil War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 sites. Sites named in the new studies would count too, but the yearly grant money would not grow.
Any interested person or group could prepare a site study and send it in. The Park Service would then have one year to decide whether it meets the standards the bill sets.
Transparency & Accountability
The study must name the sites, rank how important they are, and list threats to them. It is due to two committees in Congress within two years of getting funded.
Spending power that ends on a set date forces Congress to look at a program again. That date moves eight years later, from 2028 to 2036.
More about this bill
Most people would see no change in daily life. Money for three federal grant programs that help save old battlefields runs out after 2028. The bill would keep that money flowing through 2036. Up to $18 million a year could go to buying battlefield land. Another $2 million a year would cover site repairs and updated displays for visitors. The grants go to states, Tribes, towns, and nonprofit groups, not to people. The bill also orders a first study of sites from two older wars. The National Park Service would look at places tied to the French and Indian War (1754-1763). It would do the same for the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). The studies happen only if Congress provides money for them. Outside groups could write the studies instead, and the agency would check the work. Finished studies go to two committees in Congress. Sites named in them could then qualify for the land-buying grants, which today cover only three wars.
Congressional Summary
American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act of 2026This bill extends through FY2036 three National Park Service (NPS) grant programs that preserve U.S. battlefields and requires the NPS to study additional sites for potential preservation.Specifically, the bill extends through FY2036 grant programs for the acquisition, interpretation modernization, and restoration of certain U.S. battlefields. (Under current law, the grants are authorized through FY2028.)The bill also requires the NPS to prepare or certify studies of locations tied to significant events during the French and Indian War (1754-1763) and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) for potential preservation.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2026-05-20
- Date Added
- 2026-05-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.