H.R. 1541 would amend the National Historic Preservation Act by expanding eligibility for an existing grant program that encourages student involvement in historic and cultural preservation projects to include Hispanic-Serving, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions.
In recent years, the Historic Preservation Fund has spent about $2 million a year for grant administration. According to information from the National Park Service, none of those funds were allocated for the grant affected by the legislation; funds have not been allocated for that program since 2009. Few institutions have used the program and very little money has been available for that purpose. Therefore, CBO estimates that increasing eligibility for the grants would not have a significant effect on spending subject to appropriation over the 2016-2020 period. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 1541 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. The bill would benefit public institutions of higher education that serve African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander students who participate in training and degree programs that focus on historic preservation.
