H.R. 5970

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5970 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5970

To establish a grant program to support the conservation and 
preservation of historic military ships and submarines, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 7, 2025

Mr. Norcross (for himself, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. 
Panetta, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Boyle of 
Pennsylvania, and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a grant program to support the conservation and 
preservation of historic military ships and submarines, 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 ``Save Our Ships Act''.

SEC. 2. HISTORIC NAVAL SHIP PRESERVATION GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department of the 
Interior the Historic Naval Ship Preservation Grant Program to support 
the physical preservation of historic military vessels, ensuring the 
continued availability of these vessels to the American public to 
educate on the past and inspire the future of United States military 
maritime endeavors.
(b) Administration.--The Program shall be administered by the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security and 
the Department of Defense.
(c) Grant Uses.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for the 
following activities:
(1) Conserving and preserving historic military vessels at 
covered sites, including--
(A) physical upkeep and repair of the vessels; and
(B) mitigating environmental hazards or damage to 
the vessels.
(2) Implementing education and workforce development 
programs related to military maritime careers, including 
shipbuilding and submarine construction.
(d) Eligible Entities.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary 
may award grants to a unit of State or local government or a 
private nonprofit organization that administers a covered site.
(2) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under the 
Program, an organization that administers a covered site shall 
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the Program $5,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
(f) Definition.--In this Act:
(1) Covered site.--The term ``covered site'' means a 
museum, memorial, monument, educational center, or other venue 
that provides public access to, or publicly displays, a 
historic military vessel.
(2) Historic military vessel.--The term ``historic military 
vessel'' means a vessel that has been decommissioned or 
otherwise removed from service and--
(A) was owned and operated by the Department of 
Defense or the Coast Guard, other than a time- or 
voyage-chartered vessel;
(B) was owned and operated by the Department of 
Transportation and designated by the Secretary of the 
department in which the Coast Guard is operating as a 
vessel equivalent to a vessel described in subparagraph 
(A); or
(C) was built for, or pursuant to a contract with, 
the United States Maritime Commission or other legacy 
branch of the Department of Transportation and at some 
point in the vessel's service was equipped with 
armaments and embarked Navy Armed Guard personnel to 
operate the armaments.
(3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Historic Naval 
Ship Preservation Grant Program established by subsection (a).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
Park Service.
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