Kentucky 2023 2023 Regular Session

Kentucky Senate Bill SB144 Introduced / Bill

                    UNOFFICIAL COPY  	23 RS BR 1476 
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AN ACT relating to the Kentucky battlefield preservation fund. 1 
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2 
Section 1.   KRS 171.394 is amended to read as follows: 3 
(1) There is hereby established in the State Treasury a trust and agency account to be 4 
known as the Kentucky battlefield preservation fund. 5 
(2) The account shall consist of moneys received from state appropriations, gifts, 6 
grants, and federal funds. 7 
(3) The account shall be administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council. 8 
(4) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, moneys in the account not expended at the close of a 9 
fiscal year shall not lapse but shall be carried forward into the next fiscal year. 10 
(5) Any interest earnings of the account shall become a part of the account and shall 11 
not lapse. 12 
(6) Moneys deposited into the account are hereby appropriated for the purposes set 13 
forth in this section and shall not be appropriated or transferred by the General 14 
Assembly for any other purposes. 15 
(7) (a) Amounts deposited in the account shall be used exclusively by the Kentucky 16 
Heritage Council to provide grants. Grants shall be made to private nonprofit 17 
organizations. 18 
(b) All grants shall be made solely for the fee simple purchase of, or purchase of 19 
protective interests in: 20 
1. Any Kentucky battlefield site considered in: 21 
a. The report issued by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, 22 
National Park Service, 1993, as amended, entitled Report on the 23 
Nation's Civil War Battlefields; or 24 
b. The report prepared by the American Battlefield Protection 25 
Program, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 
September 2007, as amended, entitled Report to Congress on the 27  UNOFFICIAL COPY  	23 RS BR 1476 
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Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites 1 
in the United States; or 2 
2. Any site associated with the Underground Railroad that is eligible for 3 
National Historic Landmark designation or for listing in the National 4 
Register of Historic Places. 5 
(8) (a) Private nonprofit organizations seeking grant funding from the account shall 6 
be required to provide matching funds from any non-state sources as follows: 7 
1. On a dollar-for-dollar basis for Civil War sites; or 8 
2. One dollar ($1) for each three dollars ($3) from the account for 9 
Revolutionary War sites. 10 
(b) For the purposes of this subsection, "matching funds" means cash or the 11 
donation of land, or interest therein, made by the landowner as part of the 12 
proposed project. 13 
(c) No state funds may be included in determining the amount of the match. 14 
(d) Grants from the account shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the appraised 15 
value of the land or permanent protective interests therein, without the 16 
approval of the state historic preservation officer. 17 
(e) Grants from the account may be awarded for prospective purchases. 18 
(9) Eligible costs for which moneys from the account may be allocated include: 19 
(a) Acquisition of land and any improvements thereon; 20 
(b) Permanent protective interests; 21 
(c) Conservation easements; 22 
(d) Costs of appraisals; 23 
(e) Environmental reports; 24 
(f) Surveys; 25 
(g) Title searches and title insurance; and 26 
(h) Any other closing costs. 27  UNOFFICIAL COPY  	23 RS BR 1476 
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(10) (a) Any eligible organization making an acquisition of land or interest therein 1 
shall grant to the Commonwealth a perpetual easement placing restrictions on 2 
the use or development of the land. 3 
(b) All terms and conditions of the easement shall be reviewed by and found by 4 
the Kentucky Heritage Council to be consistent with other conservation 5 
easements under KRS 67A.840 to 67A.850. 6 
(c) Any eligible organization shall demonstrate to the Kentucky Heritage Council 7 
that it has the capacity and expertise to manage and enforce the terms of the 8 
easement. 9 
(11) The Kentucky Heritage Council shall: 10 
(a) Establish, administer, manage, and make expenditures and allocations from 11 
the account; 12 
(b) Establish guidelines for applications for grants of moneys from the account; 13 
(c) Prioritize and award grants of moneys from the account; and 14 
(d) Consider in relation to core and study areas of the sites identified in 15 
subsection (7)(b) of this section: 16 
1. The significance of the site; 17 
2. The location of the proposed project; 18 
3. The proximity to other protected lands; 19 
4. The threat to and integrity of the features associated with the historic 20 
significance of the site; and 21 
5. The financial and administrative capacity of the applicant to complete 22 
the project and to maintain and manage the property consistent with the 23 
public investment and public interest, including: 24 
a. Education; 25 
b. Recreation; 26 
c. Research; 27  UNOFFICIAL COPY  	23 RS BR 1476 
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d. Heritage tourism promotion; or 1 
e. Orderly community development. 2 
(12) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the subsequent transfer of 3 
property acquired under this section to the United States of America, its agencies, 4 
or instrumentalities. 5