To make improvements in the enactment of title 54, United States Code, into a positive law title and to correct related technical errors.
This introduced bill seeks to make Title 54 of the United States Code a positive law title (i.e., enacted as law in its own right, not merely codified) and to fix a broad set of technical errors throughout Title 54 and related cross-references. In addition to the restatement effort, the measure makes numerous targeted amendments across several titles (notably Titles 15, 16, 43, and 54) to correct wording, headings, and cross-references, and to reorganize or reframing certain provisions. The bill also adds transitional provisions to guide how restated provisions interact with laws enacted later, and it repeals a number of older or overlapping laws. Beyond cleanup, the bill creates or redefines several substantive programs within Title 54. Notable elements include a housing program for federal field employees (Chapter 1013), authorizes an urban park and recreation recovery program with defined grant types and local government roles (Chapter 2005), and establishes a new Underground Railroad commemorations chapter (Chapter 3083). It also makes adjustments to preserve and historic program authorities (e.g., Preserve America) and updates several cross-references to ensure consistency with the restated Title 54. The overall effect would be increased legal clarity and internal consistency, along with new programs and funding mechanics related to parks, recreation, housing for federal staff, and historic preservation.
Key Points
- 1Positive-law restatement and technical corrections: The bill’s core purpose is to convert Title 54 into a positive law title and to fix related technical errors and cross-reference inconsistencies across multiple titles and acts.
- 2Major programmatic additions and changes:
- 3- Chapter 1013 (Housing for Field Employees): Adds new purposes and definitions (e.g., “field employee,” “quarters,” “primary resource values”) and reorganizes related content; introduces a policy framework for housing that favors private-sector involvement and long-term maintenance funding.
- 4- Chapter 2005 (Urban Park and Recreation Recovery): Establishes an urban park and recreation recovery program with defined grant types (rehabilitation, innovation, at-risk-youth grants, and matching/recurring support), and expands definitions to cover maintenance, public-private partnerships, and coordination with local governments.
- 5- Chapter 3083 (Underground Railroad): Creates a dedicated chapter recognizing the Underground Railroad and authorizing the Service to coordinate commemorative, interpretive, and educational activities.
- 6Funding and financial provisions: Adds a new subsection (101701) that would, from available funds, provide $20 million for 2018 and $30 million for 2019 for Federal funding shares of certain deferred maintenance projects, with at least 50% of project costs from non-Federal sources.
- 7Revisions to cross-references and related acts: Replaces or aligns references to the National Historic Preservation Act and other statutes with references to the restated Title 54 (e.g., Alaska Natural Resources Act cross-references, Abandoned Shipwreck Act cross-reference, and other editorial corrections like typos).
- 8Transitional and repeal provisions: Includes transitional/savings rules to govern how restated provisions interact with laws enacted after July 30, 2025, and repeals specific provisions of a number of historic laws (e.g., certain sections of the National Historic Preservation Act and other legacy park-related statutes).