Save Our Ships Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Save Our Ships Act creates a Historic Naval Ship Preservation Grant Program in the Department of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service. The program supports the physical preservation of historic military vessels so they remain available to the public for education about U.S. military maritime history and future maritime endeavors. Interior must administer the program in consultation with Homeland Security and Defense. Competitive grants may support conservation and preservation at covered sites, including physical upkeep and repair of vessels and mitigation of environmental hazards or damage. Grants may also support education and workforce development programs related to military maritime careers, including shipbuilding and submarine construction. Eligible recipients are units of State or local government or private nonprofit organizations that administer covered sites. A covered site is a museum, memorial, monument, educational center, or other venue that publicly displays or provides public access to a historic military vessel. The bill authorizes $5 million for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Who Benefits and How
Museums, memorials, monuments, and educational centers displaying historic military vessels benefit because they can compete for preservation grants. State and local governments operating covered historic naval sites benefit because they become eligible grant recipients. Private nonprofit organizations administering covered sites benefit because they can receive funds for vessel repair, upkeep, environmental hazard mitigation, and education programs. Visitors and students benefit because preserved vessels remain available for public education about military maritime history. Maritime workforce programs benefit because grants may support education tied to shipbuilding and submarine construction careers.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The National Park Service must administer the grant program, run competitions, review applications, and monitor grant use. The Departments of Homeland Security and Defense must consult with Interior on program administration. Covered-site operators must prepare applications and comply with grant conditions for preservation, repair, environmental mitigation, or education activities. Federal taxpayers bear the authorized $5 million annual cost beginning in fiscal year 2026.
Key Provisions
- Establishes the Historic Naval Ship Preservation Grant Program in the Department of the Interior.
- Directs the National Park Service to administer the program in consultation with Homeland Security and Defense.
- Authorizes competitive grants for physical upkeep, repair, preservation, conservation, and environmental hazard mitigation of historic military vessels.
- Authorizes grants for education and workforce development related to military maritime careers.
- Limits eligible recipients to State or local governments and private nonprofits administering covered public vessel sites.
- Authorizes $5 million for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a National Park Service-administered Historic Naval Ship Preservation Grant Program in the Interior Department, in consultation with Homeland Security and Defense, authorizes competitive grants to State or local governments and private nonprofits that operate public historic military vessel sites, and authorizes $5 million for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Key Policy Areas
Historic Preservation, Maritime, Interior
Primary Purpose
Establishes a National Park Service-administered Historic Naval Ship Preservation Grant Program in the Interior Department, in consultation with Homeland Security and Defense, authorizes competitive grants to State or local governments and private nonprofits that operate public historic military vessel sites, and authorizes $5 million for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Historic naval ship museums
- State governments operating covered sites
- Local governments operating covered sites
- Private nonprofit vessel operators
- Public visitors
- Maritime workforce programs
Identified Costs
- National Park Service grant staff
- Department of Homeland Security consultation staff
- Department of Defense consultation staff
- Covered-site operators
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Norcross (for himself, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, …
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Organizations operating and preserving historic military vessels
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology