A bill to preserve the cultural resources of the Route 66 corridor and to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance.
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 21, 1999
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) facilitate the development of guidelines and a program of technical assistance and grants that will set priorities for the preservation of the Route 66 corridor; (2) designate National Park Service (NPS) officials to perform the functions of the Cultural Resource Programs (NPS programs to support cultural resources related to the corridor); (3) support efforts of State and local public and private persons, nonprofit Route 66 preservation entities, Indian tribes, State Historic Preservation Offices, and entities in the States to preserve the corridor by providing technical assistance, participating in cost-sharing programs, and making grants; (4) act as a clearinghouse for communication among such parties and Federal, State, and local agencies; and (5) assist the States in determining the appropriate form of, and establishing and supporting, a non-Federal entity or entities to perform the functions of the Cultural Resource Programs after those programs are terminated. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements, accept donations, provide cost-share grants and information and technical assistance in historic preservation, and conduct research. Requires the Secretary: (1) to provide assistance in the preservation of the corridor that is compatible with the idiosyncratic nature of the highway; (2) not to prepare or require an overall management plan, but to cooperate with public and private entities in developing local preservation plans to guide efforts to protect the most important or representative resources of the corridor; (3) to develop a technical assistance program in the preservation of Route 66, including guidelines for setting priorities for preservation needs; (4) to coordinate a program of historic research, curation, preservation strategies, and collection of oral and video histories of events that occurred along the corridor designed for continuing use after the Cultural Resource Programs are terminated; (5) to make available cost-share grants for the preservation of the corridor for resources that meet the guidelines under the technical assistance program; and (6) provide information about existing cost-share opportunities. Authorizes appropriations.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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