California Missions Preservation Act

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on September 28, 2004. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

California Missions Preservation Act - (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with the California Missions Foundation to provide technical and financial assistance to the Foundation to restore and repair the California missions and their associated artworks and artifacts.

Allows grants to the Foundation under such cooperative agreement.

Conditions a California mission's eligibility for financial assistance under this Act upon its being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (For purposes of this Act, California mission means each of the 21 historic Spanish missions and one asistencia that: (1) are located in the State; (2) were built between 1769 and 1798; and (3) are designated as California Registered Historic Landmarks.)

Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the purpose of any grant or other financial assistance provided by the Secretary to the Foundation under this Act is secular, does not promote religion, and seeks to protect qualities that are historically significant; and (2) submit a proposed agreement to the Attorney General for review. Prohibits the cooperative agreement from taking effect until the Attorney General issues a finding that the proposed agreement does not violate the establishment clause of the first amendment of the Constitution.

(Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 through 2009.

Requires that any form of financial assistance provided by the Secretary under this Act be matched by the Foundation on at least a one-to-one basis.

Provides that any amounts made available to carry out this Act shall be in addition to any made available for preservation activities in the State of California under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov