MS SB2834

Creates the Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Fund within the State Treasury to provide matching grants for purchasing endangered Native American archaeology sites, Mississippi battlefield properties, and Mississippi Civil Rights Movement historic sites

Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and local governments, requiring at least $1 in matching funds for every $1 received from the Fund, with no state funds counting toward the match

Fund grants cannot exceed 50% of the appraised value of land or protective interests, and eligible sites must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, identified in a National Park Service Special Resource Study, or listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission report

Eligible costs include land acquisition, conservation easements, appraisals, environmental reports, surveys, title searches, title insurance, and closing costs

Department of Archives and History will administer the Fund and may enter cooperative agreements with colleges, universities, historical societies, state and local agencies, and nonprofit organizations to implement the program; effective July 1, 2021