US HB1704

Establishes the National Freedom Settlements Preservation Program within the National Park Service to identify, research, preserve, and commemorate communities founded by formerly enslaved African Americans after emancipation (also known as Freedmen's Settlements, Freedom Colonies, or Black Towns)

Authorizes $3,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026-2031 for grants to property owners, tribal/state/local governments, and community organizations for preservation, restoration, research, tourism development, and educational programming

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study identifying key Freedom Settlement sites and maintain a comprehensive registry, with 20 historically documented settlements listed including Nicodemus (Kansas), Africatown (Alabama), and Tulsa's Greenwood District (Black Wall Street)

Creates a Freedom Settlements Advisory Committee composed of residents/descendants of Freedom Settlements, historians with expertise in African-American or Reconstruction-era history, and community heritage advocates

Requires private property owner consent for any site to be considered for the program and prohibits the Secretary from affecting private property management without written owner approval