The Historic Infrastructure Management and Jobs Training Act (HB7179) adds a new program to Chapter 3029 of title 54, United States Code, to establish the Historic Preservation Workforce Development Program. The Secretary would run a competitive grant program to fund workforce training, apprenticeships, and skilled trades related to preserving historic properties and related cultural resources, including archival materials.
Eligible recipients include states, territories, local governments, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, public or nonprofit preservation organizations, and accredited educational institutions. Projects must focus on specialized preservation skills and comply with labor standards when skilled trades are involved, with priority given to high-unemployment areas and rural or underserved communities.
Grantees must report measurable workforce outcomes such as participant numbers and credentials earned.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program to fund workforce training, apprenticeships, and skilled trades for preservation and conservation of historic properties and related resources. It authorizes grants to eligible entities and requires priority considerations and measurable outcomes.
Who It Affects
States, local governments, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, public or nonprofit preservation groups, and accredited educational institutions — plus the workers who participate in training and the communities hosting preservation projects.
Why It Matters
Creates a national mechanism to build capacity in the preservation trades, directing federal funds to underserved areas and rural communities, while tying training to recognized labor standards and credentialing for durable workforce effects.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The bill introduces a dedicated grant program to fund the training and professional development of workers in historic preservation. It defines who can receive grants — governments at various levels, Native organizations, and educational or nonprofit entities with preservation expertise — and what projects qualify, including training in masonry, timber framing, decorative finishes, archival conservation, and archaeological work.
Projects must align with Department of Labor standards if they involve skilled trades and should be conducted in coordination with apprenticeship structures when applicable. The act also requires the program to prioritize regions with higher unemployment and limited preservation expertise, and to collect clear metrics on outcomes such as participant counts and credentials earned.
In administration, the Secretary can set rules and procedures and must track measurable workforce results to demonstrate program impact.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill creates a competitive grant program to fund preservation workforce training and apprenticeships.
Eligible recipients include States, local governments, tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and accredited educational institutions.
Projects must focus on specialized preservation skills and, where applicable, comply with Department of Labor standards and collective bargaining agreements.
Priority goes to areas with high unemployment or limited preservation expertise in rural or underserved communities.
Grantees must report workforce outcomes like participant numbers and credentials earned.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Establishment of the grant program
The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program to support workforce training, apprenticeships, and skilled trades related to the preservation and conservation of historic properties and cultural resources. This mechanism creates a formal pathway for funding institutions and organizations to build a qualified preservation workforce and to strengthen the integrity and continuity of historic resources.
Eligible entities
Grants may be awarded to States, territories, local governments, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, public or nonprofit organizations with proven preservation experience, and accredited educational institutions offering relevant programs. This structure channels federal support to both government and non-government entities capable of implementing preservation education and training.
Eligible projects
Projects must focus on properties or cultural resources requiring specialized preservation skills, including training for masonry, timber framing, structural systems, decorative finishes, archival conservation, and archaeological documentation and stabilization. If the project involves a skilled trade, it must comply with Department of Labor standards and coordinate with, or be registered under, the Office of Apprenticeship, and be carried out consistent with applicable collective bargaining agreements.
Priority considerations
In awarding grants, the Secretary shall prioritize projects that serve areas with high unemployment relative to the national average and those that train or place workers in rural or underserved communities. This emphasis directs resources to where preservation capacity and employment need are greatest.
Administration and outcomes reporting
The Secretary may adopt rules and procedures to administer the Program, aligning with the Historic Preservation Fund. Grantees must report measurable workforce outcomes, including the number of participants in training or apprenticeship programs and the number who obtain certifications or credentials in preservation-related trades.
Table of contents amendment
The bill adds an item to the table of contents for Chapter 3029, noting the new section 302911, Historic Preservation Workforce Development Grants, ensuring the program is integrated into the existing framework of law.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Culture across all five countries.
Explore Culture in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- State governments gain access to federal funds to develop local preservation capacity and economic development.
- Local governments in communities with historic resources gain workforce development for preservation projects.
- Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations gain opportunities to build preservation programs that reflect their cultural resources.
- Public or nonprofit preservation organizations gain funding to run training and conservation initiatives.
- Accredited educational institutions gain programs and partnerships to credential preservation professionals.
- Workers gain access to training and credentials in specialized preservation trades.
Who Bears the Cost
- Federal government bears the cost of grant funding and administration.
- Recipient entities incur administrative and compliance costs to manage grants and reporting.
- Contractors or training providers must align with Department of Labor standards and, where applicable, collective bargaining agreements, potentially increasing program costs.
- States and local agencies may need to allocate non-federal resources to match or coordinate with grant activities (where applicable).
- Communities must absorb the transition costs of building new preservation workforce capacity, including time and resources for training and credentialing.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is balancing ambitious, nationwide preservation workforce development with practical limits on funding, administrative capacity, and labor-standard constraints that may constrain partnerships or speed of deployment.
The bill creates a focused, federally funded mechanism to build preservation workforce capacity, with explicit labor-standard considerations when skilled trades are involved. While this supports professionalizing preservation work, it also introduces administrative complexity and potential cost increases for participating entities due to compliance with DOL standards and bargaining requirements.
The absence of explicit funding levels or authorization language means the scale of the program will depend on future appropriation, which could influence how quickly and broadly grants are deployed. Additionally, measures of success rely on participant counts and credentialing, which may not immediately translate into long-term job placement or career progression in every context.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.