§302304 Contracts and cooperative agreements

Summary

A State can hire a qualified nonprofit group or a school to do all or part of the work the State must do under this law. The Secretary can also make a contract with the State Historic Preservation Officer (the State’s preservation official) to let that official help with tasks such as finding and saving historic places, deciding if places can go on the National Register, preparing nominations for the National Register, keeping historic and archaeological databases, and checking eligibility for Federal preservation incentives. That contract does not give the State official the power to run the National Register for the State. The Secretary may only make these agreements if the State Historic Preservation Officer asks, the Secretary has approved the State program under sections 302301 and 302302, the Officer can do the work on time and the Secretary agrees, the Officer allows the Secretary to review and change decisions made under the agreement, and they agree on any extra money. The Secretary must set rules for each major program area. These agreements do not reduce the Service’s preservation programs.