A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds for the preservation of the css Neuse, a civil war‑era ironclad gunboat.
Whereas, the CSS Neuse is one of only three surviving Civil War gunboats in the world, but is currently housed under a temporary shelter that provides minimal protection from the elements; and
Whereas, the CSS Neuse was dug from the river bottom over 40 years ago, has been constantly exposed to an outdoor environment in the time since its excavation, and is considered by experts to have a remaining life span of only seven years in its current setting; and
Whereas, the CSS Neuse is North Carolina's largest historical artifact, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a designated project of Save America's Historical Treasures; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Cultural Resources the sum of one million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($1,750,000) for the 2007‑2008 fiscal year and the sum of one million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($1,750,000) for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year for the relocation and housing of the CSS Neuse, a Civil War‑era ironclad gunboat, to a climate controlled facility that will also house a Civil War museum.  These funds shall be used to provide a safe environment for the preservation of the CSS Neuse and other Civil War artifacts in a museum setting. The city of Kinston, Lenoir County, and the Department of Cultural Resources have already invested seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) toward this endeavor.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2007.