Public Archives Resiliency Act

S 5531, the Public Archives Resiliency Act, provides $250 million in federal grants for state, local, tribal, territorial governments, and institutions like public archives, libraries, and museums to protect vital records from climate threats. Eligible entities can use funds for facility upgrades (e.g., flood or fire protection), staffing for digitization, relocating records from hazard zones, and developing emergency plans. At least 50% of funds must support vital records like birth certificates, marriage licenses, and historical archives, with 3% reserved for Tribal and Native Hawaiian organizations. The bill requires no matching funds from recipients and mandates a study on climate risks to records by the Comptroller General.