PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 21, NUMBER 24
JULY 20, 2018

House Passes FY19 Interior Appropriations Bill, Approves Increases to the Historic Preservation Fund

The House of Representatives passed the FY19 Interior Appropriations Bill as part of a minibus package (H.R 6147). During consideration of the bill, the House voted to approve several amendments that restored and increased funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). 
  • Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Michael Turner (R-OH), Denny Heck (D-WA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Adam Smith (D-WA), Bill Keating (D-MA) and   John Katko (D-NY) offered an amendment to increase funding for the HPF by $5 million, restoring the HPF to FY18 levels.
  • Representatives James Clyburn (D-SC), Alma Adams (D-NC) and Terri Sewell (D-AL) submitted an amendment to increase funding for the HPF by $2 million for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) preservation program. 
  • Rep. Sewell submitted an amendment to use funds from the Department of Interior's departmental operations to increase funding to the Civil Rights Movement grant program by $2.5 million. 
  • Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX) offered an amendment for an additional $500,000 for grants to underrepresented communities and an amendment for an additional $1 million of HPF funds be directed to the HBCU preservation program.
All of these amendments were approved by voice vote.  H.R 6147 was approved along a mostly party line vote with democrats largely objecting to cuts to the EPA and policy riders. The House passed Interior Appropriations bill now funds the Historic Preservation Fund at $101.41 million, $4.5 million above FY18 enacted levels (stay tuned for a complete breakdown). The Senate is expected to take up their Interior Appropriations bill next week.

Thanks to everyone that reached out to your Representatives on short notice and urged them to support these critical increases to the Historic Preservation Fund! Also a huge thank you to Representatives Blumenauer, Turner, Heck, Courtney, Smith, Keating, Katko, Clyburn, Sewell, and Adams for their continued and vocal support of the Historic Preservation Fund. Preservation Action will be sure to alert with any additional opportunities to reach out to your members of Congress during the appropriations process.
Preservation Action Launches Our 2018 Congressional Candidate Historic Preservation Survey

Preservation Action is excited announce the launch of our 2018 Congressional Candidate Historic Preservation Survey. Over the next couple of weeks we will begin distributing our survey to U.S House and Senate candidates across the country to gauge support of key national preservation programs and policies. We plan to share the results of the survey widely before the November midterm elections.  We first launched this survey prior to the 2016 elections and received more than 100 responses. We are excited to hear from even more candidates this year and will be working with our network of state and local preservation organizations to help spread the word.

The goal of the survey is multi-faceted; to educate congressional candidates on the federal historic preservation program, gauge their level of support for critically important preservation programs and policies, educate PA members and supporters on the candidates positions and gain useful insights into congressional candidates background with historic preservation. Using the results of our 2017 Grassroots Survey as a guide, the survey asks the following questions:

1. Do you support the Historic Preservation Fund?

 

2. Do you support the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit program?


 

3. As the 116th Congress convenes in January, infrastructure is a topic that could receive considerable attention. Considering the effect of large infrastructure projects on historic neighborhoods in the 1950s, would you support the consideration of the impact that potential infrastructure legislation could have on our historic resources to ensure sound planning for the Nation's future?

 

4. Why is historic preservation important to you and your state/district? Is there a specific historic place in your district that is important to you and your constituents?

 

Check out our  2018 Historic Preservation Congressional Candidate Survey  for more information and stay tuned, as we plan to have the results of the survey ready by October, prior to the November midterm elections.
Gold Rush: Party Time! PAF Auction Returns on Nov. 14th in San Francisco
 
Preservation Action Foundation's annual auction last year in Chicago, IL.
Registration is now open for Past Forward 2018, the National Preservation Conference hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This year's conference will be held Nov. 13-16 in San Francisco. Register today! 

As you are making your travel plans, be sure to save the date for the annual Preservation Action Foundation After Party and Auction on November 14, 2018 at the California Historical Society in San Francisco, immediately following the opening reception of the conference! Our annual auction is listed in the "On Your Own" section of the conference website and has long been a highlight for Preservation Action Foundation and of the National Preservation Conference. Last year's auction in Chicago was a huge success and were excited to top that this year! 

This is our largest fundraiser of the year and the proceeds from this event are used to assist the education and training, advocacy, and programs of the Preservation Action Foundation.  We are currently seeking donations of auction items like hotel stays, tours of historic sites and other unique experiences. This is a great way to highlight your organization and city/state to an active and interested group of people. Check out our website for more information and stay tuned as we'll be adding more information in the coming weeks.

Preservation Action
1307 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
p. 202-463-0970  f. 202-463-1299


Preservation Action is the only national  non-profit dedicated exclusively to lobbying for the best preservation policies at the federal level. We seek to make historic preservation a national priority by advocating to all branches of government through a grassroots constituency empowered with information and training.