PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 21, NUMBER 23
JULY 13, 2018

House To Consider FY19 Interior Appropriations Bill Next Week. Amendments to Increase HPF Submitted
 
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) with Preservation Action, President, Russ Carnahan during Preservation Advocacy Week 2018.
The House of Representatives is expected to consider the FY19 Interior Appropriations Bill next week. The bill funds the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) at $91.91 million, $5 million below the historic levels seen in the FY18 enacted levels. H
istoric preservation allies in Congress  submitted 3 amendments to the House Rules Committee that would increase funding for the Historic Preservation Fund. 

Amendment #50, submitted by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) and Rep. John Katko (D-NY) would increase funding for the HPF by $5 million, restoring the HPF to FY18 levels. Amendment #18 submitted by Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) would increase funding for the HPF by $2 million for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities preservation program. Lastly, amendment #89 submitted by Rep. Sewell would increase funding to the Civil Rights Movement grant program by $2.5 million. 

Preservation Action supports these amendments and signed on to a letter that was sent to the Rules Committee in support of these amendments. Thank you to Representatives Blumenauer, Turner, Heck, Courtney, Smith, Keating, Katko, Clyburn, Sewell, and Adams for their continued, vocal support of historic preservation and the Historic Preservation Fund.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Holds Hearing on Restore Our Parks Act

This week the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the newly introduced, Restore Our Parks Act (S. 3172), which aims to address the nearly $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service (NPS), an estimated 47% of which is historic resources. This bill would use revenue from on and off-sore energy development leases to establish the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund. The dedicated fund is expected to provide up to $6.5 billion over 5 years.

During the hearing, Senators from both sides of the aisle spoke in strong support of the legislation. Senators were also clear to highlight that funding for the NPS Legacy Restoration Fund would come from revenues that are not already allocated for other purposes and would not impact existing funds like the Historic Preservation Fund and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The hearing's panel included Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Lena McDowell, Deputy Director of Management and Administration with the National Park Service, Marcia Argust with the Pew Charitable Trust's Restore America's Parks campaign, Kristen Brengal with the National Parks Conservation Association, and Holly Fretwell with the Property and Environment Research Center. 

The Restore Our Parks Act is already up to 12 bipartisan cosponsors. Urge your Senators to cosponsor S. 3172 today!
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.