Legislative Update
Volume 25. Number 07
March 18, 2022
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1. TAKE ACTION: BURIAL GROUNDS ACT
2. ACHP NOMININATION ADVANCES
3. VIRTUAL ADVOCACY WEEK FOLLOW UP
4. STORIES FROM AROUND THE STATES
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Urge Your Members of Congress to Co-sponsor the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act |
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Last month, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) introduced the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act (S. 3667, H.R. 6805) in the Senate. Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), Donald McEachin (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), introduced companion legislation in the House. This important, bipartisan legislation would authorize the National Park Service to establish a $3 million grant program, in coordination with governmental, private, and non-profit partners, to aid efforts across the country to identify, document, preserve, research, and interpret historic African American burial grounds. The bills have been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and House Natural Resources Committee.
The protection and documentation of African American burial grounds have long been neglected. Many African American burial grounds are in a state of disrepair, inaccessible, or their locations are unknown. Providing federal resources helps ensure that these sites are preserved, documented, and maintained for future generations. Preservation Action fully supports this important bill and we need your help to get it across the finish line.
Take Action
Urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor the the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act today! Preservation Action has made it easy for you take action. If you have a personal contact in your Senators or Representative’s Washington D.C or District office, contact that person directly and urge them co-sponsor this important bill. You can also use our action campaign tool to easily edit and send a letter to your members of Congress today! Please keep us updated on your efforts and share any responses you receive with Preservation Action at mail@preservationaction.org to help inform our advocacy. Also be sure to share this alert with your networks. Take action today!
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Senate Committee Votes to Favorably Report Sara Bronin's Nomination to Lead ACHP |
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The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to favorably report Sara Bronin's Nomination to serve as the next Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), by a 12-8 vote. The nomination now moves to be considered by the full Senate. If confirmed, she would become the agency's 2nd full-time chair. The ACHP is an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and sustainable use of our nation's historic resources, and is tasked with advising the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy.
Sara Bronin is a Mexican-American architect, attorney, and policymaker that specializes in historic preservation, property, land-use and climate change. She's currently a professor at the Cornell College of Architecture, Art and Planning and faculty member at Cornell Law School. She's an advisor for National Trust for Historic Preservation, serves on the board of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, and a past Chair of Preservation Connecticut. Professor Bronin was first nominated to the position by President Biden in June and was favorably reported by the Committee in November. However, the Senate failed to act by the end of the year, requiring the President to resubmit the nomination at the beginning of the new year.
Preservation Action believes Sara Bronin is supremely qualified and fully supports her nomination. We submitted a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee expressing our support and continue to urge the Senate to quickly confirm her nomination for this important role.
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Follow Up From Historic Preservation Advocacy Week |
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Thanks to everyone for helping to make this year's National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week a huge success! We'd especially like to thank our many speakers and sponsors, for helping to make it all possible. We were thrilled to have nearly 250 attendees (including several first time advocates) representing 46 states, allowing us to reach more than 200 congressional offices!
Hill Report Forms/Follow-up
Now is the time for the important follow-up from your congressional office visits. As we heard from several panelists this year, following up from your visits is critical in continuing your advocacy and creating that relationship with your members. There are several important items to follow up on this year, like encouraging your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R 6589) and the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R 2294, S. 2266). Review this year's Issue One Pagers for more information on our legislative asks.
Additionally, please complete a hill report form online for each of your meetings. Knowing who you met with and how those meetings went is essential for our continued advocacy. The deadline to submit your hill report forms in March 25th.
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Stories From Around the States |
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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.
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