PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 21, NUMBER 25
JULY 27, 2018

Senate Begins Debate on Interior Appropriations Bill, Amendment to Increase HPF Submitted

The Senate began debate on H.R 6147, which includes the Senate FY19 Interior Appropriations Bill, this week. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) submitted an amendment to increase the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) by $8 million, restoring funding levels to FY18 enacted levels. Currently the Senate Interior appropriations bill funds the HPF at $88.91 million, if approved the Cassidy/Gillbrand amendment would restore the HPF to $96.91 million.  Senate debate on H.R 6147 will continue into next week. 

TAKE ACTION

Urge your senators to support the Cassidy/Gillibrand amendment during consideration of H.R 6147, to restore funding to the Historic Preservation Fund. Check out our latest Action Alert to learn more and fund out how you can help!

The House passed their Interior appropriations bill last week which included $101.41 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, after the House agreed to similar amendments that restored and increased funding for the HPF. Preservation Action along with many of our partners sent a letter in support of these amendments. Thanks to everyone that reached out to their Representative last week. Let's ensure the HPF has similar support in the Senate. Reach out to your Senators today and urge them to support the Cassidy/Gillbrand amendment during consideration of H.R 6147. If you live in New York or Louisiana be sure to thank Senators Cassidy and Gillibrand for their strong support of historic preservation.
Bipartisan Compromise Legislation to Address Deferred Maintenance at National Park Service Introduced in House


This week, a group of bipartisan lawmakers led by the Chairman of the House Natural Resources CommitteeRep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Committee Ranking Member, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the Restore our Parks and Public Lands Act (H.R 6510). Similar to the Restore Our Parks Act (S. 3172) introduced last month in the Senate, the bill would address the deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service (NPS) by using revenue from energy development leases to establish a National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund. This would be a dedicated fund and would not impact the Land and Water Conservation and Historic Preservation Fund. The bill would go further than the Senate version by also addressing the maintenance backlog at the Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. Under the bill 80% of funds would be allocated to the NPS, while the remaining 20% would be for the other bureaus.

Currently the deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service is nearly $12 billion with an estimated 47% being attributed to historic resources. The Restore Our Parks Act is up to 18 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate and 55 cosponsors in the House. Preservation Action thank these members of Congress for their continued support of our National Parks. If your Senators and Representative have not already signed on as a cosponsor, urge them to cosponsor this important legislation. Contact your Senators and Representative today!
National Trust President and CEO, Stephanie Meeks, Announces She Will Step Down in December


The National Trust for Historic Preservation President and CEO, Stephanie Meeks, announced she would be stepping down from her position in December. The Board of Trustees for the National Trust will begin a search this month for the organization's next President.
 
Meeks took over leadership of the organization in 2010. During her tenure, the Trust launched the Campaign for America's National Treasures, which identifies significant, threatened sites across the country and campaigns to save them. The collection of National Treasure sites is now nearly 100. They also launched the  ReUrbanism Initiative and helped to lead the successful multi-year effort to save the Historic Tax Credit, just to name a few.
 
The National Trust is one of Preservation Action's most important strategic partners and we appreciate their continued support and collaboration during Stephanie Meek's tenure. We congratulate her on her many successes over the years and look forward to continuing our close working relationship with the National Trust. 
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, early bird registration ends next week! 

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
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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.