Legislation to Establish a Network of African American Burial Grounds Introduced in the Senate
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) speaking at Union Baptists Cemetery in Cincinnati. Photo credit: The Office of Senator Sherrod Brown.
This week, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the African American Burial Ground Network Act in the Senate (S. 2827). The legislation would establish a voluntary national network of historic African-American burial grounds and establish a program to educate the public and provide technical assistance for community members and local organizations to research and preserve burial sites and cemeteries within the network.
The protection and documentation of African American burial grounds have long been neglected. This legislation seeks to address that by providing recognition and support at the federal level. Senator Brown made the announcement while visiting Union Baptist Cemetery in Cincinnati, OH, which was founded in 1864 and includes the remains of former slaves, African American Union soldiers and civil rights activists, but is in need of significant repairs.
Companion legislation (H.R 1179), led by Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA), was introduced in the House in February.
Preservation Action joined several of our partners in sending a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in support of this important bill and urging quick passage.
Efforts to Address Deferred Maintenance at the National Park Service and to Fully Fund the LWCF Continue
The Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) filed the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act (H.R 1225) and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Permanent Funding Act (H.R 3195) to the House clerk. This sets up the bills to be considered on the House floor. Both bills were passed out of committee with strong bipartisan support in June. The Restore Our Parks Act would establish a dedicated fund to address the deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service, and on other public lands, which is nearly $12 billion, 47% of which is attributed to historic resources. The LWCF Permanent Funding Act would fully fund the LWCF at $900 million annually. The LWCF was permanently authorized at the beginning of the year and has helped to preserve numerous iconic historic sites across the country.
In the Senate, the Restore Our Parks Act (S. 500) and LWCF Permanent Funding Act (S. 1081) also enjoy bipartisan support but have yet to be taken up by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Last week, during the confirmation hearing for Katharine MacGregor to be the next Deputy Secretary for the Department of Interior, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) asked the nominee about the Restore Our Parks Act and LWCF Permanent Funding Act and pressed the committee to take up both of these bills.
The Restore Our Parks Act is up to 329 cosponsors in the House and 43 cosponsors in the Senate. The LWCF Permanent Funding Act is up to 232 cosponsors in the House and 49 cosponsors in the Senate.Take action. Urge your members of Congress to cosponsor these important bills today!
Save the Date: National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week Returns March 10-12!
Minnesota Deputy SHPO, Amy Spong and Preservation Action President, Russ Carnahan with Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) during Advocacy Week 2019.
Start making your plans to attend National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2020. Advocacy Week returns March 10-12 at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Washington, DC. This is our annual opportunity to have a mass impact on policy makers in Washington in support of critically important historic preservation programs and sound preservation policy.
Preservation Action and the National Conference State Historic Preservation Officers organize our industry's Advocacy Week each year, bringing over 250 preservationists to Washington, DC to promote sound federal preservation policy and programs. Together with a cohesive message in support of preservation-positive legislation we can ensure a strong future for the federal historic preservation program.
Make Your Hotel Reservations Today
Take advantage of the special $274/night rate at the
Kimpton Hotel Palomar. Make your reservations by calling 1-800-546-7866 and refer to room block "NCSHPO 2020" or
visit the online portal. Th
e cut-off date for this rate is February 08, 2020.
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.
