PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 23, NUMBER 10
MARCH 20, 2020

120 Representatives Sign-on to Dear Colleague Letter in Support of Full Funding for the Historic Preservation Fund

This week, a bipartisan group of 120 Representatives signed on to the House FY21 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Dear Colleague Letter. This shows an incredible level of support for historic preservation. Led by the co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep, Michael Turner (R-OH), the letter request full funding for the HPF at $150 million. This marks the same level of funding Preservation Action advocated for during Advocacy Week. Overall this is highest level of funding ever requested in the HPF Dear Colleague Letter and 2nd highest number of signers.

The letter was submitted to the  House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee   . Thanks to everyone that reached out to your Representatives over the last few weeks and helped make this possible. And a special thank you to Congressman Blumenauer and Congressman Turner for their efforts on the HPF Dear Colleague letter and their continued leadership on historic preservation.
 
Thank Your Representative!

Did your  Representative sign-on to the  FY21 House HPF Dear Colleague Letter? Be sure to thank them for their vocal support of historic preservation funding! See the final dear college along with a list of signers below.


Reach Out to Your Senators

There's still time to ask your Senators to support full funding for the Historic Preservation Fund. Urge your Senators to sign-on to the FY21 Senate HPF Dear Colleague letter today! The deadline for signatures is Monday,  March 23rd..
Harmful Historic Preservation Provision Removed From Yes in My Backyard Act in House

During a hearing on the Yes in My Backyard Act (H.R 4351) in the Financial Services Committee, Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), the bill's lead sponsor, offered an amendment revising the language on the historic preservation and removing a harmful provision. The amendment was approved by voice vote and the bill was passed by the full House earlier this month. We appreciate Rep. Heck's work in introducing this amendment and working with preservation advocates to revise this language.

The Yes in My Backyard Act aims to "discourage the use of discriminatory land use policies and remove barriers to making housing more affordable". When the bill was introduced it called for "reducing the impact of historic preservation on housing production and availability". The amendment revised the language to read "Ensuring historic preservation requirements and other land use policies or requirements are coordinated to encourage creation of housing in historic buildings and historic districts."

There is a need to address the affordable housing crisis, but historic preservation should be part of the solution, not viewed an an obstacle, and the revised language reflects that. Preservation Action will continue to work with lawmakers to remove language in the Senate version of the bill, S. 1919, that calls for "reducing the number of buildings protected by historic preservation".

Preservation Action will closely monitor this legislation. Be sure to sign up for our Legislative Updates and Action Alerts for the latest.
National Park Service Accepting Applications for Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants

This week, the National Park Service announced they are accepting applications for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization subgrant program, which supports the rehabilitation of historic properties and helps to foster economic development in rural communities across the country. Preservation Action continues to advocate for funding this important program. This is the 2nd round of funding for the program, which was established in 2018 as a subgrant of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). In September of 2019, the grant program was renamed to honor the legacy of long-time Vermont preservationist Paul Bruhn.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) worked to establish the program as a subgrant of the HPF in 2018, and continues the champion funding of this important program.   Preservation Action was excited to recognize Sen. Leahy as part of our Champions of Historic Preservation Congressional Reception during Preservation Advocacy Week earlier this month. We can't thank the Senator enough for his longtime support of the HPF.

The program is open to States, Tribes, Certified Local Governments, and non-profits. Applications are due April 21, 2020 and can be  submitted through  Grants.gov, under funding opportunity number P20AS00037.

Thanks for Another Successful Preservation Advocacy Week

National Park Service Acting Director David Vela speaking at Advocacy Week 2020
Preservation Action along with our partners at the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers just concluded National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week in Washington, DC earlier this month. Despite contending with a unique set of circumstances as concern over Covid-19 increases, we're happy to report that Advocacy Week was still a huge success. Thank you to everyone that helped make Advocacy Week 2020 possible.

The gathered group of preservation advocates were fortunate to hear from national preservation leaders and policy experts on the current legislative landscape and insight on conducting successful congressional visits. We were also honored to be joined by Acting Director of the National Park Service, David Vela , Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee,  Rep. Raul Grijalva  (D-AZ) and Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY), who shared their unique perspectives on why historic preservation is important and how we could all be better preservation advocates.

The next day advocates from across the country took to the Hill and met with their members of congress in support of historic preservation priorities. In the evening, Preservation Action hosted the Champions of Historic Preservation Congressional Reception, where we thanked select members of Congress for their strong support and leadership on historic preservation.

Hill Report Forms/Follow Up

Please submit your Advocacy Week Hill Report Forms. Knowing how your meetings went is critical for our continued advocacy. You can complete your report form online or return completed forms to mail@preservationaction.org.


A s preservationists return to the their home states as Hill veterans, remember to follow-up from your congressional visits, perhaps with a personalized thank you note.

Preservation Action
2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW #313
Washington, DC 20006
p. 202-463-0970


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.