PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 22, NUMBER 08
MARCH 01, 2019

House Passes Sweeping National Parks and Public Lands Legislation, Sending the Bill to the President

This week the House passed the bipartisan Natural Resources Management Act, a broad reaching public lands package, that includes several preservation priorities. The bill passed the Senate, 92-8 and the House, 363-62, sending the package to President Trump's desk.

This legislative package includes several important provisions, including the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The LWCF's authorization lapsed in September of last year and has yet to be reauthorized. The bill also reauthorizes the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) preservation program through 2024. This program provides critical funds to preserve historically significant sites on HBCU campuses.

The bill also establishes 6 new National Heritage Areas, and 4 new National Monuments, including the  Medgar and Mrylie Evers Home National Monument in Mississippi, the Saint Francis Dam Memorial and National Monument in California, and the Camp Nelson and Mill Springs National Monuments in Kentucky.

Thank you everyone that advocated on behalf of these priorities.
Bills to Address the National Park Service Deferred Maintenance Backlog Reintroduced in the House and Senate


Yosemite National Park
Legislation to address the deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service was reintroduced in the House and Senate.  Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced t he Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act, H.R 1225, in the House, while Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Restore Our Parks Act, S. 500, in the Senate. Both of these bills would create a dedicated fund using lease revenue from energy production to address the nearly $12 billion backlog at the National Park Service. An estimated 47% of the backlog is attributed to historic assets. The House bill also addresses deferred maintenance at other federal agencies.

During the last Congress, the Restore Our Parks Act had strong bipartisan support  and passed out of committee in both the House and Senate, but failed to come up for a vote at the end of year. This year, after only being introduced 2 weeks ago, the bills are already off to a strong start with 115 cosponsors in the House and 30 cosponsors in the Senate. Preservation Action thanks these members of Congress for their continued efforts to address this critical issue.

Legislation Introduced in Kentucky to Improve the State's Historic Tax Credit Program

Legislation was introduced in the Kentucky General Assembly that would expand the state's historic tax credit program from a $5 million annual cap to a $30 million annual cap. The bill would maintain Kentucky's current 20% tax credit for income producing properties and 30% tax credit for owner-occupied residential properties. This increase would have a huge impact on historic buildings across the state. Since 2005, Kentucky's historic tax credit has rehabilitated 817 historic buildings, created 17,475 jobs and generated $517 million in private investment, leveraged through $39.7 million in tax credits.
 
House Bill 456 was introduced by state Rep. Tommy Turner and referred to the Appropriations and Revenue Committee. The Kentucky legislature will have a short time period to consider legislation, as the 2019 session only lasts until mid March. That means advocates have a very short window for their voices to be heard. Check out the latest alert from  Preservation Kentucky to learn more about these efforts and find out how you can help.

National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week is Less Than 2 Weeks Away! Register Today


Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) speaking at last year's National Preservation Advocacy Week.
National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week is less than 2 weeks away, March 12-14th at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar. Register today! Join 250 of your fellow preservationists as we take to the Hill to advocate for critical historic preservation policies and programs. 

Online registration ends next Friday on March 8th. After that date you will have to register on-site at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar.

Advocacy Week registration includes in-depth training, policy briefings, meetings with elected officials and white papers from an array of preservation and policy professionals. Ticketed events offer additional meetings with elected officials, their staff, and a national network of preservation advocates.  Check out our  Advocacy Week  page for more information.

We Need Your Voice!

One of the most effective ways of sharing information with Congress is through direct meetings, and Advocacy Week is our annual opportunity to have a mass impact on opinion leaders and policy makers.  This is especially important as a new Congress will be sworn-in in January. With nearly 100 new members of Congress coming to Washington, educating members on historic preservation issues will be critical.   Together with a cohesive message in support of preservation-positive legislation we can ensure a strong future for the federal historic preservation program.

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.