PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 23, NUMBER 11
MARCH 27, 2020

Congress Nears Passage of $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package. Impact on Preservation.

After several days of negotiations, the Senate passed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package, titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). This was the third in a series of emergency relief bills in response to COVID19. The House is expected to pass the bill later today and the President is expected to sign the bill into law.

The CARES Act does not include any direct funding for historic preservation, but it does include a number of items that could impact the important work of the preservation community. The bill includes $75 million in grants each for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to  prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus.

The bill also included provisions allowing for non-profits to be eligible for up to $10 million in small business loans, which has the potential to be forgiven. Learn more about these loans. Additionally, the bill strengthens incentives for charitable giving, boosting the non-profit sector. For the 2020 tax year it allows for taxpayers who do not itemize their taxes, to still deduct up to $300 in charitable contributions. Also, for those who itemize their taxes and corporations, the bill increases the annual contribution cap. 

Also worth noting, the final bill did include an exemption for the General Services Administration (GSA) to avoid the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) for projects related to the coronavirus response. 

Take Action

Beyond the current emergency coronavirus relief package, we expect Congress to consider additional legislative measures aimed at alleviating the impact of the coronavirus. Your continued advocacy is critical to make sure the historic preservation community is part of that conversation. Preservation advocates need to continue to make the case that historic rehabilitation creates jobs and helps to stimulate the economy. Preservation Action will continue to monitor these efforts and engage our grassroots membership to take action. To learn more about the CARES Act and in the impact on preservation priorities, as well as future advocacy opportunities, our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation are hosting a webinar next Thursday, April 2nd at 3pm ET. Learn more and register today!

Preservation Action Submits Testimony to Senate Interior Appropriations Committee in Support of Preservation Priorities

Last week, Preservation Action submitted written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee as they work on drafting FY21 Interior Appropriations. This includes funding for important historic preservation programs like the Historic Preservation Fund and National Heritage Areas.

Preservation Action requests full funding at $150 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, including increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers and key historic preservation grant programs like the Paul Bruhn  Historic Revitalization grant program, Civil Right Movement grants and the  Save America's Treasures program. This marks the same level of funding that preservationists advocated for during Advocacy Week. A full breakdown is below.
  • State Historic Preservation Offices: $61 million
  • Tribal Historic Preservation Offices: $22 million
  • African-American Civil Rights Movement Grants: $20 million
  • Civil Rights Grants for All Americans: $8 million
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities: $10 million
  • Survey Grants for Underrepresented Communities: $1 million
  • Save America's Treasures Grants: $18 million
  • Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants: $10 million
Preservation Action also requested $32 million for the Preservation Partnership Program, which supports National Heritage Areas.

In addition to our request, we thanked the committee for their continued strong support of preservation priorities and thanked the committee for expressing their concern over the proposed changes to the National Register of Historic Places.  Read our full testimony to the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.
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 [email protected].


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.