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PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 22, NUMBER 33
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Senate Interior Appropriations Bill Passes Committee, Includes Significant Increases for Historic Preservation Fund
This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the their FY20 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill. This bill includes $113.16 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, an increase of $10.5 million over FY19 enacted levels. While this is below the funding levels included in the House bill, it still represents a significant increase for the Historic Preservation Fund. During his opening statement, Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), specifically highlighted the increase for the Historic Revitalization Grants program. The full breakdown is below.
SHPOs: $52.675 Million ($3 Million above FY19 Levels)
THPOs: $13.735 Million ($2 Million above FY19 Levels)
Civil Rights Movement Grants: $15.5 Million ($1 Million above FY19 Levels)
Save America's Treasures: $14 Million ($1 Million above FY19 Levels)
HBCU Preservation Program: $9 Million ($1 Million above FY19 Enacted Levels)
Historic Revitalization Grants: $7.5 Million ($2.5 Million above FY19 Enacted Levels)
Underrepresented Communities Grants: $750,000 (Equal to FY19 Enacted Levels)
Total: $113.16 Million ($10.5 Million above FY19 Enacted Levels)
Like the House bill, the Senate Interior Appropriations bill included strong language expressing concern over the proposed rule changes to the National Register of Historic Places. The report language recognizes the concerns expressed by the historic preservation community and says the Committee is "troubled" by the lack of consultation with interested stakeholders and especially the lack of meaningful consultation with Tribes.
The Senate Interior Appropriations bill passed the the full Committee on Thursday. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration. After passage, the Senate will go into conference with the House to resolve the differences between the two bills. Meanwhile, with the end of the fiscal year quickly approaching on Monday, the House and Senate passed a short term continuing resolution, avoiding a shutdown and funding the government through
November 21st.
President Trump is expected to sign the stop-gap funding measure.
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Annual Report Continues to Show Significant Economic Impact of the Federal Historic Tax Credit
A new annual report out this week from the National Park Service and Rutger's University continues to show the tremendous economic impact of the Federal Historic Tax Credit program. According to the report, in fiscal year 2018, the Federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) contributed $14.4 billion in economic output to the U.S economy, added $7.4 billion to the gross domestic product, and generated 129,000 jobs.
From 1978-2018 the Historic Tax Credit has rehabilitated over 44,000 historic properties. During that same period, $162 billion in HTC-related rehabilitation investment, created over 2.67 million jobs and $176.2 billion in GDP. According to the report, the HTC yields a net benefit to the U.S. Treasury, generating $35.9 billion in Federal tax receipts over the life of the program, compared with $30.8 billion in credits allocated.
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Vote Your Main Street Returns with $2 Million in Grants for Sites Rich in Women's History. Vote Today!
 The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced $2 million in preservation funding to preserve sites and stories important to women's history on Main Street's across the country. As we prepare the celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, the Vote Your Main Street Campaign invites the public to vote for which of these incredible historic sites should receive $2 million in preservation funding. The campaign is part of the Partners in Preservation initiative launched between the National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Express, and National Geographic to increase public awareness and engagement in preserving America's historic places.
Some of the preservation projects competing for funding this year include the YWCA Headquarters in Seattle, the Juliette Gordon Low birthplace in Savannah, Georgia, and the Union Block building in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. These are just a few of the 20 fantastic projects all vying for preservation funding. Voting is open until October 29th.
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Preservation Action Foundation's Annual Auction Returns on October 10th. Get Your Tickets Today
Built in 1881, Union Station is a landmark of the Bonanza Years of Railroads in Colorado. Sip complimentary wine, Colorado beers, and specialty cocktails while enjoying a Southwest-style buffet. Greet old preservation friends and meet new ones at the reception preceding the Preservation Action Foundation's legendary live auction.
Space is limited.
This is our largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the event are used to assist the education and training, advocacy, and programs of the Preservation Action Foundation. We are still seeking items, travel packages and hotel stays to auction off at our live and silent auction. Help support the auction, donate an auction item today. Sponsorship opportunities are also still available. Learn more.
Join Preservation Action's Annual Member Meeting in Denver
Preservation Action's annual member meeting will be on Friday, October 11th at 8:30am in Governor Square 11 at the Sheraton Downtown Denver. Our meeting is free and open to the public. More details will be available at the link below. Hope to see you there!
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