This week, Senators sent a dear colleague letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging support for fully funding the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program at $3 million. The letter underscored the importance of this funding to identify, document, preserve, research, and interpret African American Burial Ground sites whose protection and documentation has too often been neglected or forgotten.

The program was established by Congress at the end of last year when it passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. President Biden also included $3 million in funding for the program as part of the administration's FY24 budget request.

The letter was led by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and signed by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA). Thank you to these Senators for their vocal support. Preservation Action is also urging support for the program and included $3 million in funding in our written testimony that was submitted to the House Appropriations Committee.

The National Park Service invites you to celebrate National Park Week, April 22-30. National Parks across the country will feature special event and programming all week long. Discover National Parks in your own backyard, including many National Monuments, National Historical Parks and National Historic Sites. Check out the NPS Event Calendar to learn more and find events happening in your area. Visitors can also take advantage of waived entrance fees at all 400+ National Park units on April 22nd in recognition of National Park Week.

With a theme of "Your Park Story" NPS will be sharing National Park stories throughout the week on social media and encourages you to share your special connections with places in national parks using #MyParkStory. Learn more about this year's National Park Week and how you can participate.

Last week, two bills to enhance and extend the Arkansas Historic Tax Credit program passed the state House and Senate. SB461 increases the overall credit from 25% of qualified rehabilitation expenses to at least 30% and creates a tiered system to incentivize investments in smaller communities. Projects in cities with fewer than 10,000 residents will receive a 40% credit, cities with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 will receive a 35% credit, and cities with more than 50,000 people will receive a 30% credit. Meanwhile, SB462 extends the application period for Arkansas' major historic rehabilitation tax credit from June 30, 20225 to June 30, 2030.

Both of these bills passed both the state House and Senate with either unanimous support or near unanimous and now head to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' desk for her signature. Legislation was also introduced, SB460, that would increase the HTC program's annual cap from $8 million to $15 million. That legislation is still pending.

Congratulations to our partners at Preserve Arkansas and the Quapaw Quarter Association on their advocacy efforts!

As we celebrate National Historic Preservation Month in May, Preservation Action, in partnership with the Historic Preservation Congressional Caucus, is planning our Preservation Month Congressional Briefing on May 9th at 12pm. Preservation Action has hosted the annual briefing for the last several years with the goal of educating congressional staff on federal preservation programs and policies and key legislative issues impacting historic preservation. This will be our first in-person congressional briefing since 2019. Stay tuned for additional information on speakers, opportunities to invite congressional staff contacts, and more.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available

If you are interested in supporting this important educational initiative, consider becoming a sponsor. Check out our sponsorship page and the Sponsorship Menu to learn more about sponsoring the Preservation Month briefing and sponsorship opportunities available throughout the year. You can also reach out to us at mail@preservationaction.org with any questions.

Department of Interior: "Assistant Secretary Estenoz Highlights Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Investments to Tell America's Story in Alabama"

Hotels Magazine: "Old to Bold: How Hotel Adaptive Reuse Transforms Communities"

Florida: "Historic Tampa Bay Buildings Could Get State Help"

New Jersey: "Rep. Watson Coleman, DOI Secretary Haaland Discuss American 250 and the Crossroads of the American Revolution at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton"

Montana: "29 Historic Preservation Projects to Receive Grants From Across Treasure State"