Preservation Action and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers are very excited to announce that registration is NOW OPEN for National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2023! Advocacy Week will be held in-person, March 6-8th in Washington, D.C and feature trainings, policy briefings, networking opportunities, and of course in-person hill visits, providing the opportunity to meet with your members of Congress and their staff directly. March 7th will feature a full day of policy trainings, sessions, tours, and guest speakers at a new location: St. Marks Church, conveniently located on Capitol Hill. The following day, March 8th, will be our day on the Hill where you'll join your state delegation on Congressional office visits, followed by Preservation Action's Congressional Reception.

We are so excited to be back in-person for Advocacy Week this year to bring our message of preservation-positive legislation directly to lawmakers. We need your voice! As a new Congress gets underway, there will be over 80 new members of Congress, making it critical that lawmakers hear from preservation advocates. We'll need your help as we push to reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund and continue the growth the program has seen over the last several years. We'll also look to build on our success from the last Congress to advocate for long over due changes and enhancements to the Historic Tax Credit. Register today!

Advocacy Scholars

Preservation Action Foundation is excited to offer students, recent graduates, and early-career preservationists with the opportunity to attend Historic Preservation Advocacy Week as a 2023 Bruce MacDougal Advocacy Scholar. Selected Scholars will receive complimentary Advocacy Week registration and a travel stipend. Scholars will participate in policy briefings and trainings, join in-person congressional office visits, attend key networking events, and be paired with an advocacy mentor. The deadline for applications is Jan. 31st. Learn more and apply today!

The 118th Congress is officially underway. An extended fight for House Speaker, which went to a historic 15 ballots as Republicans grappled with a slim majority, delayed business on the House side. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was officially confirmed as Speaker of the House late last Friday night. This cleared the way for members to officially be sworn-in and for other business to be taken up. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) will take over as Majority Leader, while Rep. Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) is the new Minority Leader. This week the new Republican led House passed a rules package and began determining who would lead and serve on key committees, including several important to historic preservation priorities.

Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) won a three way race to lead the House Ways and Means Committee, while former Chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) will serve as Ranking Member. The Ways and Means Committee oversees tax policy, including community development incentives like the Historic Tax Credit (HTC). This will be important as advocates continue to push for long overdue updates and enhancements to the HTC. The Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax policy on the Senate side will continue to be led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) with Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) serving as Vice Chair.

The House Appropriations Committee will be led by Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) and Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-CT) will serve as Ranking Member. This powerful committee allocates federal funds for government agencies and federal expenditures. This includes includes funding for programs important to historic preservation, like the Historic Preservation Fund, which has seen significant increases over the last several years. On the Senate side, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) will replace Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) who retired at the end of the last Congress and was one of historic preservation's biggest champions, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will be the new Vice Chair.

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) will take over as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and former the Chairman, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) will serve as Ranking Member. This committee considers legislation related to energy production, wildlife, public lands, Native Americans and National Parks. This largely includes legislation related to protection of historic resources. Potential legislation to reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund, which is set to expire in September, will need to go through this committee. On the Senate side, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will continue to be led by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) with Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) serving as Vice Chair.

Preservation Action will continue to follow as committee assignments are determined. Both the House and Senate are set to return to Washington the week of Jan. 23rd.

Last month, the National Park Service announced $1.2 million in Underrepresented Community Grants for 21 projects in 16 states and the District of Columbia. These funds will support the identification, planning, and development of nominations or amendments to the National Register of Historic Places for diverse communities. This includes a historic context survey of Latino communities in Wisconsin and state-wide survey of African American travel resources during segregation in Colorado.

Funded through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), the Underrepresented Communities Grants program aims to diversify the National Register of Historic Places by supporting the survey, inventory, or nomination of new sites or amending of previous listings to the National Register or as a National Historic Landmark, that help tell the stories of communities that are currently underrepresented. So far the program has awarded nearly $5.75 million in grants to help diversify the National Register.

National Trust for Historic Preservation: "$20M in Capital Grants to be Awarded to Historic Congregations through the National Fund for Sacred Places"

New Jersey: "New Jersey Historic Trust Announces Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund Grants"

Indiana: "Bill in Indiana Would Reinstate State’s Commercial HTC"

Nebraska: "Rural Nebraska Historic Preservation Grant Applications Now Available"

Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Now Accepting Applications for Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program"