Now that the dust has mostly settled from the 2022 midterm elections, we're getting a much clearer picture of what the next Congress will look like. Democrats will retain their slim majority in the Senate with either 50-50 control (with Vice President Harris continuing to be the tie-breaking vote) or 51-49, depending on the results of the Georgia runoff election on Dec. 6th. Republicans have flipped control of the House, but also with a very slim majority. Currently Republicans control 218 seats vs 211 by Democrats with 6 uncalled races. While much remains to be seen, it appears we will be entering a period of divided government.

In the coming weeks we will see lawmakers jockeying for leadership positions with party elections expected later this month. Important committee assignments will also be decided in the coming weeks. Preservation Action will be closely following committees relevant to preservation priorities, including the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. We expect new leadership in several committees.

It also looks like we'll have at least 84 new members of Congress. It will be critical for advocates to educate these new members in the coming months on important historic preservation protections and programs like the Historic Tax Credit and Historic Preservation Fund. Preservation Action already started this process through our Congressional Candidate Survey, which asked where candidates stand on the key preservation issues. You can review the results of the survey here. We also plan to send a welcome letter to these new members to introduce ourselves and offer to be a resource on historic preservation. This will also make attending this years in-person, National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week even more important. Please save the date for March 13-16, 2023 in Washington D.C. Registration information will be announced in early January.

Following the midterm elections, current members are returning to Washington for the lame duck session of Congress that will take us through the end of the year. Lawmakers have several priorities on their agenda, including "must pass" bills like the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and funding the government. The current Continuing Resolution is set expire on Dec. 16th and Congress will likely start working on a year-end Omnibus spending bill. The House Interior Appropriations bill included $171 million for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), while the Senate bill included $191 million for the HPF. Preservation Action and other preservation advocates are urging lawmakers to support the Senate number, which would include much needed increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and important grant programs. If lawmakers fail reach an agreement they could pass another CR, maintaining current funding levels into the new year.

Preservation Action also continues to urge support for the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 2294, S. 2266), which would make several changes to expand and enhance the HTC. The HTC-GO Act has strong bipartisan support and is up to a record 103 cosponsors in the House and 14 in the Senate. We still see opportunity for the bill's provisions to be included as part of a potential tax extender or other year-end package. Urge your Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the HTC-GO Act today! Learn more and take action!

Preservation Action is also tracking permitting reform efforts during the lame duck session. There continues to be growing support to pass permitting reform. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) led a push for permitting reform in September, but ultimately came up short in the face of bipartisan opposition. While the proposal in September did not specifically mention the National Historic Preservation Act or Section 106, it would have placed timelines on environmental reviews and limits on judicial review. If permitting reform doesn't move in the lame-duck, it could again be a priority in the new Congress. Preservation Action will continue to monitor these efforts in the weeks and months ahead and urge Congress to avoid changes that undercut critical historic preservation protections.

Last week we concluded Advocacy at the Forefront: Preservation Action Foundation's Virtual Fundraiser and Auction. Thank you to our sponsors, donors, speakers, bidders and everyone that participated, for helping to make our third virtual auction a huge success. In addition to a lively Auction (with our guest auctioneer Jill Chin!), our virtual event included remarks from from two of historic preservation's biggest champions in Congress, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH), and featured several preservation success stories from across the country. If you missed any of the Action, you can watch the full program on YouTube.

A very special thank you again to our sponsors for helping to making our Auction a huge success. Our title sponsor, Roy Smith. Our Champion sponsors at GBX Group, San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Our supporters at Marvin, Ray, Ellis and LaBrie Consulting, Gray & Pape Heritage Management, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and Patricia Kehoe. In memory of Bruce MacDougal: Jill MacDougal, Joe and Carol Shull and Minnette Boesel. Last, but certainly not least, our friends McDoux Preservation and Thomas, Nancy, and Carl Klein.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this event a success. This is our largest fundraiser of the year and helps to fund the critical historic preservation education and outreach efforts of the Preservation Action Foundation.

If you missed out this year, you can still support these efforts by making a donation to our special campaign today! Help us reach our goal!

National Geographic: "Is World Heritage Status Enough to Save Endangered Sites?"

Tennessee: "35 Historical Preservation Grants Announced in Tennessee"

Georgia: "Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Announces Its 2023 List of State's '10 Places in Peril'"

Rhode Island: "Historic Preservation in Providence has Negatively Impacted Some Neighborhoods in the Past. One Organization is Trying to Change That"

Ohio: "Why Historic Preservation is Vital to Building 'Green'"