Legislative Update
Volume 25. Number 15
May 13, 2022
|
|
1. SEC HAALAND TESTIFIES ON BUDGET
2. HEARING ON BURIAL GROUNDS BILL
3. NPS ANNOUNCES CIVIL RIGHTS GRANTS
4. PA HOSTS PRESERVATION BRIEFING
5. STORIES FROM AROUND THE STATES
|
|
Appropriations Update: Interior Secretary Haaland Testifies at House Budget Hearing |
|
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recently testified at a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies' hearing to consider President Biden's FY23 budget request for the Department of Interior. The FY23 appropriations process for Interior will help determine funding levels for the Historic Preservation Fund and other preservation priorities.
In her testimony, Secretary Haaland highlighted the budget's increased support for the African American Civil Rights Network, the $21.8 million request for the African American Civil Rights grant program, and the $23 million included for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. The budget also noted the administration's goals to expand capacity at more than 30 National Parks that preserve and tell the story of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. As the FY23 appropriations process continues, National Park Service Director Charles Sams is scheduled to testify before the Subcommittee next week.
Preservation Action is urging Congress to support $200 million for the Historic Preservation Fund. This would provide much-needed increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and important competitive grant programs that are helping to tell a more complete American story. Just last month more than 100 bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies urging support for that same request.
We need your help! Take action to support increased funding for the Historic Preservation Fund by urging your Senators to sign-on to the FY23 Senate Historic Preservation Fund Dear Colleague Letter being circulated by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). The deadline for signatures is COB, Monday, May 23rd. Take action today!
|
|
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on African American Burial Grounds Bill and Other Priorities |
|
This week the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks held a legislative hearing to consider several National Park and public lands bills, including the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act (S. 3667/H.R. 6805). This important bill, introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) in the Senate, and Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA) in the House, would authorize the National Park Service to establish a $3 million grant program to identify and protect African American Burial Grounds.
Also considered during the hearing was the Fredrick Jobs and Historic preservation Training Center Land Authority Act (S. 2367, H.R. 4494). Introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), this bill would provide the Historic Preservation Training Center the ability to acquire a roughly 10-acre tract of land to expand and build out a trades’ training campus to meet the growing preservation needs of the National Park Service and help train the next generation of historic tradespeople around the nation.
During the hearing, Michael A. Caldwell, Associate Director of Park, Planning, Facilities, and Lands at the National Park Service, testified that the Department of Interior supports both the African American Burial Grounds and the Preservation Training Center bills.
Preservation Action strongly supports both of these bills and appreciates the Committee's consideration. You can take action by urging your members of Congress to support and cosponsor the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act today!
|
|
National Park Service Announces African American Civil Rights and History of Equal Rights Grants |
|
The National Park Service announced $16.2 million in African American Civil Rights grants and $3.37 million in History of Equal Rights grants. Both of these grant programs are funded through the Historic Preservation Fund and are helping to tell a more comprehensive American story.
The African American Civil Rights grant program supports the preservation of sites and history associated with the African American struggle for equal rights. This year's funding will support 44 projects in 16 states, including Masjid al-Ansar in Miami, the first mosque in Florida, and Schooner Clotilda in Mobile, Alabama, the last known ship to import enslaved Africans to the United States. Learn more about this year's recipients.
The History of Equal Rights grant program preserves sites related to the struggle of people to achieve equal rights in America. The grants are not limited to any specific group and are intended to include the broadest possible interpretation of sites associated with efforts to achieve equal rights. The year's grants will support 10 projects in 7 states, including the LeMoyne House in Washington County, Pennsylvania, center of Dr. LeMoyne’s activity with the Abolition Movement and Underground Railroad, and Cincinnati’s Potter’s Field, the city’s former indigent burial ground. Learn more about this year's recipients.
Preservation Action is urging lawmakers to support increased funding for both of these important grant programs in the FY23 appropriations process.
|
|
The panelists discussed how the federal preservation program works and and several ongoing legislative efforts to enhance and strengthen critical preservation programs, including appropriations for the Historic Preservation Fund, the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 6589) which would permanently reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund at $300 million and the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (S. 2266, H.R. 2294) which would make several long overdue enhancement and improvements to the Historic Tax Credit. We also encouraged lawmakers to visit historic preservation sites and projects in their state/district to see the direct impact these important programs are having in their communities.
Thank you to the panelists, everyone that attended, and the co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, Representatives Blumenauer and Turner and their staff, for helping to make a great event. If you were unable to attend or want to revisit the briefing, the full recording is available online. Check it out today!
|
|
Stories From Around the States |
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
