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PRESERVATION ACTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 


LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
VOLUME 24, NUMBER 18
MAY 28, 2021
President Biden Releases FY22 Budget Request, Includes Significant Increases for Historic Preservation

This afternoon President Biden released his FY22 Budget Request. This includes specific programmatic requests for the Department of Interior and the National Park Service. Overall the budget requests $3.5 billion for the National Park Service, an increase of $380.6 million over FY21 enacted levels. This includes $151.8 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, an increase of $7.5 million over FY21 enacted levels. The request includes much needed increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and important increases for competitive grant programs. The full breakdown is below:
  • $57.675 million for State Historic Preservation Offices ($2 million over FY21)
  • $23 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices ($8 million over FY21)
  • $25 million for the Save America's Treasures grant program (equal to FY21)
  • $10 million for competitive grants for HBCUs (equal to FY21)
  • $10 million for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grants ($2.5 million over FY21)
  • $26.125 million for African American Civil Rights and competitive grant programs ($5 million over FY21)
If enacted, this would represent a record level of funding for the Historic Preservation Fund. The request also calls for $15 million to expand capacity at more than 70 NPS units and programs to preserve and tell the stories of underrepresented groups.  The request also highlighted the Traditional Trades Apprenticeship Program, which provides hands-on historic preservation trade skills training to young adults. 

Preservation Action appreciates the administration's strong support of historic preservation included in the budget request, and especially their commitment to preserving the sites and stories of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. We look forward to working with Congress over the coming weeks and months as they kick off the appropriations process. 

Check out the FY22 Interior Budget in Brief to learn more and stay tuned as we continue reviewing the President Biden's FY22 budget request.
House Holds Hearing on Bill to Help Protect Native American Cultural Items From Trafficking

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) speaking at our Virtual Preservation Advocacy Week earlier this year.
This week, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States held a hearing on multiple bills including the Safeguarding Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act or STOP Act (H.R. 2930, S. 1471). This important bill, introduced by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernรกndez, aims to help protect Native American cultural items by strengthening laws to prevent the trafficking of Native American cultural items. The bill also encourages the voluntary return of sacred and cultural items. 

Rep. Leger Fernandez spoke in support of her bill at the hearing, saying that the legislation would prohibit the export of sacred cultural items that were obtained illegally in the United States, increase the penalties for stealing and trafficking tribal cultural patrimony, and establish a statutory mechanism to repatriate illegally exported items. The Pueblo of Acoma Governor, Brian D. Vallo, also testified at the hearing in support of the STOP Act. 

The STOP Act has strong bipartisan support. Preservation Action joined several preservation organizations in signing on in support of this important legislation. We encourage you to contact your Representative and Senators and urge them to support the STOP Act today!
Preservation Action Holds Preservation Month Virtual Congressional Briefing

In recognition of National Historic Preservation Month, Preservation Action along with the Historic Preservation Congressional Caucus held a virtual Preservation Month Congressional Briefing earlier this week.  Attendees, including congressional staff and preservation advocates, heard from a panel of leading national preservation policy experts at the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street America, and the National Trust Community Investment Corporation.

The panelists discussed how the federal preservation program works and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted rehabilitation projects, historic main streets, and the larger preservation community. The speakers also addressed how historic preservation programs and polices can help stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and spur community revitalization. Merrill Hoopengardner with NTCIC highlighted the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R 2294), which would address issues facing rehabilitation projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic and make long overdue improvements to the Historic Tax Credit. Learn more and urge your Representative to cosponsor the HTC-GO Act today!

Thank you to everyone that attended. If you were unable to attend or want to revisit the briefing, the full recording is available online. Check it out today!

Preservation Action
2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW #313
Washington, DC 20006
p. 202-463-0970

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.