As we wrap up National Historic Preservation Month, we wish everyone a great Memorial Day weekend! In early May, Preservation Action held our first in-person Preservation Month Congressional Briefing in three years. Partnering with the Historic Preservation Caucus, we hosted an educational briefing for congressional staff featuring leading experts in historic preservation policy on the federal historic preservation program and current legislative efforts impacting preservation. Watch the full briefing here.

We also worked with key partners and our national network of grassroots advocates to grow support for the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 1785, S. 639). One of our top legislative priorities that would expand and make the Historic Tax Credit easier to use. We also saw the introduction of the Historic Preservation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350), critical legislation that would reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund. We continue to strategize with our partners on how to get these important bills across the finish line. Just this week we hosted our monthly Preservation Advocacy Leaders Meeting, where we were joined by legislative staff in Congressman Mike Turner's (R-OH) office, one of historic preservation's biggest champions in Congress.

This month, we also submitted our written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of much-needed funding for key historic preservation programs, kicked off planning for the Preservation Action Foundation Fundraiser and Auction in the fall, and continued working with our partners at the NCSHPO on planning Advocacy Week 2024!

Many thanks for the continued support of our members, sponsors and donors who make our work possible! If you are not already, please consider becoming a member of Preservation Action today!

This week Preservation Action submitted written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, as they work on drafting the FY24 Interior Appropriations bill. This includes funding for important historic preservation programs like the Historic Preservation Fund and National Heritage Areas. Preservation Action also submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Committee in March.

Preservation Action is urging $225 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, including much-needed increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, increases for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grant program, and increases for programs like the African American Civil Right grants, Underrepresented Communities grants, and the History of Equal Rights grants, that are helping to tell a more diverse and inclusive American story. This marks the same level of funding that we advocated for during National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week and same level requested through the House and Sente HPF Dear Colleague letters. Our HPF request also highlighted the need to reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund, which is set to expire in September, and emphasized our support for the Historic Preservation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350).

Additionally, Preservation Action requested $33.5 million for the Preservation Partnership Program, which supports National Heritage Areas (NHAs). This request would keep all NHAs at existing funding levels while providing support for the 7 newly authorized NHAs. We also requested $10.5 million for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The increase in funding will enhance the critical function of the agency in ensuring the nation's historic and cultural resources are protected. We also included $3 million for the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program, which was established by Congress last year to identify, document, and preserve African American Burial Ground sites whose protection and documentation has too often been neglected or forgotten.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committee have held hearings on the President's budget request, but the larger debt ceiling debate continues to loom over the FY24 appropriations process, as the White House and House Republicans continue to negotiate over top line spending levels and potential funding cuts. This week, the House Appropriations Committee postponed scheduled markups of several appropriations bills as White House and House Republican negotiators started to make significant progress ahead of the June 1st debt ceiling deadline.

As the appropriations process continues, Preservation Action will continue to advocate for much-needed funding that supports historic preservation priorities. Check out our complete testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee today.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation that would make it easier to use the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) to rehabilitate historic schools that will continue to serve as schools. Sen. Time Kaine (D-VA) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the School Infrastructure Modernization Act (S. 1523) in the Senate. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) introduced companion legislation, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act (H.R. 3181) in the House. Current law makes it difficult for school districts to use the HTC because it requires the renovated building to serve a different purpose than before. Both of these bills would waive that requirement, making it easier for school districts with historic but aging school buildings to finance those renovations and continue to serve as schools.

Just in Virginia an estimated 50% of school buildings are at least 50 years old and are in desperate need of renovations. While serving as Mayor of Richmond, VA, Sen. Kaine helped two historic schools in Virginia utilize HTCs by establishing a regional body to oversee the renovations.

These changes have been championed for several years and were originally included as part of a proposed infrastructure bill, along with provisions of the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act, that passed the House in 2021. Champions hope to include this change as part of a general tax policy rewrite later this year.

This week, the National Park Service announced $9.7 million in grants to preserve Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) buildings. The HBCU grant program is funded through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and helps to repair and preserve historic structures on HBCU campuses. This year's grants will support 14 projects across 10 states.

This year's grant recipients include grants to preserve Mansion Hall, built in 1828, at Hampton University in Virginia and Pollard Hall, built in 1916, at Selma University in Alabama.

Since the 1990s, the National Park Service has awarded over $96 million in preservation grants to more than 85 HBCUs across the country. Preservation Action is urging Congress to increase support for this important program from $10 million to $13 million in FY24.

Nebraska: "Nebraska Legislation Would Extend State HTC Sunset Until 2031, Reduce Annual Cap"

New York: "Congressman Higgins Co-leads the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act"

Texas: "Houston's Reputation for Tearing Down It's Historic Buildings Could Be Changing"

Indiana: "Historic Preservation and Archaeology Grants to Be Awarded Statewide"

Pennsylvania: "How Honoring Industrial and Cultural Heritage Can Help to Lift Up Communities in the Present Day"