Committees

A Preservationist’s Guide to Congressional Committees

Committee membership is one of the most important pieces of information to keep in mind before approaching your Congressman.

Every legislator serves on Congressional committees. All federal law falls within the jurisdiction of a committee in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate. A number of committees consider different aspects of the federal government’s responsibility for stewardship of historic properties. Each committee has staff that spends a great deal of time and effort assisting their bosses in understanding the benefits and drawbacks of potential or existing legislation. These staff members often understand that preservation is an important issue, but generally need help from the grassroots to comprehend the breath of impact in some cases.

Each committee has majority and minority party staff. While the majority party takes the lead on many issues, minority party support is also important, as is understanding the differences between the majority and minority position within a committee. Sometimes there is no party division on a preservation issue – thankfully, preservation is a nonpartisan issue. Disagreements generally arise around the degree to which the federal government regulates historic resources or how preservation is supported through tax law – not whether or not there should be regulations or incentives, or whether or not historic resources are important. Minority heads on Committees and Subcommittees are called “Ranking Members.”

Even if your legislator is not on one of the following committees supporting preservation work, grassroots advocacy is still essential. Congressmen are human – they have friends among other Congressmen and can be persuaded by their peers.

Jump to Member Lists of Congressional Committees

Explaining the Roles of Key Committees

House Committee on Appropriations and the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies & Senate Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies

Appropriations subcommittees in both the House and the Senate consider how much the federal government will spend on authorized programs. Generally, the overarching appropriations committee takes its cues from the Subcommittees focused on specific areas of spending. Preservationists should develop relationships with members of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

The Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee has jurisdiction over Historic Preservation Fund programs including funding for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Save America’s Treasures grants, Historically Black Colleges and Universities preservation grants, African American Civil Rights grant program, History of Equal Rights grant program, Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grant program, the Semiquincentennial preservation grant program, Underrepresented Communities grant program, and more recently Congressionally Directed Spending through the HPF. National Heritage Areas are also funded through the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. The same committees consider funding for National Parks, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and similar natural resource programs. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is also funded through the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.

House Natural Resources Committee and the Subcommittee on Federal Lands & Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Subcommittee on National Parks

Subcommittees within the Resources committees have purview over the National Historic Preservation Act and related programs. Subcommittees work through the details of legislative issues prior to advancing issues to the full committee. House and Senate Resources committees have authorizing power, that is, they do not make decisions about how much money goes to preservation programs, but rather, how much the federal government is authorized to spend on a given program. Hot topics currently in play in this committee area include Historic Preservation Fund authorization including the Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3418), potential changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, changes in the management and establishment of National Parks, and potential changes to the Antiquities Act of 1906 that authorizes President’s to establish National Monuments.

House Committee on Ways and Means and the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures (Tax) & Senate Finance Committee

The House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, along with the Senate Finance committee consider changes or “reforms” to tax law. They are considered to be among the most prestigious committees within Congress. A Joint Committee on Taxation, that is, delegates from both House and Senate committees, helps facilitate bicameral discussions of tax law, often in the form of reports seeking to explain how a given problem might be solved. Hot preservation related topics considered by these committees include efforts to modernize and enhance the Historic Tax Credit through the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 2941, S.1459), strengthening the preservation easement program, and how preservation activity might be incentivized within the tax element of the hurricane relief packages.

House Transportation Committee & Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

One of the most substantial federal funding streams for historic preservation projects is Transportation Enhancements – a component of our national surface transportation program.  Every few years, Congress must pass a new transportation bill.  These committees in both the House and the Senate are key to this process.