Author: Rob Naylor

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Action Alert: Urge Your Representative to Co-sponsor the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act

Take action to enhance the Historic Preservation Fund!

Urge your Representative to co-sponsor the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 6589)! Introduced by Rep. Teresa Leger-Fernandez (D-NM) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), this important bill makes long over due enhancements and updates to the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The Historic Preservation Enhancement Act would permanently authorize and fully fund the HPF. Authorization for the HPF is set to expire in September of 2023 and recent appropriation bills have exceeded the program’s authorized level of $150 million. This bill would:

  • Permanently authorize funding for the HPF
  • Increases authorization from $150 million to $300 million annually
  • Ensures the HPF’s $300 million is appropriated for it’s intended purpose each year

Since 1976, the Historic Preservation Fund has helped to recognize, save, revitalize, and protect America’s historic places. For more than 40 years, the HPF has empowered states and local entities to preserve the buildings and sites that tell their community’s stories. Through additional grant programs like the African American Civil Rights Grant Program, the History of Equal Rights grant program, the Underrepresented Communities Grant Program, and others, the HPF is helping to tell a more diverse and inclusive American story.The HPF’s authorization has not been increased since the program’s inception in 1976 and is long overdue. This bill would provide much needed certainty to the states, tribes, and local communities that rely on this federal funding to carry out their critical preservation work.

Urge your U.S Representative to support and co-sponsor the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 6589) TODAY!

If you have a personal contact in your Representative’s office, contact that person directly and urge them to co-sponsor the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 6589). Preservation Action has also made it easy for you to take action, use the link below to easily edit and send a letter to your Representative today! Also be sure to share this alert with your networks.

TAKE ACTION
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Advocacy Week Returns Virtually March 7-10; Deadlines Approaching for Historic Preservation Fund Grant Programs; Bill in Ohio Would Boost State’s Historic Tax Credit; Stories From the States


Preservation Action, Legislative Update
Volume 24, Number 40, December 10, 2021

1. Save the Date: Historic Preservation Advocacy Week Returns Virtually March 7-10

2. Deadlines Approaching to Apply for Remaining Historic Preservation Fund Grant Programs

3. Legislation in Ohio Would Boost State’s Historic Tax Credit Program

4. Stories From Around the States

Legislative Update: December 10, 2021 →

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More Than 4,000 Advocates Send Letter Urging Senate to Include Historic Tax Credit Enhancements in Infrastructure; Congress Passes CR Through Feb. 18th; ACHP Offers Free E-Learning Courses; and Stories From the States


Preservation Action, Legislative Update
Volume 24, Number 39, December 03, 2021

1. More Than 4,000 Preservation Advocates Send Letter to Senate Urging Support of HTC Enhancements

2. Congress Averts Shutdown, Passes Continuing Resolution Funding Government Through Feb. 18th

3. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Offers Free E Learning Courses

4. Stories From Around the States

Legislative Update: December 03, 2021 →

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House Passes Build Back Better Bill Without HTC Provisions; Senate Confirms Charles Sams as NPS Director; Sara Bronin Nomination to Lead ACHP Advanced by Committee; Senate Committee Advances Bills on Historic Sites and Heritage Areas; and Stories From Around the States

Preservation Action, Legislative Update
Volume 24, Number 38, November 19, 2021

Sara Bronin testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Photo Credit: ACHP.

1. House Passes Build Back Better Bill. Urge Senate to Include HTC Provisions

2. Senate Confirms Charles Sams to be National Park Service Director

3. Sara Bronin’s Nomination to Lead the ACHP Advanced by Senate Committee

4. Senate Committee Advances Bills to Establish New Historic Sites and Reauthorize Heritage Areas

5. Stories From Around the States

Legislative Update: November 19, 2021 →

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Urge Your Senators to Include Historic Tax Credit Provisions in Build Back Better Plan

After several weeks of negotiations the House passed the Build Back Better Act, President Biden’s social infrastructure reconciliation package. The final bill passed by the House DID NOT include much-needed provisions to enhance and improve the Historic Tax Credit. As the Senate is expected to take up the bill in the next few weeks, we need your help to make sure these important HTC provisions are included in the final reconciliation bill!

The draft of the bill released by the House Ways and Means Committee included similar provisions to the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 2294, S. 2266), that would temporarily increase the credit to 30% for five years, permanently increase the credit to 30% for projects under $2.5 million, and make several enhancements to improve the credit. While the Build Back Better bill passed by the House did bring back some community development tax incentive provisions, HTC provisions were NOT included. We need your help to ensure that long overdue provisions to enhance the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) are included in the final bill.

Take Action

The Historic Tax Credit has not been positively updated in 35 years. The provisions under consideration would help address pandemic related challenges impacting HTC projects, make the credit more attractive, especially for smaller projects, and easier to use. These provisions were NOT in the House passed Build Back Better bill. Senators need to hear from grassroots advocates like you to ensure these provisions are added back in the final bill. There are several actions you can take!

  1. Call your Senators, urge them to support provisions to enhance the Historic Tax Credit in the reconciliation bill.
  2. Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senators office.
  3. Introduce yourself as a constituent and say something like: “The Historic Tax Credit is the single most important tool for historic preservation. Though the HTC provisions were included in the Ways and Means bill in September, HTC provisions were not included in the recent “Build Back Better” bill passed by the House. Please make sure to include the HTC provisions in the final reconciliation bill. These provisions would benefit projects from Main Street revitalizations to large-scale rehabilitation while also supporting community revitalization and climate change mitigation.”
  4. Phone calls to your Senate offices are the priority. However, please feel free to also follow-up by email, especially if you have any contacts in your Senator’s office.
  5. You can also quickly and easily send an email your Senators online.

Negotiations are moving quick, so time is of the essence. We’ve provided additional resources and talking points to help with you advocacy efforts. Take action today!

Additional Resources

Take Action Today!