Category: Action

Senate and House champions have introduced the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 2941, S.1459). Led by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in the Senate and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) in the House, these bills include several provisions that will restore value to the Historic Tax Credit (HTC), improve access to the credit, make more projects eligible to use the credit, and boost the credit for smaller and rural rehabilitation projects. The bill includes the following provisions:

HTC-GO Provisions

• Returns to a 1-year delivery of Historic Tax Credits for all projects
• Eliminates the HTC Basis Adjustment, bringing more value to HTCs and making it easier to pair with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
• Reduces the substantial rehabilitation threshold from 100% to 50%, making more buildings eligible to use the HTC
• Modifies Tax Exempt Use Rules, making the credit easier to use by non-profits
• Increases the credit from 20% to 30% for small projects below $3.75 million
• Increases the credit from 20% to 30% for projects below $5 million in rural areas
• All small/rural projects are eligible for direct transfer

The federal HTC is the largest federal investment in historic preservation and a critical economic development tool used to revitalize our communities, create jobs, and preserve our heritage. Unfortunately, the HTC has not kept pace with other federal incentives and needs to be modernized. Additionally, over the past decade, HTCs have lost 25% of their investment value due to unfavorable IRS rulings, administrative burdens, and changes in the credit structure. The provisions in the HTC-GO Act would help restore the credit’s lost value and make the credit easier to use.

With a series of tax provisions expiring at the end of the year, one of the top priorities of Congress and the White House will be passing a large tax package. This provides a huge opportunity to ensure HTC provisions are included in the emerging tax bill. The House and Senate passed budget resolutions that clear the way to pass budget reconciliation bills, which could move early this summer. Advocates will also be paying close attention to any attempts to weaken the HTC as lawmakers seek cost-saving measures.

The voice of preservation advocates will be absolutely essential to make the case for enhancing the HTC, ensuring it is included as part of emerging tax legislation, and fending off any potential threats to diminish the credit.

We need your help!

Urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the bipartisan Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 2941, S. 1459) and include HTC provisions in emerging tax legislation

If you have a personal contact in your Representative or Senators’ office, contact that person directly, especially if you just met with their office during Advocacy Week. Urge them to co-sponsor the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 2941, S. 1459). If they do not handle tax issues please ask that they pass the message along to the appropriate staff person. Preservation Action has also made it easy for you take action. Check out our action campaign to easily personalize and send a letter to your members of Congress and share this alert with your networks!

Additional Resources

• HTC-GO Act Fact Sheet
• Historic Tax Credit One Pager- Advocacy Week 2025
• HTC State Maps and Project Lists

The August congressional recess is just around the corner. Preservation Action encourages you to ramp up your advocacy efforts around the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 1785), S. 639) and Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350) by encouraging your members of Congress to visit a HTC project, HPF project, or historic site. Members of Congress are scheduled to be back in-district/state from July 29th to Sept. 4th. We’re asking members and supporters to reach out to your Representative and Senators and invite them to tour a Historic Tax Credit project or other historic site in their district/state. Be sure to encourage them to support and cosponsor the HTC-GO Act and HPF Reauthorization Act.

Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) touring the Old City Hall in Tacoma, WA

The August recess is the best opportunity for lawmakers to see the incredible benefits of the Historic Tax Credit and Historic Preservation Fund first-hand. If your Representative or Senators serve on the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Natural Resources Committee or Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, these members are especially important to contact. Reach out to your members of Congress today!

Take Action!

• Reach out to your members of Congress and urge them to cosponsor the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act and Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act. Preservation Action has made it easy for you to take action. Check out our HTC-GO Action Alert and HPF Reauthorization Action Alert to learn more!
• Invite your members of Congress to tour a completed, in-progress, or potential HTC project or other historic site in their district/state. This is one of most effective ways to demonstrate the value of the HTC and HPF. Be sure to also discuss how the HTC-GO could further benefit communities across their district/state and how HPF helps to administer these programs. Be flexible with possible dates to meet, but if your member of Congress is unavailable, offer to meet with their staff. Be persistent. Sometimes it will take multiple touches.
• Review the Congressional site-visit guide put together by our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Trust Community Investment Corporation to make it easy for advocates to reach out to their lawmakers.

If you need any assistance arranging a site visit or meeting contact Rob Naylor at Preservation Action (rnaylor@preservationaction.org). Also be sure share stories and photos from your site visits with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Resources:

• Historic Tax Credit One Pager- Preservation Month
• Historic Preservation Fund One Pager- Preservation Month
• HTC State Maps and Project Lists
• National Preservation Organizations Release in Support
• Preservation Action HTC-GO Action Alert
• Preservation Action HPF Reauthorization Action Alert

Congress is in the appropriations process, which will determine Fiscal Year 2024 funding levels for historic preservation. We need your help! FY24 Dear Colleague letters in support of the Historic Preservation Fund are currently circulating in the Senate. The letter request $225 million in funding for the Historic Preservation Fund, the same level Preservation Action advocated for during Historic Preservation Advocacy Week. The dear colleague letter includes much-needed increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, which are facing increased workloads as the infrastructure bill is implemented, and increases to critically important competitive grant programs. Check out our Historic Preservation Fund Appropriations 1-Pager to learn more.

To maximize the impact of the letter, we need as many Senators to sign-on as possible. We’ve made it easy for you to take action, click-on the Action Alert below to easily personalize and send a letter to your Senators.

Deadlines for signatures are quickly approaching, so reach out to your U.S Senators TODAY!

Senate

• The Senate letter is being led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
• Signatures due: Thursday March 30, 2023
• If you have a personal contact in your Senator’s office, contact that person directly, especially if you just met with their office during Advocacy Week, and urge them to sign-on to the HPF dear colleague letter. If they do not handle Interior Appropriations please ask that they pass the message along to the Interior Appropriations staffer. Preservation Action has also made it easy for you take action. Check out our action campaign to easily personalize and send a letter to your Senators today!

House

• Thank you for reaching out to your Representatives!
• The House letter received 86 bipartisan cosigners and was submitted to the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee.
• Thank you to the co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) for leading the letter!
• Did your Representative sign-on? Be sure to thank them!

The letters will be submitted to the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee respectively and marks a strong commitment to protecting our historic resources for future generations.

Thank you for your advocacy!