“I grew up with a strong sense of the importance of cultura [culture] and herencia [heritage] and the importance of being able to pass it on. It is a gift we nurture in our generation in order to preserve it and give it, not as a gift, but as an obligation to the next generation.”
That was the message that Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) gave to ACRA members last week. Leger Fernandez, a 17th generation Northern New Mexican serving in her first term in the U.S. House, is no stranger to cultural resource management. She served as Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation during the Obama administration and has worked to protect and restore sacred indigenous sites in her home state.
Since entering Congress in 2021, Leger Fernandez has emerged as a powerful champion of preservation, introducing the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act and the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act, which permanently authorizes and doubles the Historic Preservation Fund. She raised both bills on the ACRA webinar, thanking ACRA for its support and continued efforts to enact them.
At a time when our screens are covered by images of innocent people being killed, injured and displaced by an unprovoked war half a world way, it may seem as if an issue like historic preservation is trivial in comparison. But CRM professionals understand that atrocities like what’s happening in Ukraine make the preservation of, and education about, history all the more important. A war that was started by a Russian leader misrepresenting the historical nature of Ukraine’s existence, not to mention one that threatens a great many historic sites, reminds us that understanding the past is essential to creating a better future.
To that end, Congress took a number of steps this past week that will strengthen the ability of the CRM industry and its partners to preserve the past.
First, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the nomination of Sara Bronin as chair of the ACHP last Tuesday on a 12-8 vote. The next step for Bronin – an architect, attorney, and policymaker specializing in historic preservation, property, land use, and climate change – is a vote by the full Senate. While the timing of that vote is uncertain, she is expected to be confirmed, giving the Council its first permanent chair since early 2021.
Then, Congress moved to approve a record amount of funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for the current year. The budget bill signed by President Biden late Friday will provide $173 million from the Fund, to be available until Sept. 30, 2023. This amount is considerably higher than the previous year’s $144 million level, and well above the annual authorized amount of $150 million. At a time when state and Tribal historic preservation offices are facing a mountain of Sec. 106 reviews following the passage of infrastructure legislation last fall, the additional funding is good news.
The HPF funding came as part of a $1.5 trillion budget bill that funds government agencies through the end of this fiscal year in September. The bill, which also includes $14 billion in aid for Ukraine and reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act, will prevent a government shutdown that would have started over the weekend without it.
The crisis in Eastern Europe also reminds us that democracy is not something to be taken for granted. The Constitution gives U.S. citizens the right to push national leaders to support their views, which is one of the reasons why ACRA makes grassroots advocacy such a top priority.
To that end, ACRA is planning its second annual Virtual Hill Week May 2-6, where ACRA members can connect with their elected federal representatives by Zoom or phone to discuss issues that matter to them. Last year, ACRA members met with nearly 50 House and Senate members. This year, we hope to have even more meetings. Look out for more information about Hill Week soon.