Congressional advocates of historic preservation have introduced landmark legislation that would strengthen the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), doubling its annual funding level and making it a permanent program for the first time in its history.
The Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 6589) was introduced by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) and developed in conjunction with ACRA, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATPHO).
Created in the 1970s, the HPF helps the National Park Service administer heritage programs such as the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic Tax Credit Program and supports State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (S/THPOs). Over the last four decades, the HPF has made possible the survey of millions of acres and identification of numerous cultural resources, resulting in over 95,000 listings on the National Register of Historic Places and leveraged more than $162 billion in private investment through the Historic Tax Credit. Funding for the HPF comes from offshore oil leases.
Demand for HPF funds is constantly on the rise as SHPO responsibilities have increased, new THPO offices are established, and competitive grant programs are created and expanded. Yet the Fund’s annual authorization of $150 million has remained the same since the 1970s. Further, the actual amount deposited into the Fund depends on the annual congressional appropriations process, and Congress has never provided the full amount. In addition, the HPF needs to be renewed by Congress every few years to avoid going out of existence.
With the passage last fall of a $1 trillion infrastructure package, many state and Tribal preservation offices are concerned that without additional funding, they will not be able to handle the expected influx of Section 106 consultations, which will slow projects down and delay the process for agencies, CRM companies and the public.
The Historic Preservation Enhancement Act would make the HPF permanent and double its authorized amount to $300 million per year. More importantly, the bill would ensure that the full $300 goes into the Fund each year automatically, although Congress would retain the ability to determine how that funding is divvied up.
In introducing the bill, Rep. Leger Fernandez – a former Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation – said, “It is our duty to preserve our history so that communities can see America’s greatest treasures and hear our saddest stories. I introduced the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act so that we can preserve places of struggle and perseverance across America.”
ACRA worked closely with Rep. Leger Fernandez’ office and its allies in the preservation community to develop the bill. In a letter praising the Congresswoman, ACRA President Daniel Cassedy wrote that the bill “not only is timely, but long overdue. H.R. 6589 gives preservation offices, the companies that work with them, and communities that rely on grant funds to promote preservation what they most desperately need: support to build their capacity to serve their communities and certainty that the funding will be available in the future.“
ACRA and its allies are now working to build support for the legislation in Congress, including working to secure a Senator to sponsor a companion bill in the Senate.
For more information on how to advocate for the bill, please contact us.