Preservation Advocacy Day 2011: A Great Success!

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, preservationists from around the country came to Washington DC to participate in our annual Preservation Advocacy Day.  This year attendees from 47 states and several territories participated in a day of legislative briefings followed by a day of meetings on the Hill all focused on delivering the message that "Preservation Makes Cents!" 

From Top: State Delegations meet in the Ballroom at the Fairfax Hotel; The NC State Delegation; The Preservation Action Foundation Historic Preservation Caucus Reception in the Cannon Caucus Room; Rep. Rob Bishop (center), flanked left to right by Erik Hein (PA President), Will Tippens (PA Chairman), Ruth Pierpont (NCSHPO President), Stephanie Meeks (NTHP President), Wilson Martin (UT SHPO), Lori Hunsaker, Susan Crook (PA Board Member from UT), Nancy Schamu (NCSHPO Executive Director) and Don Hartley. Bottom photo, courtesy of Susan Crook. Download the One-pagers, Briefing Guide and Program from Advocacy Day.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands delivered the key-note speech before a full-house.  A former history teacher, Bishop expressed great interest in historic preservation.  He did, however, deliver sharp criticism of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (or LWCF, often referred to as a "sister fund" of the Historic Preservation Fund) for its primary purpose of acquiring more federal lands.  Clearly opposed to full funding for the LWCF as requested in the Administration's proposed FY 2012 Budget and a primary component of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, Bishop appealed to historic preservation advocates to distance themselves from the program. 

Although he painted a bleak picture for any increases in funding, he did express much interest in the federal rehabilitation tax credit program and, to the surprise of the audience, particular interest in a homeowner historic tax credit.  Bishop subsequently received a round of applause that in turn surprised him. 

Preservation Action President Erik Hein, NCSHPO Director of Government Relations Elizabeth Hebron, and National Trust Director of Congressional Affairs Patrick Lally led the audience in a discussion of the key asks to be delivered on the Hill:

1. FY 2011 Continuing Resolution:  $46.5 million for SHPOs, $8 million for THPOs, $14.6 million for Save America's Treasures, $4.6 million for Preserve America and $18 million for National Heritage Areas.

2. FY 2012: $50 million for SHPOs, $11 million for THPOs, $9 million for Save America's Treasures and Preserve America (combined), funded out of the Historic Preservation Fund.  This represents 10% less than the combined funding for these programs in FY 2008.

3. Historic Preservation Caucus:  Ask each member of the House to join the Caucus, and thank those who already joined.

4. Dear Colleague Funding Letter: Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, are asking for signatures on a "Dear Colleague" letter they prepared to support historic preservation funding in alignment with our FY 2012 ask.  The deadline for signing is March 18th.

Early reports on the Tuesday Hill meetings indicate that the funding message for FY 2012 (a request for 10% less than FY 2008) was extremely well received.  In addition, our platform for improvements and additions to the federal rehabilitation tax credit program and the creation of a homeowner historic tax credit received tremendous interest.  Preservation Action and its partners are in the process of culling through Hill Report Forms to determine a strategy for moving forward.

Continuing Resolution Drama Continues; Another Short-Term CR Introduced

This week the Senate rejected both H.R. 1, the House-passed year-long Continuing Resolution (CR) that would cut $58 billion in federal spending and the Senate's own proposal that would have eliminated $4.7 billion.  The government is currently working on its fifth CR which is set to expire on March 18th.  The last CR expired on March 4th.

With continued widespread differences on the amount of cuts, the House just introduced yet  another short-term CR today that will extend spending until April 8th and cut another $6 billion in spending while House and Senate leadership continue to strive for a long-term compromise. Of ongoing concern to preservationists, the bill calls for the elimination of funding for the Save America's Treasures and Preserve America programs.  National Heritage Areas do not appear to be impacted.  The House is expected to be vote upon on March 15th.

FY 2012 Budget Hearings Held This Week

This week several hearings were held on the President's proposed FY 2012 budget.  Of particular interest to preservationists were several hearings on the Interior and National Park Service budgets.  The common themes that ran through most of the hearings were both criticism and praise for the Administration's proposal to provide full funding for the LWCF ($900 million), and concern about the cuts for maintenance and for historic preservation programs.  In virtually every case, Salazar and Jarvis both expressed the need for the National Park Service to be able to focus resources on their core priorities and on funding the America's Great Outdoors Initiative.

Tuesday, March 8th:
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
Featured witness, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
View the Video
Download Salazar's Testimony