[Source: Heather MacIntosh, Preservation Action] -- Advocates from around the country convened on Capitol Hill last week to engage legislators in top historic preservation issues. More Preservation Action members attended than ever this year, and we’re hearing good things from the Hill and from our members. In general, we’re seeing a lot of new faces on the Hill (not just legislators, but many new, young staff members) and receptivity is up. Here’s what we’ve heard about the top Lobby Day issues:The Historic Preservation Fund. The mood among appropriators was slightly different this year. According to the Washington state delegation, Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Norm Dicks (D-WA) was more committal than he’s been over the last several years. Dicks was a leader for a conservation trust fund at the end of the Clinton Administration. He is now in the perfect position to follow through on long-requested appropriations levels. We asked for $50 million for State Historic Preservation Officers, $10 million for survey, $30 million for Save America’s Treasures and $10 million for Preserve America grants.
Thus far in this Congress, signals about the appropriations environment have been mixed. Peter Kiefaber, clerk of the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee spoke to our group of advocates on February 27 and noted that the additional appropriation request tied to the survey would likely be well received. Kiefaber noted that being able to tie HPF funds to clear investments that have paid off – and economic development in general – will make a huge difference. According to his House counterpart, the additional funding request is less of a certainty. Most delegations advocated for additional funding by providing information about specific HPF-supported projects.
The Community Restoration and Revitalization Act (improvements to the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit (FRTC) Program). This year advocates asked legislators to support a bill of amendments to the FRTC, and already, we’re seeing an uptick in cosponsors.
