Coalition for Full Funding - Update and Action
Harbeson, Kristen
Friends:
It’s been a while since an update from the Coalition, but that’s just because we’ve been so busy…but so have you! As of this afternoon, there are a stunning 171 organizational members of the Coalition for Full Funding! Wisconsin continues to lead the pack with a tremendous 24 members, but watch your back because Maryland is rapidly gaining: 16 members at last count! And don’t count out Arkansas with their 10. The word has spread to the Heritage Area network, with nine groups from that constituency. We’ve added two new States to our roster: welcome to representatives from West Virginia and Utah!
Keep up the great work and continue spreading the word among your partner organizations. The more members we have, the louder our voice to Congress. And many of you were in Washington last week to make Congressional visits as part of 2010 National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week – reports are still coming in, but with more than 370 participants registered for the week’s events, we are sure to have made an impact on the Hill. Below is a write-up of the week from Erik Hein, President of Preservation Action, but first we do need your help:
ACTION ITEM: Contact your Congressional Representatives and ask them to sign onto Representative Carnahan and Representative Turner’s “Dear Colleague Letter” to support our appropriations request:
· $55 million for State Historic Preservation Officers
· $12 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
· $25 million for Save America’s Treasures Grants
· $4.6 million for Preserve America Grants
The deadline for House Members to sign-on is March 15th!
While we continue to work towards pulling the Historic Preservation Fund out of the Appropriations cycle, and into permanent, guaranteed, full funding, it is equally important that we work to secure funding for these programs in the next fiscal year.
· For a copy of the “Dear Colleague” letter, click here: http://www.fullyfundhpf.org/home/legislation#
· To find your Congressional representatives, click here: http://www.fullyfundhpf.org/home/take_action
· Please consider copying (or blind copying) Elizabeth Hebron at heb...@sso.org so that we can target our follow-up.
As always, thank you for all your work for historic preservation and your support of the Coalition for Full Funding. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
Best,
Kristen
More than 370 people registered for Historic Preservation Advocacy Week this year which included Preservation Action's Lobby Day, the Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and the National Historic Tax Credit Conference. The overarching theme this year was "Preservation Equals Jobs."
Among the highlights were addresses by National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, at the Federal Agency Update, Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO) at the Advocacy Luncheon and the Preservation Action Foundation (PAF) Award for Distinguished Service presented to National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe, who is set to retire by June of this year.
Jarvis, who faced an audience concerned over the Administration's proposed elimination of Save America's Treasures and Preserve America, and the justification language issued accompanying the elimination citing the National Park Service's need to focus on "core programs," made it clear that he understood the importance of historic preservation and, when addressing the SHPOs, said "I know what you do and I appreciate it." He went on to say that the Park Service "has been absent in this process for a while..." (in providing leadership on historic preservation issues). He also was supportive of the Second Century Report and implementing some of its cultural resource recommendations. In the short-term, Jarvis said the three things they are working on are the hiring a new associate director of cultural resources, getting a new national park service advisory board up and running, and getting more involved in international preservation issues through US/ICOMOS. He also expressed Strong interest in coordinating sustainability issues with Secretary's Standards.
At Tuesday's Advocacy Luncheon, Rep. Russ Carnahan, Co-Chair if the Historic Preservation Caucus, and a resident of a National Register Historic District, delivered an eloquent case for the passage of his bill, the Historic Homeowner Revitalization Act. Modeled after the Missouri state historic homeowner tax credit passed by his late father Mel Carnahan, when he was Governor, he talked about how this bill can be used to not only save old buildings, but to create jobs and improve communities.
At Tuesday evening's well-attended Preservation Action Reception, held in the Rayburn House Office Building, Richard Moe's 17 years as President of the National Trust was recognized, along with his dedication and commitment to historic preservation. PAF Chair Shanon Peterson-Wasielewski, joined by PA Chairman Will Tippens, presented him with the Foundation's first-ever Distinguished Service Award. Rep. Carnahan and Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), as well as several key Hill staffers were also in attendance.
Following the annual Congressional Breakfast, held this year in the Reserve Officers Association building, hundreds of preservationists from around the country delivered our message to their members of Congress:
· Preservation equals jobs
· Save America's Treasures, Preserve America and National Heritage Areas are core park service programs and funding should be restored
· Support historic tax credit bills H.R. 3670 and H.R. 3715/S.1743
· Recognize the need of SHPOs and THPOs to have adequate funding
· Support full funding for the Historic Preservation Fund
Anyone who missed Lobby Day this year can download the One-Pagers and Briefing Guide directly from the PA website. For those who attended, please remember to submit your Hill Report Forms as soon as possible. Also, if you have any photographs you would like to share, please email them to the PA office. We would love to post them!
Join the Coalition for Full Funding of the Historic Preservation Fund..
visit the website at: www.fullyfundhpf.org
Kristen Harbeson
State Services Director
National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
444 N. Capitol St. NW, Suite 342
Washington D.C. 20001
(e) harb...@sso.org
(p) 202 624 5465
(f) 202 624 5419
(w) www.ncshpo.org