From Preservation Action:

This week the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies held the FY24 Interior Appropriations bill markup. The bill calls for steep cuts across the board, including a $436.25 million or a 13% cut to the National Park Service. The bill funds the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) at $175.4 million, which is $29.115 million below FY23 enacted levels or a nearly 17% cut. It appears that the vast majority, if not all, of the decrease comes from the elimination of community project funding (or earmarks) for HPF projects, which included $29.115 million in funding last year. The Subcommittee voted along party lines to advance the bill to the full committee.

We are still waiting for the bill's report language, which would provide the full picture of funding for HPF, but the bill provides the following levels for HPF grant programs: 

- $26.5 million for Save America's Treasures (equal to FY23 enacted) 
- $30.25 million for Competitive Subgrants, which includes African American Civil Rights, History of Equal Rights, and Underrepresented Communities grants (equal to FY23 enacted)
- $11 million for HBCU preservation grants (equal to FY23 enacted)
- $12.5 million for Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grants (equal to FY23 enacted)
- $10 million for the Semiquincentennial grant program (equal to FY23 enacted)

The bill level funds these critically important HPF grant programs at FY23 enacted levels. Additionally, the bill funds the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at $8.285 million, $300,000 below FY23 levels. While we are disappointed in the cut to the HPF, the program largely avoids some of the steeper cuts seen in other parts of the bill. Preservation Action submitted testimony in March requesting $225 million for the HPF, including much-needed support for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and important grant programs. The Senate could release their FY24 Interior Appropriations bill in the next few weeks. 

Preservation Action will continue to monitor the appropriations process. Stay tuned for more.