From Preservation Action:
This week the House passed six of their 12 appropriations bills, 220-207, as part of a minibus spending package (H.R. 8294). This included the FY23 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill, which funds the Historic Preservation Fund and other preservation priorities. The bill included $170.825 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, just below the current the FY22 enacted level of $173.072 million, but $19 million over the President's request. Once again the bill notably exceeds the current authorized level of $150 million. The full breakdown for the Historic Preservation Fund is below.
- $58.675 million for State Historic Preservation Offices ($1 million over FY22)
- $23 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices ($7 million over FY22)
- $26.5 million for Save America's Treasures grants (equal to FY22)
- $10 million for competitive grants for HBCUs (equal to FY22)
- $10 million for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grants (equal to FY22)
- $22 million for African-American Civil Rights Movement grants ($250,000 over FY22)
- $4.75 million for the History of Equal Rights Grant Program ($125,000 over FY22)
- $3 million for the Semiquincentennial grant program ($7 million below FY22)
- $1.25 million for Underrepresented Communities grants (equal to FY22)
- $11.65 million for Community Project Funding ($3.622 below FY22)
Additionally, the bill includes $8.585 million for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a $330,000 increase over FY22. The bill also funds the Heritage Partnership Program at $29.232 million (a $2.088 million increase over FY22), which helps support National Heritage Areas. The bill's HPF funding included $11.65 million in congressionally directed spending (or Community Project Funding) for historic preservation projects. You can view a complete list of the proposed HPF projects here.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is currently drafting their FY23 Interior funding bill and is expected to release a draft by the end of the month. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland testified before the committee last week. Preservation Action submitted testimony in June, recommending the Committee to support $200 million for the Historic Preservation Fund. Given disagreements between Democrats and Republicans on top line spending numbers, lawmakers will likely need to pass a continuing resolution, extending current funding until after the midterm elections. Preservation Action will continue to monitor the appropriations process and urge Congress to support robust funding for the HPF.
Unless noted, the thoughts and opinions expressed in the article are solely that of the
author and not necessarily the opinion of the editors of PreservationDirectory.com.
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