National Trust for Historic Preservation: Return to home page

As the first half of the 117th Congress comes to a close, it is important to note the successes achieved in 2021 as a result of your advocacy and also the significant preservation priorities that need to be addressed in 2022.

Recently, more than 4,000 preservation, historic rehabilitation, and community development advocates came together to present a national sign-on letter to Congressional leadership urging that HTC enhancements be included in the Build Back Better bill, demonstrating the strong and diverse support for historic preservation throughout the country.

In January, we enter a crucial midterm election year where both the House and Senate will look to advance legislation of great importance to the preservation community.

Stay tuned for a preview of the year ahead that we will share on Preservation Leadership Forum in January.

House and Senate committees have taken significant steps in the past few weeks to advance legislation that would preserve historic and cultural resources, including those on public lands.

The Amache National Historic Site Act (H.R. 2497/S. 1284) continued to see strong support during an October 6 hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. The legislation, endorsed by the National Trust and introduced by Representatives Neguse (D-CO) and Buck (R-CO) in the House and Senators Bennet (D-CO) and Hickenlooper (D-CO) in the Senate, calls for the creation of a National Historic Site in Colorado to honor more than 7,500 individuals of Japanese descent unjustly and forcibly incarcerated during World War II. The House Natural Resources Committee also held a markup on October 13 where the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act (H.R. 2930/S. 1471) was unanimously approved by the committee. This bicameral legislation supported by the National Trust would strengthen laws aimed at preventing trafficking in Native American cultural items and facilitate the voluntary return of sacred and cultural items.

Meanwhile on the House floor, an overwhelming vote of 391-36 on September 28 demonstrated further support for the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act (H.R. 1154/S. 470). Endorsed by the National Trust and other preservation organizations, this Act would authorize a study to assess the designation of that National Heritage Area. The Great Dismal Swamp is a landscape rich in cultural and historic resources and holds significant environmental importance for Virginia, North Carolina, and beyond.

The National Trust and the National Preservation Partners Network (NPPN) recently released Issue Briefs on four key topics facing the preservation movement: Affordable Housing and Density; Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Justice; Sustainability and Climate Action; Preservation Trades Training and Workforce Development.

Designed to highlight key challenges related to each topic and identify opportunities for solutions and new approaches, the Issue Briefs, and other resources are available on the new Preservation Priorities Task Force website https://www.preservationpriorities.org.

President Biden nominated Charles “Chuck” Sams III to be the next director of the National Park Service on August 18. If confirmed by the Senate, Sams would be the first Native American to lead the agency and the 19th permanent director in the Park Service’s 105-year history, the first permanent director of the Park Service since 2017.

Nominated by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Sams is a former longtime administrator of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon. Sams also previously worked in state and tribal government jobs and the nonprofit natural resource and conservation management field for more than 25 years.

Sams is the second Native American to hold a major post in Biden administration after Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to become Secretary of the Interior.

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States held a hearing on May 20 to discuss two bills, including the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act (H.R. 2930/S. 1471). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation endorsed by the National Trust would strengthen laws aimed at preventing trafficking in Native American cultural items and facilitate the voluntary return of sacred and cultural items. Witnesses at the hearing included the Honorable Brian D. Vallo, the Governor of Pueblo of Acoma—a National Trust site in New Mexico—where he testified in support of the bill. We encourage you to contact your members of Congress in the House and Senate to support this legislation.