Congress Approves Level Funding for Historic Preservation in Continuing Resolution
Congress adjourned for the mid-term election more than a week earlier than scheduled, but not before passing a continuing resolution that will keep the federal government running through December 3, 2010. Congress will return for a lame duck session on November 15 to finally settle FY 2011 appropriations – which include preservation funding – in a year-ending omnibus spending bill.
In the interim, the continuing resolution provides FY 2010 level funding for ongoing programs, including the Historic Preservation Fund. The Historic Preservation Fund received $79.5 million in FY 2010, including $46.5 million for State Historic Preservation Offices, $8 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, $25 million for Save America’s Treasures, and $4.6 million for the Preserve America program. National Heritage Areas, which are funded under the national recreation and preservation section of the Interior budget, received $17.9 million in FY 2010.
FY 2010 level funding is a major improvement for historic preservation over the FY 2011 budget proposed by the Obama Administration, which provided only $54.5 million for the Historic Preservation Fund (including level funding for State and Tribal Preservation Offices), eliminated funding for Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America, and cut National Heritage Areas funding by 50%.
Although the passage of the continuing resolution is generally good news, preservationists should remain guarded, as an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) that would have cut funding levels in the continuing resolution by 5% narrowly failed by a vote of 48-51.
