On March 6, PRC Public Policy Research Director and Advocacy Coordinator MaryNell Nolan-Wheatley joined the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation to meet with congressional staff on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. and advocate for critical federal funding and policies to help preserve and protect Louisiana’s historic resources. The meetings occurred during Advocacy Week hosted by Preservation Action and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.
The Historic Preservation Fund helps State Historic Preservation Offices fulfill their federally mandated duties, including facilitating listings in the National Register of Historic Places, reviewing the effects of federally funded or permitted projects on historic properties, and managing the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit programs (state and federal). Louisiana ranks third in the nation for the number of projects that used the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit over the last five years. In 2023, the programs put 106 historic buildings back into commerce, created or sustained 3,596 construction jobs, and leveraged nearly $350 million in funds.
The Historic Preservation Fund lapsed on Sept. 30, and while a short-term authorization of the fund was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives for Fiscal Year 2024, it is critical that Congress vote to reauthorize and increase the amount of the Historic Preservation Fund for Fiscal Year 2025.
The PRC applauds the efforts of the team in Washington D.C. including Nicole Hobson-Morris, Executive Director/Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer with the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation; Carrie Broussard, Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development; John Campo, Jr., president of Campo Architecture and Interiors; Joy Banner, co-founder of the Descendants Project; and two preservation students who joined the team from the University of Maryland.
