Making the Case

How to be an Effective Advocate


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E-mail us to sign-up for the National Trust’s Public Policy Weekly Bulletin, which brings you all the latest legislative and policy developments affecting historic preservation in Congress, State Legislatures, the Federal government, and the Courts.

Preserve America Summit Publishes Findings on Improving the National Preservation Program

In cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and other federal and non-federal partners, the National Trust joined with First Lady Laura Bush to lead a national Preserve America Summit to mark the 40th anniversary of the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 in New Orleans on October 18-20, 2006. The national Preserve America Summit explored opportunities to build on the past achievements of the national historic preservation program and suggested ways to modernize the program for the future.  Planning groups comprised of various federal agencies and public and private partners began meeting in April 2006 and identified 11 critical issue areas. Each area was assigned to one or more federal and non-federal co-chairs, who recommended and organized an expert panel of 10 to 15 experts who met during the summer of 2006. The Trust co-chaired the “Protecting Places That Matter” panel at the summit, which examined the effectiveness of the legal framework for preservation.  The complete findings of each of the 11 planning groups and a summary of the summit findings can be reviewed at http://www.preserveamericasummit.org/pa/hay_reg_index.asp?page=1022.

National Park System Advisory Board Adopts Recommendations to Improve Federal Rehab Tax Credit Program!

In 2005, the National Park System Advisory Board made recommendations on improving the administration of the federal rehabilitation tax credit program to make it more user-friendly and to clarify the process for using the credit more effectively.  These recommendations, which included input from the National Trust, were adopted by the Advisory Board on September 15, 2006.  The committee's report, "Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program: Recommendations for Making a Good Program Better," can be downloaded at http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/committee.htm.

Make your voice heard

by visiting http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/, your on-line connection to your elected representatives in Congress and the State Legislatures. This web site will allow you to express your support for preservation policy initiatives and developments that affect your community when needed.

Take advantage of existing policy tools

including:

  1. Are you a 501(c)(3) organization? This one-pager on lobbying provides a brief overview of what you can and cannot do.
  2. Visit Preservation Books! Successful State Advocacy - Become a more skillful advocate for preservation by reading about the actions taken by preservationists in four states to introduce and pass preservation legislation. Blueprint for Lobbying - A primer designed to acquaint grassroots preservationists with the legislative process, lobbying techniques, and resources available.
  3. A Gubernatorial Agenda for Community Revitalization.
  4. Learn how to protect preservation programs in your state budget with these 10 tips.
  5. Read about Model Public Policies and analyses of what makes these policies- such as state rehabilitation tax credits, context sensitive solutions in transportation planning, innovative ways to generate state funding, preserving historic schools, and adopting 21st century codes for historic buildings - so successful.

Other Resources and Policy Topics

Testimony
Community Revitalization
  • New Markets Tax Credit
Economic Analyses and Statistics
Case studies
Legislative Briefs
Policy Analyses
Official Statements and Policy Positions
Data Base of State Preservation Policies & Practices