National Issues

How to contact your US Legislators

American Alliance of Museums Advocacy Alerts
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Preservation Action Legislative Updates and Action Items 
Information from the national lobby for historic preservation

Americans for the Arts Action Fund 
National arts advocacy organization associated with Americans for the Arts. 

ACTION: Ask Your US Representative to Sign On to Letter Supporting FY 2025 OMS Funding (April 2024)
https://www.congressweb.com/aam/82/
Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Andy Barr (R-KY), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) are circulating a letter to their House colleagues calling for robust funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025 for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  The letter is a key measure of legislators' support for federal funding for museums  Use the American Alliance of Museum’s automated letter to ask your Representative to sign on. 

ACTION: Ask Your Members of Congress to Reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund (January 2024) 
https://preservationaction.org/reauthorize-hpf/ 
The Historic Preservation Fund is the principal funding source to implement the the nation’s historic preservation programs. The program is funded through oil and gas lease revenue, not taxpayer dollars.The bipartisan Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350) would reauthorize the HPF for 10 years and increase the program’s current authorization from $150 million to $250 million. Use the automated letter from Preservation Action to ask your Senators and Representative to support efforts to reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and increase funding.

ACTION: Ask your US Representative to to cosponsor the Arts Education for All Act (October 2023)
https://www.artsactionfund.org/arts-action-center
The Arts Education for All Act is the most comprehensive arts education bill ever introduced in Congress. It includes provisions that will support and encourage the offering of arts education and programming experiences to Americans including our youngest learners, K-12 students, and youth impacted by the juvenile justice system. Additionally, the bill will include provisions that would carry out rigorous arts and arts education research to further inform how elementary and secondary education in our country is improved. Use the Arts Action automated letter to ask your US representative to cosponsor this bill.

ACTION: Encourage Your Congressional Delegation to Join the America250 Caucus (September 2023)
https://aaslh.org/america250-caucus/
Lawmakers who join the caucus agree to work together to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 and promote national unity and civic engagement. It could be an avenue for getting federal funding for 250th programming in the states. The caucus also provides a forum for members to support the work of history organizations and highlight the importance of our shared history.  
Use the sample email provided by the American Association for State and Local History to contact your US representatives and ask them to join the America250 Caucus.

ACTION: Ask your US Representative to renew the Historic Preservation Fund (August 2023)
https://support.savingplaces.org/page/52581/action/1?ea.url.id=1923933&forwarded=true 
Authorization for the Historic Preservation Fund, which provides support for State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs), and several critical competitive grant programs, is set to expire at the end of September 2023.   The bipartisan Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350) would increase the HPF’s authorization from $150 to $250 million annually and would extend the program’s authorization for another 10 years.   Use the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s automated letter to Urge your member of the House of Representatives to support and co-sponsor the Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350). 

ACTION Ask your US Legislators to Restore Full Funding to Museum Agencies (August 2023)
https://www.artsactionfund.org/ActionCenter
The House of Representatives Budget Committee approved funding for IMLS, NEH, NEA, and the other agencies that provide assistance to museums at a much lower level than was in the original FY 2024 budget proposal.   The Senate Budget Committee has approved funding at the 2023 levels. We need to make sure that the final bill gets the numbers back up to where they belong. Use the Americans for the Arts Action Fund automated letter to contact your legislators and let them know to support the original request.

ACTION: Ask your US Representative to Keep the Chaco Protection Zone (July 2023)
https://p2a.co/h6h6MfV 
Republican Representatives Eli Crane and Paul Gosar have introduced a new bill [H.R. 4374] that would void President Joe Biden’s recent ban on oil and gas drilling on lands within a swath of New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Tell your representatives to vote NO on H.R. 4374, which would nullify the protective withdrawal around Chaco Culture National Historical Park using the automated letter from New Mexico Wild

ACTION: Ask your US Representative to Support the Route 66 National Historic Trail (July 2023)
https://support.savingplaces.org/page/51887/action/1  
The Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act (H.R. 4338), would establish Route 66 as a National Historic Trail and permanently protect the historic route. This will have a significant economic impact in the eight states along the iconic route and appropriately recognize the historic roadway ahead of its upcoming centennial celebration in 2026. This designation would help spur critical preservation efforts in the hundreds of communities that call it home, and most importantly, it will help preserve Route 66 as a vital, iconic, and evolving piece of Americana for generations to come. Send the automated letter provided by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to your US Representative asking them to support H.R. 4338. 

 ACTION: Ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor the Historic Preservation Reauthorization Act (May 2023)
https://preservationaction.org/reauthorize-hpf/ 
The bipartisan Historic Preservation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3350) would reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for 10 years and increases the annual authorization from $150 million to $250 million. Use Preservation Action’s automated letter to contact your legislator.

 ACTION: Urge Your US Legislators to Support OMS [April 2023; updated May 2023]
https://www.congressweb.com/aam/83/ 
Ask your US Representative and Senators Kelly and Sinema to support $65.5 million for the Office of Museum Services within the Institute for Museum and Library Services in the FY 2024 budget.  Use the American Alliance of Museums automated letter to contact your legislators.

ACTION: Ask Your Legislators to Co-sponsor the Charitable Giving Act [April 2023]
https://www.congressweb.com/aam/86/ 
The Charitable Act (S.566) would create a non-itemizer, universal charitable. Specifically, the bill would enable taxpayers who take the standard deduction (about 88% of taxpayers) to deduct charitable donations of up to one-third of the standard deduction, about $4,600 for individuals and $9,200 for married couples based on the current standard deduction. Use the American Alliance of Museums automated letter to contact your Senators and urge them to co-sponsor the Charitable Act and ask your Representative to do so once the House bill is introduced.

State Issues

How to contact your Arizona Legislators

Arizona Citizens for the Arts Advocacy Network  
Sign up to get Advocacy News directly from AzCA

Alert: Reauthorization of Arizona Historical Society and Prescott Historical Society (Sharlot Hall) (March 2024)
Please ask your State Senator to: Vote YES on HB 2613 and vote NO on HB 2632
In January a House/Senate Sunset Review committee, charged with periodically evaluating state agencies, after examining documents and testimony regarding mission and effectiveness, recommended that the Arizona Historical Society and the Prescott Historical Society (Sharlot Hall Museum) be reauthorized for the statutory 8 years. This is contained in HB 2613.  The Senate Government Committee this week hijacked the legislation and recommended that these agenciesbe reauthorized only to July 1, 2026. This is contained in HB 2632
Please  email your Arizona State Senator and tell them to vote YES on HB 2613 and NO on HB 2632