TITLE: Support for Full Funding and Permanent Reauthorization of the Historic Preservation Fund
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) established by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) funds a broad range of activities carried out by the Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs) and State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), including Section 106 reviews, preservation planning, and education activities; and
WHEREAS, the HPF is one of the only federal resources available to Indian tribes to comply with the NHPA on and off tribal lands, and the current authorization for the HPF expires on September 30, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Indian tribes, federal agencies, and stakeholders have a critical interest in ensuring that THPOs need predictable funding to continue to identify important historic properties and meet their tribal preservation priorities; and
WHEREAS, NCAI has passed numerous resolutions calling for permanent funding of the HPF such as, Resolution #PSP-09-022, “Support for Permanent Historic Preservation Funding”, and Resolution #ATL-14-005, “Request to Obama Administration for Full and Permanent Funding of the Historic Preservation Fund;” and
WHEREAS, on June 17, 2015, Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have introduced bi-partisan legislation, H.R. 2817 the “National Historic Preservation Amendment Act of 2015” to reauthorize the HPF; and
WHEREAS, such legislation will extend the HPF for 10 years through 2025 at current authorized levels of $150 million annually.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) strongly supports legislative action to fully fund and permanently reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund at fiscally appropriate levels that ensure predictable and sufficient funding for historic preservation, which includes support for Tribal Historic Preservation Officers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall supersede NCAI Resolution #PSP-09-022, “Support for the Permanent Historic Preservation Funding;” and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.