Working on a Tax Credit Project? Invite Your Representative to See It!
Members of Congress are generally in their home districts in October, so now is a great time to contact your Representative to invite them to tour a local Historic Tax Credit project! Visits to rehabilitated historic buildings – or projects in progress – are great opportunities for you to educate legislators about the benefits of historic preservation in your community. Congresspeople welcome the chance to visit exciting projects in their own hometowns and connect with constituents who are doing great work. They can see for themselves how rehabilitated historic buildings contribute to the vitality and vibrancy of local communities, and you can boost your connections with your lawmakers and their staff.
Those of us dealing with preservation every day take for granted that historic tax credits are an important tool for revitalizing local business districts, expanding housing options, creating space for small business, sustaining walkable communities, and protecting the environment – but legislators don’t always hear those messages. It’s up to all of us to show their elected officials the great work we are doing!
Members of the League staff recently had a chance to visit a Historic Tax Credit project in-progress: During the Statewide Preservation Conference, the team behind the H.A. Moyer Factory rehabilitation led attendees on a hard hat tour to get a feel for what the project entails — and how Historic Tax Credits are helping to make it possible.
If you do have a chance to speak with your Congressperson and/or their staff, take advantage of the opportunity to request their cosponsorship of HTC-GO (H.R. 2294). As of now, this bill, which would significantly expand and enhance the federal commercial Historic Tax Credit program, especially for smaller projects, has 97 cosponsors in the House, including eight from New York. If your Congressperson is already a cosponsor, be sure to thank them! If not, a meeting or visit while they’re in their home district is a perfect opportunity to ask for their support for this important, bipartisan legislation. The National Trust has put together a guide to arranging site visits with elected officials that you can use for inspiration.
If you aren’t able to meet with your Representative at this time, you can call their office or use Preservation Action’s online advocacy tool to request their cosponsorship of HTC-GO (H.R. 2294).