President Obama Signs Omnibus Public Land Management Act; Includes Miller’s Preserve America and Save America’s Treasures Bill

[Washington, D.C. – Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) will attend the signing ceremony for the Omnibus Public Land Management Act today in the East Room of the White House at the invitation of President Barack Obama.  Reps. Miller and Mike Turner of Ohio as Co-chairs of the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus introduced the Preserve America and Save America’s Treasures Act, a key element of the Omnibus Bill.

Miller’s bill establishes two grant programs under which the Secretary of the Interior, in partnership with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, can provide grants for “brick and mortar” preservation and to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education, and historic preservation planning activities.

In North Carolina, a Save America’s Treasures grant helped preserve the iconic F.W. Woolworth Building in Greensboro, North Carolina.  On February 1, 1960, four African-American students from North Carolina A&T sat down at the lunch counter and refused to leave until they were treated the same as white customers.  Within two months, the sit-in at the Woolworth’s counter had sparked 15 similar demonstrations in nine other states and became a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.  The F.W. Woolworth Building and its lunch counter are important symbols of the civil rights movement, and should be preserved for future generations. 

“When historic buildings and neighborhoods are allowed to deteriorate, we lose a part of our past and our future forever,” said Rep. Miller.   “Protecting our nation’s historic buildings, in turn, leads to community revitalization.”

North Carolina is home to 21 Preserve America communities, including Burlington, which received the designation as part of its effort to preserve its historic downtown and revitalize the community based on its historic role as a national textile leader.

The Preserve America and Save America’s Treasures Act authorizes appropriations totaling $300 million over the next four years for two grant programs administered by the National Park Service (NPS). These grants are available to state, local, and tribal governments as well as private organizations.

The Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act was first introduced in the Sewall-Belmont House, which was designated a National Historic Landmark for its significance in American history. The house served as the headquarters for Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party as they led the battle for a woman’s right to vote. A leaking roof and other structural damage once threatened this national symbol of women’s suffrage.  The Sewall-Belmont House was the first building to receive funding as a “Save America’s Treasures” project.