[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE HBCU HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION 
                                  ACT

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to 
reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) 
Historic Preservation Program. I have always studied history, and 
taught it at the high school level. Throughout my tenure in Congress, I 
have worked to support historic preservation efforts which preserve and 
protect our nation's treasured institutions. The bill I am introducing 
today would continue a tremendously successful program which has been 
widely supported by many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle.
  HBCUs represent a unique and critical aspect of African American 
history in the United States. Many of these institutions are over 100 
years old, but this history lives on today as these colleges and 
universities continue to thrive. In 1996, $29 million was originally 
provided in grants to preserve historic sites on HBCU campuses. In 
1998, at the request of the Congressional Black Caucus, the GAO 
conducted a study to identify and project the cost of preserving and 
protecting threatened historic buildings and sites on the more that 100 
HBCU campuses in the United States. The GAO identified 712 historic 
sites which would require $755 million to successfully preserve. Truly 
the costs of this project are challenging, but we have made progress. 
Responding to the GAO study, in 2002, Congress authorized an additional 
$60 million for six years.
  I have seen the results firsthand. Several historic buildings at 
Allen, Claflin, and South Carolina State Universities, and Voorhees and 
Benedict Colleges in my district have been successfully restored. These 
structures are icons on their respective campuses and in their 
communities. They are living testaments to African American and South 
Carolina history. Arnett Hall at Allen University was designed by an 
African American architect and built by the students themselves in 
1891. If this building were lost, that link to the past would be 
severed, never to be revived again. Through a grant from this program, 
it has been stabilized, restored and is being preserved. These results 
are not limited to South Carolina. Since its origin in 1996, 59 
institutions have benefited in 20 different states.
  While there are many success stories, the need is still great. Sites 
identified by the GAO are still threatened and are continuing to 
deteriorate. The authorization for this program has expired, and it has 
not received appropriations since the Recovery Act in 2009. Congress 
must not abandon the progress we have made. This bill would reauthorize 
the program for ten years at the same funding level. It will not by 
itself reach the total funding needed for every threatened site, but it 
will revive this initiative and continue to make progress preserving 
these historic campuses. I have been privileged to receive strong 
support from my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and many 
other members of both parties for these efforts, and I look forward to 
working with all of them to extend this vital program and preserve our 
Nation's history.

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