[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 
                                 GRANTS

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                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my 
excitement that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together to 
add two million dollars to the Historic Preservation Fund grants to 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the FY18 appropriations 
bill passed on the House floor today.
  Last year, Congress appropriated $4 million for grants to 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities under the National Park 
Service Historic Preservation Fund. Unfortunately, this year President 
Trump's FY18 budget eliminated all funding for this program. I was glad 
to see that both Democrats and Republicans strongly disagreed with 
President Trump's misguided cut, and ultimately decided to increase the 
total funding of HBCU grants to $5 million for FY18.
  My district, the 7th Congressional District of Alabama, is well-known 
as the Civil Rights District. The State of Alabama is also home to 
fifteen Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the most in the 
country. These important grants will provide assistance to repair and 
restore historic buildings on our HBCU campuses. Our HBCUs are rich 
with history that deserves to be preserved for future generations, and 
I can think of no better institution than our Nation's storytellers, 
the National Park Service, to do the job. Moreover, this funding will 
help revitalize our HBCU campuses, and help stimulate economic 
revitalization in their communities.
  Again, I would like to thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member 
McCollum for working with me in the past, as well as Assistant Leader 
Clyburn for offering an Amendment to increase HBCU Grant funding by $2 
million. This is an important program for our HBCUs, and I will 
continue to work across the aisle to ensure that these funds are 
protected in the final FY18 budget.

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