Yes, please, TODAY, take FIVE minutes and contact Hon. Dominic Pileggi TODAY and ask him to accept and pass PA HB 221...If you are on any of the mailing lists for the Lower Merion Conservancy you know about PA HB 221. If you don't, take 5 minutes, read this, contact your state representatives who serve whichever district you live in and also sent a note to and/or call:
Hon. Dominic Pileggi
Majority Leader
350 Capitol Building
Senate Box 203009
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3009
(717) 787-4712
100 Granite Dr
Media, PA 19063-5134
(610) 565-9100
Here is more from Lori at the Lower Merion Conservancy:
Representative Dwight Evans, chairman of House Appropriations, has agreed to take the lead in asking for the needed funding for this bill. This means that the Senate could actually vote on the bill at any time.
What you need to do: We need you to reach out to Senator Dominic Pileggi, Majority Leader of the Senate, and ask him to move HB 221 forward to a vote. If anyone has a personal relationship with Senator Pileggi and can call him, this would be very helpful. Those of you located in his district specifically, or the southeast in general, are most important. BUT everyone should at least send him a letter or e-mail TODAY and ask your members/supporters to do the same....You may remember that the state has been tossing around the idea of creating historic preservation incentives for a while, and that there had been some activity around this about a year ago when we were discussing the Haverford Station Historic District. The state will be finalizing its budget on June 30th, and apparently the funding that had been in the budget in anticipation of the passage of the legislation has been removed.
As currently conceived, the incentives would offer grants for certified rehabilitation activities to homeowners of properties in local and national historic districts, as well as tax credits for certified rehab of listed commercial properties. Our communities need these incentives! State-based incentives have helped many municipalities broaden the appeal of historic preservation in North Carolina and California to name just two.
I have attached the alert from Preservation Pennsylvania, the state-based historic preservation nonprofit that has been helping to lead this effort. Action is needed now by community groups as well as municipalities to tell the leaders of the house and senate that Pennsylvania should create these important incentives.
Please take whatever action is possible to demonstrate support for this bill and to ensure it is funded. Support for the bill will mean nothing if the funding is not restored to the state budget before June 30th.
Thank you,
Lori Salganicoff
Historic Preservation Coordinator
Lower Merion Conservancy
1301 Rose Glen Road
Gladwyne, PA 19035
www.LMConservancy.org
From: Mindy Higgins Crawford [mailto:mcrawford@preservationpa.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 4:07 PM
To: Mindy Crawford
Subject: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ADVOCACY ALERT - IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED
Importance: High
Dear Friend of Historic Preservation:
Your help is needed!
HB 221 (Historic Preservation Incentive Program) is moving forward and, if passed, will provide tax credits for income producing properties and grants for private homeowners. The bill was recently amended to include tax credits and is now on its way to the Senate Appropriations committee.
Here is the link to the latest version of the bill:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2007&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=221
What you need to do: We need everyone to contact the leaders of the House and Senate as well as both appropriations committees “to ask for their support of HB 221 and to allocate $15 million in this year’s budget to fund this program.”
Here is what you need: A contact list of leadership is included with this e-mail. You can e-mail, fax or mail your letters of support. Also attached is a sample letter for your reference.
The budget deadline is fast approaching and we need to let our leadership know that this incentive legislation is very important to communities across Pennsylvania. Please share your own stories about how your community could benefit from this legislation.
Thank you very much for your help.
Melinda Higgins Crawford
Executive Director
Preservation Pennsylvania, Inc.
257 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 234-2310
(717) 234-2522 Fax
mcrawford@preservationpa.org
www.preservationpa.org
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