National Heritage Area Act of 2020
Floor Speech
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Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Hawaii for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1049, the National Heritage Area Act. I thank Chairman Grijalva and the staff of the committee for their longtime support and effort here. And I thank Ranking Member Bishop for recognizing the value of this legislation and working with us on this.
The national heritage areas connect us, and perhaps more importantly, future generations with the voices and places that have shaped who we are as Americans. These sites deliver more than just a significant economic return; they help us reveal the diverse and sometimes hidden gems of our cultural heritage and fill us with a sense of place that brings our complex history to life.
For the first time, this bill establishes a standardized set of criteria for the designation of new national heritage areas and a rigorous process for existing national heritage areas to ensure accountability.
H.R. 1049 has 221 cosponsors, and strong bipartisan, and wide geographic support that speaks to the value of this program locally and nationally. Members recognize what heritage area investment means to their given communities and regions, and similar proposals have been introduced and championed by both the Bush and Obama administrations.
The National Heritage Area, or NHA, program is one of the Department of the Interior's most cost-effective initiatives, relying on public- private partnerships in which every Federal dollar is matched with an average of $5.50 in other funding.
For my part, I greatly appreciate the good that the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Corridor have done for my district and for upstate New York.
I commend the Alliance of National Heritage Areas and the National Parks Conservation Association for their hard work on this critical legislation.
I also want to thank my friends, our former colleague, Charlie Dent, and Congressmembers McKinley and G.T. Thompson, for their hard work on this legislation and continued support for heritage areas.
While the ranking member cited staff on both sides, I would endorse that. I also add to the compliments my legislative person, Emily Silverberg, for the outstanding work she has done and her longtime dedication and devotion to the effort.
H.R. 1049 is a bipartisan, commonsense bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
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