The preservation community needs our support to preserve and expand the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Tax Credit, established in 2012. This important preservation tool will sunset in June 2020 unless it is reauthorized.

Representative Freeman and Representative James have circulated a co-sponsorship memo for the PA HistoricPreservation Tax Credit in the house. You can find it here: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20190&cosponId=28086

As you may already know, Senator David Argall is also circulating his co-sponsorship memo for the re-introduction of the bill in the new session in the Senate.   Here is the link:  https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20190&cosponId=27631   Thank you to those who have already reached out, these Senators have signed on to co-sponsor: Schwank, Martin, Farnese, Kearney, Killion, Costa, Ward, and Yudichak.

Please contact your State House or Senate members immediately and ask them to become a co-sponsor of this bill.  Your support is essential in this effort. Showing broad support of this bill will make it easier to get this moving toward passage.

You can email them and follow up with a phone call if you have a personal relationship.  Please feel free to craft your own emails to those who you want to share this with to ask for their support.  It is most important for Representatives and Senators to hear from their own constituents.  Please see Preservation Pennsylvania’s website for sample language for you to use.

Senator Argall and Representative Freeman will be working together to get this done as soon as possible and they need YOUR support…the users of this tax credit, the potential users of this credit and those of you who work with the users of this credit.   You can help us get this to the finish line. 

Some Key Changes to the Legislation:
– Annual Allocation of $30 million(up from $3 million)
– Increased per project cap to $2.5 million
– Additional 5% credit for workforce housing
– Clarification that the credit can be used in one year (compared to 5 years for federal)
– Standardization of timing for application, review and allocation

Please also check out the recently released report on the PA HTC  by the Independent Fiscal Office here:http://www.ifo.state.pa.us/releases.cfm?id=245 It contains some great information and recommendations for the reauthorization and expansion of the credit.

Preservation Pennsylvania’s website contains the newest information on this effort along with sample language you are welcome to use when contacting your legislators. Check out their advocacy alert page: www.preservationpa.org