Congresswoman Terri Sewell announced that her amendment to increase funding for the Civil Rights Initiative has been adopted into the Fiscal Year 2016 Interior Appropriations Bill.

President Obama requested $40 million for the Civil Rights Initiative; however, the Interior Appropriations Bill for the 2016 Fiscal Year only contained $9.5 million in funding for these historic sites. The Sewell Amendment restored an additional $7 million in funding for the Civil Rights Initiative.

“National treasures like the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site tell the story of the struggle for civil rights. It is our obligation to preserve these sites for future generations.

“Reduced funding severely limits our ability to protect sites that belong to the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks. My amendment:

• Restores $2.5 million for the rehabilitation and preservation of significant historic properties on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
• Increases funding by $2.5 million for documenting and preserving civil rights history, and
• Increases funding by $2 million for competitive grants for underserved communities under the Historic Preservation Fund.

“On the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we should be investing in National Park Service sites associated with the Civil Rights Movement, not cutting necessary funding.”

###