Essex Heritage Leaders Celebrate Passage Of Federal Funding Bill

SALEM, MA — Essex Heritage leaders are celebrating the recent passage of a federal bill that extends funding to five regions of Massachusetts classified as National Heritage areas.

The National Heritage Act was approved 326-95 in the U.S. House of Representatives and a "unanimous consent" vote in the U.S. Senate in the final hours of the previous session.

"This is a rare show of bipartisan support is one of the reasons that the work of the National Heritage areas is so important," Essex Heritage CEO Annie Harris said. "Whatever our differences, we look for common threads of history, culture, and an appreciation of Heritage to bring our communities together."

The Essex Heritage is a nonprofit coordinating entity that develops and implements programs for unique historic, cultural and national resources found on the North Shore. The National Heritage Program, which Ronald Reagan signed into law in 1984, provides for heritage areas that include multiple cultural and historical sites across regions in comparison to single-entity national parks.

Harris credited the efforts of U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, as well as those of U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Salem) and Lori Trahan (D-Lowell), for helping the bill cross the finish line.

"This was truly extraordinary," Essex Heritage President Dave Read said. "When the end of December arrived and the legislation was still stuck in the Senate, we thought there was no chance of its enactment. We thank Congressman Moulton and Senator Markey for responding to our passionate calls for help and continuing to push forward with this bill.

"It is amazing that it happened."

The latest bill allows authorization for Essex Heritage to receive federal funding for the next 15 years.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)