House Approves Bipartisan Missions Bill
21 Historic California Missions Will Be Preserved

November 17, 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, applauded today’s passage of the California Missions Preservation Act, H.R. 1446, legislation that authorizes $10 million over five fiscal years for the purpose of preserving twenty one historic California missions and their artwork and artifacts. The bill passed the House by a voice vote. It has already been approved by the Senate and now heads to the President for his signature.

“I’m very pleased this bipartisan legislation has been approved,” Dreier said. “California’s historic missions have become integral parts of our communities, playing home to events such as concerts and art exhibitions. They are also an important part of California’s booming travel and tourism industry. Preserving them is critical to our state’s history, as well as maintaining our position as one the world’s top tourist destinations.”

Dreier noted that their historical significance also makes them an object of study for students of all ages, but particularly the state’s elementary school students. “Our state’s fourth graders have an opportunity to study the missions and often visit them as part of their western history curricula,” Dreier said. “This serves as an important education function in teaching young students about the role of the mission in California’s development from a vast wilderness in the mid-18th Century to a state by 1850 to the nation’s most populous state today. ”

Dreier thanked his California colleagues, specifically Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel), for their work on the issue.