Today, the House passed House Bill 717, establishing the Civil War Site Preservation Fund. Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) proudly joined Del. Chris Peace (R-Hanover) in sponsoring this legislation, which provides for the continuation of a fund begun with the Speaker's leadership in the state budget in 2007. The Civil War Preservation Trust honored the Speaker with its 2007 State Leadership Award for creating the fund (the Trust honored Howell with the same award in 2005 for his efforts in promoting land preservation tax credits, which put free market tools to work for open spaces land conservation).

Speaker Howell also chairs the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the Civil War Commission, leading Virginia's effort to better understand this key event in American history from its many facets.

Additional information about the Civil War Site Preservation Fund is available from the Department of Historic Resources. Additional information about the Land Preservation Tax Credit is available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.