SHA Members’ Congressional Visits

Thanks to those of you who participated in Cultural Heritage Partners’ July webinar, “Making Our Voices Heard During August Recess.” An even bigger thanks to members who followed through and visited with members of Congress and their staffers, as well as members of state and local government! If you met with, called or had contact with your Representative or Senator in August, please share your results with Cultural Heritage Partners’ so we can keep track of results and any needed follow-up.

Congress Update

Possible Shutdown?

As tonight’s September 30 end-of-fiscal-year approaches, the House and Senate continue their arguing over the budget and Obamacare. A short-term spending bill (a continuing resolution, or CR) has to pass by midnight to avoid a government shutdown. The shutdown would affect a broad range of services, including forcing a closure of national parks and museums. Seemingly desperate to reach an agreement, Senate Republicans today floated the idea of a 1-week stopgap measure, which their Democrat colleagues seemed unwilling to support. Should a shutdown happen, it is likely to go no more than a few days. The longest shutdown in history lasted 21 days, from December 16, 1995 through January 5, 1996.

A related issue looming on the horizon is the debt: Congress will have to vote to raise the ceiling in mid-October, when Treasury estimates the U.S. will hit the permissible limit.

Syria

Taking most of members’ time until recently was deciding whether to authorize action against Syria, in light of Assad’s use of chemical weapons. After seeing low public and Congressional support, President Obama asked the Senate not to vote on air strikes, and is instead pursuing a diplomatic solution with Russia.

Inside Syria, the war is having a serious adverse effect on archaeology. As the New York Times reported in April, “the country’s archaeological heritage is imperiled by war, facing threats ranging from outright destruction by bombs and bullets to opportunistic digging by treasure hunters who take advantage of the power vacuum to prowl the country with spades and shovels.”

NPS Kicks Off Centennial Website

To celebrate its 100th anniversary coming up in 2016, the National Park Service is inviting the submission of ideas through its “Next Century For Parks” website. Designed to be the home of the parks community, the public is asked to share ideas, successes and solutions for America’s national parks, today and for the next one hundred years, through the new website. NPS is looking for big, creative ideas that can become signature centennial programs. The deadline for consideration is October 20, 2013. You can check out the site here.

Congress’ summer recess is fast approaching. What does that mean to SHA and to you? August is a great time to invite Representatives and Senators to visit local archaeological, historical and architectural sites, and to learn about the importance of cultural heritage education and preservation.  It is also a chance for us to advocate for funding for SHPO offices, curation efforts and Section 106.

Please join SHA’s government affairs counsel Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC on Thursday, July 25, at 1 pm EDT for a 30-minute webinar: “Making Our Voices Heard During August Recess.” Cultural Heritage Partners attorneys Marion Werkheiser and Eden Burgess will teach you how to reach out to local Congressional offices, prepare for visits, deliver SHA’s message, and make an impact that lasts. Join us and get empowered!

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/750123079

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: April 12th, 2013

Representatives Michael Turner (R-OH) and Rush Holt (D-NJ), co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, have drafted a letter requesting $55.91 million in historic preservation program funding (via the Historic Preservation Fund) for FY14. The State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs) need your help in garnering House support for this important funding request. This bipartisan letter will be circulated throughout the House of Representatives to members of both parties.

The APRIL 12 deadline for House members to submit the letter is fast approaching, so please contact your Representatives in the House right away and ask for their support!  Note that the best way to contact your Representatives is via email. You can find your Representatives’ names and websites here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

To make it easy for you, we have drafted a basic email for you to send to your Representatives. Just fill in the information specific to you, your company and your House members, and send!

If you need help or have questions, please email Marion Werkheiser at Cultural Heritage Partners.

DRAFT EMAIL FOR HOUSE MEMBERS

Subject:          Request for support of $55.91 million in historic preservation program funding for FY14

Dear Representative __________,

I write on behalf of [organization name]. [Brief description of organization or of yourself, if writing on your own behalf. Include the state where organization is based or where you live]. [I/We] request that you support funding for historic preservation program funding for FY14 by signing the attached letter.

Representatives Michael Turner (R-OH) and Rush Holt (D-NJ), co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, drafted the letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee that requests $55.91 million in historic preservation program funding (via the Historic Preservation Fund) for FY14.

This bipartisan funding request asks for funding level with FY12 and slightly increased from the amount allocated to the HPF post-sequestration:

$46.925 million, State Historic Preservation Offices

$8.985 million, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices

[I/organization name] ask you to sign on to the letter to support the program, which funds State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs). As explained in the letter, SHPOs carry out the National Historic Preservation Act, which provides citizens the tools they need to revitalize, rehabilitate and protect the places that give meaning to America. SHPOs facilitate National Historic Preservation Action compliance and funding them at these levels will allow for better protection for historic archaeology sites. Additionally, in 2012, the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, administered by SHPOs, leveraged over $5.3B in private investment and created nearly 57,000 jobs.

Please note that the deadline for submitting the letter is April 12, 2013.

Please contact me with any questions regarding the historic preservation program or the funding request. [I/We] hope you will support this important program and sign the attached letter.

Kind regards,

[Signature block]

[Don't forget to attach or link to the letter]

The Society for Historical Archaeology educates Members on Capitol Hill on the value of historical archaeology through the activities of the government affairs committee.  Your government affairs committee works with our consultant, Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC, to formulate both defensive and pro-active strategies to encourage Congressional actions that cause no harm and ultimately advance our profession.  Working together with our historic preservation partners , we amplify our impact and ensure that our voices are heard in Washington.

As we determine our legislative agenda for the new Congress, we are calling on SHA members to share with us the issues that most concern you.  Here are some of the issues we worked on last year:

• Titanic legislation.  During the 100^th Anniversary year of the sinking of the famed ship, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed S.2279: R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Preservation Act of 2012.  This legislation would protect the Titanic wreck site from salvage and intrusive research, and would provide the Secretary of Commerce with authority to monitor and enforce specific rules to protect the public’s interest in the wreck site and collection.  Unfortunately Congress became gridlocked during the session and both chambers did not pass the law.
• Support for the Veterans Curation Program:  SHA supports funding for this Army Corps of Engineers program that trains and employs veterans to rehabilitate the Corps’ extensive archaeological collections. The skills veterans gain through the program help to prepare them for future gainful employment.
• Advocating for Historic Preservation in the Transportation Bill.  Last year Congress passed a new transportation bill called MAP-21.  Working together with our partners in the preservation community, we worked to ensure that Section 106 compliance was included in the bill and that historic preservation programs were not unduly impacted.

As we look to the new Congress, we are interested in which of the following issues are of most concern to you, and where you would like us to expend our limited resources:

• Pursuing legislation to protect underwater cultural heritage.  Building on our educational campaign in Congress about protection for the Titanic wreck, there may be opportunities to pass new legislation to protect broader classes of underwater cultural heritage.
• Protecting Section 106.  Particularly as the Republican-controlled House seeks to relax federal regulation, advocacy to ensure that Section 106 is protected and that State Historic Preservation Offices are funded to carry out their duties may be critical.
• Advocating for federal research funding.  With the country facing major budget cuts, including the automatic “sequester,” we can work to ensure that federal research dollars for historical archaeology and the protection of historic archaeological sites on federal lands are not on the chopping block.
• Protecting historic archaeological sites impacted by energy development.  Significant developments of solar and wind farms as well as shale oil and gas are expected over the next few years, both on public and private lands.  SHA may wish to argue at the federal level for safeguards to protect archaeological sites, since no such protection currently exists outside of federal lands.
• Addressing the curation challenge.   There is an urgent need to address curation of government collections.  SHA can take a more active role in helping shape regulations and advocating for funding for curation activities.

With a focused agenda and strong partnerships, we can have an impact in Washington and advance our interests as a profession.

Are there other issues we should be considering?  Email Terry Klein or Marion Werkheiser.

In March 2012, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) known as S.2279, the “R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Preservation Act of 2012” (the Act). The Act is intended amend a 1986 law to provide additional protection for the Titanic and its wreck site, and the Act’s passage will help minimize harm from activities directed at the wreck (such as salvage, research, and tours). Right now, both natural causes and human activities are damaging the Titanic site. Little can be done to prevent the natural aging and corrosion of the wreck site, but the Act can help prevent further physical deterioration caused by tour groups and underwater vehicles. The Act aims to protect the site’s archeological integrity and to ensure that it is treated as a maritime memorial for the 1,500 people who perished when it sank. So far, the Act has been well received by the Senate.

On March 29, 2012, the Act was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and on July 31, 2012, the Committee ordered the Act to be favorably reported without amendment. This means that, with virtually no debate over the merits of the bill, the Committee approved of the Act as it was written and suggested that it move forward to become an approved law. On behalf of SHA, CHP has been actively meeting with Senate staffers on Capitol Hill to promote the purpose of the Act, with the goal of getting it passed with unanimous consent during Congress’s quickly approaching lame duck session. To assist with this goal, CHP has drafted summaries of the legislation to provide to staffers to educate them about the purpose and nuances of the Act. CHP has also been coordinating with other interested groups to garner support for the Act in the House of Representatives. If all goes well, S.2279 will provide protection for the R.M.S. Titanic and its wreck site for many years to come.

• Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and NEPA
• Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program
• Pipelines & Preservation
• Using Alternative Dispute Resolution Tools in Cultural Resource Disputes
• Traditional Cultural Properties
• Federal Historic Tax Credits

… and other need-to-know topics.  Participants can earn up to 12 continuing legal education credits or up to 12 engineering credits.

Attorney James Goold of Covington & Burling will give the keynote presentation, “Shipwrecks and Underwater Cultural Heritage: Spanish Victory in Repatriation of Looted Treasure.”

Go to http://www.cle.com/acra to view the full schedule and to register. Members of SHA receive a $100 tuition discount by calling 800-873-7130.