Government Affairs

The government affairs program represents the society and archaeological community in the U.S. Congress and the Administration. The program is active on legislative as well as regulatory issues at the federal level.

Recent Announcements:

Letter to Majority Leader Reid on Hague Convention (PDF)
August 14, 2008
SAA, ACRA, and SHA group letter to ACHP regarding expert panel on federal preservation law (PDF)
May 21, 2008
Dr. Joyce Testimony Before Cultural Property Advisory Committee (PDF)
July 24, 2008
SAA Comments on ACHP Draft Heritage Tourism Policy (PDF)
July 10, 2008
Amicus Brief on Border Fence (PDF)
April 17, 2008
Letter To Museum of New Mexico Regarding De-Accessioning (PDF)
January 9, 2008
SAA comments on NPS draft Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (PDF)
December 14, 2007
SAA comments on latest draft of ACHP "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains and Funerary Objects" (PDF)
January 26, 2007
Dr. Cook Testimony Before Cultural Property Advisory Committee (PDF)
February 1, 2007
SAA Comments on Preserve America Summit Reports (PDF)
January 17, 2007
U.S. begins process for nominating areas to World Heritage List
October 18, 2006
House Committee Passes Legislation Amending National Historic Preservation Act (PDF)
July 26, 2006
SAA Comments on ACHP Draft Burial Policy (PDF)
June 26, 2006
Experts Sought for Preserve America Summit (PDF)
May 31, 2006
SAA letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (PDF)
May 18, 2006
ACHP Requests Comment Draft Revised Burial Policy
Apr 19, 2006
SAA Letter in Opposition to Utah Legislation (PDF)
Feb 2, 2006
SAA Comments on Development of Regulations for the Disposition of Unclaimed Cultural Items Under NAGPRA (PDF)
Nov 30, 2005
SAA Comments on ACHP Task Force on Archaeology's Working Principles for Revision of the 1988 Human Remains Policy (PDF)
Nov 2, 2005
SAA NAGPRA Hearing Testimony (PDF)
July 28, 2005
Update on the ACHP Task Force on Archaeology (PDF)
July 20, 2005
SAA's NHP Amendments Testimony (PDF)
April 20, 2005
NHP Amendments Alert
April 20, 2005
Bruhns and Amaroli Testimony Before the Cultural Property Advisory Committee (PDF)
December 2, 2004
Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH) Background on Teotihuacan Project (PowerPoint)
- Text of Teotihuacan Project en Español
November 15, 2004
Drennan testimony before the Cultural Property Advisory Committee
September 9, 2004
SAA Response to AIRFA Hearing Testimony (PDF)
July 30, 2004
SAA testimony at Senate AIRFA hearing (PDF)
July 14, 2004
SAA letter to ACHP archaeology task force (PDF)
July 9, 2004
Ninth Circuit Declines Appeal on Kennewick Decision
April 19, 2004
The Society for American Archaeology adopts formal standards for use in ARPA cases
December 22, 2003
Supreme Court Upholds Monuments Designations
October 7, 2003
SAA Testimony on Competitive Sourcing
July 24, 2003
Letter to the President on Iraq
April 16, 2003
SAA letter to the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska
March 27, 2003
Department of Defense response to SAA letter
March 18, 2003
SAA letter to Secretary of Defense on protection of antiquities in Iraq
February 27, 2003
SAA testimony on Native American Sacred Lands Act
September 25, 2002
SAA testimony on Martin's Cove Land Transfer Act
May 4, 2002
SAA testimony before U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee
April 15, 2002
SAA Comments to U.S. Sentencing Commission in support of proposed amendments to Sentencing Guidelines to protect cultural heritage resources
January 31, 2002
SAA Delivers Testimony before Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee Supporting Import Restrictions on Honduran Pre-Columbian Archaeological Material
January 25, 2002
SAA Delivers Testimony before Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee Supporting Extending Import Restrictions on Canadian Archaeological and Ethnographic Material (PDF)
SAA Delivers Testimony before Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee Supporting Extending Import Restrictions on Peruvian Archaeological and Ethnographic Material (PDF)
SAA Comments to U.S. State Department regarding Peruvian Government's Request to Extend Current Import Restrictions on Peruvian Archaeological and Ethnographic Material (PDF)
Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education Under Attack
Letter from the SAA president to the Smithsonian Institution regarding advertising the sale of antiquities in The Smithsonian Magazine (PDF)
Letter from the SAA president to Amazon.com regarding the sale of archaeological materials
SAA testifies before Senate Indian Affairs Committee on NAGPRA oversight. Click here to read the oversight hearing (PDF)
SAA comments on the Bureau of Land Management's Draft Planning Guidance (PDF)
SAA Comment Letter to the Senate Finance Committee on S.1696—Cultural Property Procedural Reform Act (PDF)
Goverment affairs Program Status Report
SAA Comment Letter to U.S. Forest Service regarding proposed rule for its Resource Management Plan (PDF)
February 2, 2000

Last Modified: Wednesday October 22 2008