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Your Congress in Action is a new series that highlights the Capitol Hill news that affects CRM firms the most. This information is sourced from the Coalition for American Heritage, news articles, and more. Be sure to subscribe to the ACRAsphere to ensure you don't miss an update.
“The ACHP maintains a policy against such exemptions and has done so because the regulations that implement Section 106 of the NHPA, found at 36 C.F.R. Part 800, provide for a variety of tools to adapt the process to the needs of particular programs. They have been used effectively to address the concerns of agencies and stakeholders in a wide variety of federal programs.”
We will also be hosting another FREE members-only virtual happy hour on Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 pm EDT.
All employees of ACRA member firms, from field technicians to owners, are welcome to grab a drink of their choice and join ACRA President Nathan Boyless and Executive Director Amanda Stratton online. We can talk about the industry response to COVID-19, get ideas from your peers, or even simply vent about the current climate. Simply sign up here and we will send you a link to join!
April 30, 2020 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM (EDT) | Register Now
In response to overwhelming demand, we have now increased our attendance limit for our upcoming webinar on Safety & HR requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Register now to reserve your spot!
This webinar is FREE for employees of ACRA member firms and just $10 for non-members. The webinar is designed to provide a preliminary conversation about the safety and human resources implications of the current environment. It will feature two brief presentations: one on the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and its implications and requirements for human resources policies at CRM firms and the second on best practices for field and office safety during the pandemic.
Attendees will have a chance to ask questions during the Q&A after the two presentations. Learn more about the presenters and register on the event page.
Register Now
UPDATE: The latest relief package detailed below has now passed the House. The bill now moves to the President for signature. If you have not yet applied for a loan as a part of the PPP and are eligible, we recommend that you do so quickly. You can view a detailed layout of the loan options available to you in our comparison here.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ran out of money last week, and yesterday the Senate passed an interim relief package replenishing funds for the program, which was previously created to keep keep workers employed during the current pandemic.
The funding came as a part of a $484 billion package that is meant as a stopgap measure in advance of additional major relief legislation in the coming weeks. $310 billion was allocated to the PPP, with $60 billion of that allocated for smaller businesses without existing banking relationships.
Other measures in the bill include:
The bill also requires the federal government to develop a “strategic plan related to providing assistance to states for testing and increasing testing capacity.”
The bill now moves to the House for a vote, which could come as early as Thursday. Stay tuned to the ACRAsphere for additional updates.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has released a report by the Digital Information Task Force, which is focused on formulating recommendations to improve the availability of digital and geospatial information about historic properties in an effort to inform federal project planning.
The report, originally presented to Chairman Aimee Jorjani at the ACHP business meeting in March, outlines 5 major recommendations:
Make the Administration, Congress, agency officials, and the public aware of how digital information, including geographic information systems (GIS), increases the effectiveness and efficiency of project planning and helps avoid harm to historic properties.
Identify opportunities for funding and resource enhancement.
Enable cultural resources GIS data exchange between states, tribes, local governments, and federal agencies.
Address data management impediments to increase GIS availability.
Properly manage access and secure sensitive data.
Each recommendation is accompanied by recommended actions in the full report. The ACHP notes that they will "carry out these tasks to implement the report’s recommendations in cooperation with federal and preservation partners over the coming months."
Access the full report here, and the ACHP press release provides additional information as well.
Are you interested in being a leader in your industry? Now is the time to step up - ACRA is seeking dedicated members who are interested in serving on the Board of Directors. ACRA’s board of directors consists of 7 officers, 3 designated seats based on firm size, and 11 at-large members.
Positions that are up for election in 2020 include:
Each nominee must be employed by a firm in good standing with ACRA. Candidates must also be able to commit to quarterly board meetings, including in person at the Annual Conference in the fall. Board members will also be recommended to serve on at least one committee.
Nominees’ applications are examined by the Nominating Committee to assure that they are current members in good standing and that they can perform the basic requirements of the position for which they are applying. Candidates will be announced to the membership in late May, and voting will take place electronically in June.
How to Apply?
Just two simple steps:
Send your nominating files to Kim Redman with a subject line that begins “Board Nomination.” Be sure to include the position you would like to run for in the body of the email. Nomination deadline is Friday, May 22, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
CRM firms have all adapted differently to the current pandemic. Some have focused on data processing and report writing from the office, and others have maintained strong field operations with new safety measures. All firms have had to follow changes to federal laws that may impact required employee benefits. These changes in safety and human resources policies bring with them questions associated with contract fulfillment, project staffing, project cost, and ethics that have not been faced by many CRM providers.
Join us for a webinar on Thursday, April 30 at 2:00 pm EDT that will provide a preliminary conversation about the safety and human resources implications of the current environment. Our webinar will feature two brief presentations: one on the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and its implications and requirements for human resources policies at CRM firms and the second on best practices for field and office safety during the pandemic.
Following the presentation we will host a Q&A session to explore best practices and creative solutions to problems faced as the situation continues to unfold. Both firm owners and employees will learn about the paid leave requirements in the federal relief bills, increased safety measures in the field, and how you can go beyond just the legal requirements in both areas.
This webinar is free for ACRA members, and non-members can register for just $10. Space is limited - register now to reserve your spot!
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is offering additional courses on their eLearning portal and a free introductory webinar series due the COVID-19 pandemic. From the ACHP:
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) recognizes that many of our partners working remotely are better positioned to engage in remote learning and is therefore pleased to remind you that we offer a variety of distance learning opportunities that may meet your needs. The ACHP has seven courses available for FREE on the eLearning portal and has just added a 60-minute course, "What Now? Protecting Historic Properties in Disaster Recovery." It also recently posted an overview of Section 106 highlighting opportunities for Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian Organizations to participate in the process. Go to https://www.achp.gov/training/elearning to learn how to access the eLearning courses. Or, if you've already created an account, go directly to https://achp.golearnportal.org/ to begin learning today! In May 2020, we're offering a FREE Stay-at-Home Webinar Series of four webinars to introduce decision makers, project managers, consulting parties, and others with limited experience to the principle requirements of Section 106 review. The schedule for the series is as follows: May 7 - 3 pm Eastern time - What is Section 106? A blended learning Q&A May 14 - 3 pm Eastern time - Defining the Area of Potential Effect May 21 - 3 pm Eastern time - e106 and Section 106 Documentation May 28 - 3 pm Eastern time - Planning for Successful Section 106 Agreements Find out more and register for one or all four of the webinars at https://www.achp.gov/training/webinars.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) recognizes that many of our partners working remotely are better positioned to engage in remote learning and is therefore pleased to remind you that we offer a variety of distance learning opportunities that may meet your needs.
The ACHP has seven courses available for FREE on the eLearning portal and has just added a 60-minute course, "What Now? Protecting Historic Properties in Disaster Recovery." It also recently posted an overview of Section 106 highlighting opportunities for Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian Organizations to participate in the process. Go to https://www.achp.gov/training/elearning to learn how to access the eLearning courses. Or, if you've already created an account, go directly to https://achp.golearnportal.org/ to begin learning today!
In May 2020, we're offering a FREE Stay-at-Home Webinar Series of four webinars to introduce decision makers, project managers, consulting parties, and others with limited experience to the principle requirements of Section 106 review. The schedule for the series is as follows:
Find out more and register for one or all four of the webinars at https://www.achp.gov/training/webinars.
In this challenging time, how can you envision and prepare for a better future, a stronger career, and sustained impact in your field? ACRA would like to help by providing active members FREE access to professional leadership development courses tailored to the opportunities and challenges of cultural heritage and historic preservation, including a culminating professional certificate.
We are partnering with the ARCUS Leadership Program. ARCUS seeks to support emerging leaders in cultural resource and public history disciplines by providing online coursework and networking around core leadership skills and knowledge, with a special focus on supporting the growth of diversity, inclusion, equity, and access.
For the next 6 months, Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC, the SRI Foundation, and American Express are underwriting the full cost (usually $2,500) of your access to all 25 ARCUS short-courses. All employees of ACRA member firms are eligible to partake in this new resource at no additional cost.
ARCUS courses cover a broad array of leadership topics, including community outreach, public speaking, financial management, fundraising, team building, advocacy, and many more.
This offer is available to firms with an active ACRA membership, including students. Check out the full course list here, and contact us for the discount code.
As we continue to weather the current pandemic, many CRM firms have had to adjust their workflows to allow for employees to efficiently work from home. With workers being based in the field normally, the firms themselves are often well-suited to make these changes - but what about the industry as a whole? Dr. Chris Nicholson, Director of Digital Antiquity*, has shared his thoughts on technology and accessibility of archaeological data in a recent blog post:
CRM work is very much a client-based professional service based on federal regulations and is steeped in technology. In the CRM world today, if a SHPO isn’t physically open for an extended period of time nor has an online presence, how do you go about conducting gray literature reviews, even if you are able to go into the field? Having documents archived digitally and made accessible thus becomes incredibly important for compliance work to continue. Likewise, SHPOs who may receive digital documents may not be in a position to store them in a manner that facilitates their access within the organization, limiting their ability to help companies or agencies meet their compliance requirements. The financial impact to archaeology likely pales in comparison to the overall economic impact that the Covid-19 pandemic will ultimately have on our nation’s economy, but the impact to the field of archaeology and historic preservation will nonetheless be felt. This period of confinement/social-distancing has given me a chance to reflect a bit on many things personally and professionally, but from a strictly professional perspective, working from home reminds me that not all organizations have the cyber-infrastructure that allows them the flexibility to work remotely with digital documents.
CRM work is very much a client-based professional service based on federal regulations and is steeped in technology. In the CRM world today, if a SHPO isn’t physically open for an extended period of time nor has an online presence, how do you go about conducting gray literature reviews, even if you are able to go into the field? Having documents archived digitally and made accessible thus becomes incredibly important for compliance work to continue. Likewise, SHPOs who may receive digital documents may not be in a position to store them in a manner that facilitates their access within the organization, limiting their ability to help companies or agencies meet their compliance requirements.
The financial impact to archaeology likely pales in comparison to the overall economic impact that the Covid-19 pandemic will ultimately have on our nation’s economy, but the impact to the field of archaeology and historic preservation will nonetheless be felt. This period of confinement/social-distancing has given me a chance to reflect a bit on many things personally and professionally, but from a strictly professional perspective, working from home reminds me that not all organizations have the cyber-infrastructure that allows them the flexibility to work remotely with digital documents.
Read the full post on the tDAR website, and let us know your thoughts on how accessibility could change as a result of the pandemic below.
*Digital Antiquity oversees the use, development, and maintenance of the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR), an international repository for the digital records of archaeological investigations, organizations, projects, and research.
