Priorities and Positions
“Congress finds and declares that…the increased knowledge of our historic resources, the establishment of better means of identifying and administering them, and the encouragement of their preservation will improve the planning and execution of Federal and federally assisted projects, and will assist economic growth and development”
— National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
Advocacy and government relations are central to achieving ACRA’s goals. Through our Government Relations Committee, and with the support of our government relations counsel Agora, ACRA communicates with federal and state lawmakers, staffers, and agencies to ensure that the voice of the CRM industry is heard. To strengthen our industry, we help Members of Congress and government officials understand the scope of our business, the importance of historic preservation, and the impact of the cultural resource management industry on the economy.
ACRA’s Government Relations Committee has identified the following legislative and regulatory conditions that will allow the CRM industry to thrive:
- Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is consistently applied to all federal undertakings.
- SHPOs and THPOs have sufficient resources to carry out timely Section 106 reviews. Lack of sufficient resources leads to unnecessary delays on projects, which leads to poor outcomes for clients and resources.
- Small businesses are encouraged to thrive and to contract with the federal government.
Check out our Latest News section for updates on bills we are monitoring, our latest agency comment letters, and ways that you can help advocate for the CRM Industry.
Learn more about the issues ACRA works on below.
ACHP Hot Topic Recap
More than 250 ACRA members joined a Hot Topic yesterday to discuss the ACHP's radical overhaul of the 800 regulations that implement Section 106. On the call, ACRA members echoed the concerns that ACRA has raised about the proposal, including how it makes public...
ACHP Proposed Regulations: The Small Business Impact
The ACHP's proposed rewrite of the 800 regulations has generated a lot of opposition about their impact on preservation and cultural resource reviews. But the process by which the Council has brought forth their proposals also is raising questions - including about...
ACHP Draft Proposed Regulations: An Analysis
A preliminary assessment of the ACHP’s proposed overhaul of the 800 regulations that implement Section 106 finds that the changes will lead to more project delays, more confusion about the process, and vastly fewer opportunities for the American people to have a say...
Hot Topic Discussion 7/29: ACHP Proposed Regulations
Join us on Wednesday, July 29 for the next session of our Hot Topics series, which give CRM practitioners the opportunity to participate in discussions and problem-solving for pressing issues facing the industry. The topic of this session will be the proposed changes...
A Message from ACRA President Shawn Patch
This message to ACRA members is authored by ACRA President Shawn Patch. By now, most of you have heard that the acting leadership of the ACHP announced on Friday it is moving forward with a vote on changes to the 800 regulations that implement Section 106 of the...
Upcoming ACHP Vote on Proposed Regulatory Changes
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) informed Council members Friday that it plans to hold an unassembled meeting of the ACHP to vote on proposed changes to the 800 regulations that implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act...
Other Resources
- Slides from ACRA Hot Topic
- Issue Brief