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.
Your Congress in Action: August 24, 2026
Gas cost an average of $1.33 a gallon. “Centerfold” by the J. Geils Band was the number one song in the country. And On Golden Pond, starring Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, was tops at the box office. But for the preservation community, the big news in February...
Not Our First Rodeo
This post is authored by Charles M. Niquette, founding member of ACRA and Chairman of the Board of Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. Many in the historic preservation community are understandably alarmed by the current effort to eviscerate the regulations implementing...
How Your Firm Can Act: Request a Meeting with OIRA
CRM firms have an opportunity to express their views directly to the federal government about the ACHP's radical overhaul of the regulations that implement Section 106. All proposed regulatory changes must be reviewed by the Office of Information and Regulatory...
Aid in the Fight: Take the Survey on Employee Numbers by State
The ACHP has approved a radical overhaul of the 800 regulations that implement Section 106 of the NHPA, and ACRA is currently creating resources for CRM practitioners to aid in the fight to protect them. One resource ACRA is aiming to provide is the most current...
2026 ACRA Virtual Advocacy Week
Each spring ACRA brings members to Washington, DC to meet with their Representatives and Senators and discuss issues important to cultural resources management. However, we know that not everyone can make the trip to the nation's capitol, so this year we are adding...
Your Congress in Action: August 10, 2026
Once upon a time, August in Washington was quiet. Hot and humid, to be sure, but quiet. Members of Congress would leave town for their home districts or vacation homes. The President would fly off to Martha’s Vineyard or a ranch someplace for R-and-R. And all the...