Government Affairs Committee - Society for Historical Archaeology

The Committee advises the SHA President and Board when issues appear that could impact our field.

Society for Historical Archaeology May 28, 2025 Government Affairs Webinar Presentation.

Below are one-pagers created by our historic preservation partners. We are posting these so SHA members can use these one-pagers in their outreach to members of Congress and state and local government officials as part of our campaign to counter the threats to the national Historic Preservation Fund, a critical funding mechanism for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and state, tribal and local historic preservation progams.

Preservation Under Threat from the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers on threats to the Historic Preservation Fund
Recent Federal Actions Impact on Local Commissions from the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions
About the HPF from the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions on the importance of the Historic Preservation Fund

Below are letters SHA and our historic preservation partners have submitted in response to actions by the Administration and Congress. We will be updating this webpage with future letters and other communications on a regular basis.

Date
February 26, 2025	Department of Interior Secretarial Orders
February 28, 2025	Letter on Senate Joint Resolution 11 on Underwater Archaeological Resources
March 10, 2025	SHA Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture on Staff Layoffs
April 8, 2025	Letter in Support of Nashville Arc haeological Review Process
April 9, 2025	SHA Letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary’s Memorandum 1078-006, Increasing Timber Production and Designating an Emergency Situation on National Forest System Lands
June 27, 2025	Letter to Office of Management and Budget on Delay in FY25 Historic Preservation Fund Distribution This letter was sent to the Office of Management and Budget on the delay in distributing the Historic Preservation Fund, Fiscal Year 2025 funding to State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. The Society for American Archaeology took the lead in preparing the letter. SAA also sent copies to House and Senate Interior Appropriations staff, as well as House Natural Resources and Senate Energy and Natural Resources staff.

Government Affairs Newsletters