Providing some historical perspective about what has transpired thus far for passage of laws made at the Federal level - those specific to protecting gravesites and thus preserving the dignity and respect for cemeteries.
In this case, the focus is for Native American graves.:
On November 16, 1990, the "Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act" was signed into law.
Excerpt: "The kinds of remains and the artifacts covered by provisions of the statute are: (1) human remains and associated funerary objects; (2) unassociated funerary objects; (3) sacred objects; and (4) objects of cultural patrimony."Human remains" are not defined in the statute, and consequently all kinds of Native American human remains are covered. This means isolated human bones, teeth, or other kinds of bodily remains that may have been disturbed from a burial site are still subject to the provisions of this statute."
From the Ohio Archaeological Counsil:https://www.ohioarchaeology.org/news
At the Federal Level:
“H.R. 1179/S. 2827, African American Burial Grounds Network Act. In June, the OAC joined 72 other local, state, and national organizations, including six from Ohio, in a letter of support for the bill to the Subcommittee and the House Committee on Natural Resources. Introduced on February 13, 2019, H.R. 1179 has 49 bipartisan cosponsors including Ohio Reps. Balderson (R-Troy), Beatty (D-Columbus), Fudge (D-Cuyahoga and Summit counties), and Turner (R-Dayton). On May 22, 2019, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing on the bill. It would create within the National Park Service the African American Burial Grounds Network that would:
• Create a voluntary, nationwide database of historic African American burial grounds, with the consent of the property owner;
•
Provide technical assistance to local public, private, state, and local
partners to research, survey, identify, record, preserve, evaluate, and
interpret these burial grounds;
• Make
available grants for local groups to research, survey, identify, record, and
aid in the preservation of sites within the Network; and
•
Establish educational materials for community members, local groups, and
schools about African American burial grounds.
On
November 11, 2019, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown introduced companion bill S. 2827
in the U.S. Senate. It was assigned to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee. It has six bipartisan cosponsors. The bill has not had a hearing.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ohio State
Issues
“Human Burial Places
Protection Bill. On January 23, 2020, OAC Government
Affairs Committee Chair Al Tonetti, and Amanda Terrell (Director of the State
Historic Preservation Office/SHPO), and Todd Kleismit (Director of Community
& Government Relations) at the Ohio History Connection (OHC), met with
State Representative Gary Scherer (R-Circleville) and Yosef Schiff (Legislative
Service Commission [LSC]) to discuss proposed revisions to the draft bill.
Revisions were made to address concerns expressed by interested parties at
their June 11, 2019 meeting. Rep. Scherer asked LSC to incorporate the
revisions and said he would discuss the revised draft with interested parties
one-on-one. We are working with the LSC on clarifying a few revisions. The bill
was a legislative priority for Statehood Day, see below, even though it is
unlikely to be enacted before Rep. Scherer retires at the end of this year.
That said, we hope to have a bill introduced this year so that legislators
begin to discuss it. We are seeking new sponsors for reintroduction in 2021.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
African-American Burial Grounds Network Act
Excerpt:A BILL -- To amend title 54, United States Code, to establish within the National Park Service the African-American Burial Grounds Network United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the
``African-American Burial Grounds Network Act''. Congress finds as follows:
(1) From 1619 until 1865, millions of African Americans
result, slave burial grounds were often confined to remote
(2) Slaveholders often controlled where and how the dead
were buried, and prohibited burials on valuable land. As a
infrequently appear on historical maps. A lack of accurate
areas or marginal property.
(3) Such burial grounds were rarely documented, and they
information is typical of African-American cemeteries from
bury their dead. Across much of the United States, local laws
before the Civil War.
(4) Following the end of slavery, many African-American
families continued to face restrictions on where they could
record-keeping that predominantly White burial grounds enjoyed.
segregated burial sites by race. African-American burial
grounds often failed to receive the type of maintenance and
(6) There is no official national record or database for
(5) Many African-American burial grounds from both before
and after the Civil War are in a state of disrepair or
inaccessibility due to overgrowth of vegetation, crumbling
physical structures, and other challenges.
African-American burial ground locations, and the location of
discovered when construction projects inadvertently disturb
many sites is unknown. As a result, the family members and
descendants of those interred are unable to visit these sites
to honor and remember their ancestors.
Excerpt:
"Brown and Alexander’s bill has the support of more than 50 organizations around the country, including the Coalition for American Heritage, Union Baptist Cemetery in Cincinnati and Heritage Ohio."
