Sharing a May 1, 2020 Report by the Ohio Archaeological Council - Proposed State and Federal Legislation Updates

Sharing this link to the Ohio Archaeological Council's "Government Affairs Committee Report - May 1, 2020".

~*~*~*~*~*~
"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."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"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."