House Bill 2498 has passed the committees and is nearing passage in the AZ Senate. It is going to head to the floor for the full vote, probably within the next day or two.  It sounds like most democrats are opposed to the bill, but if we can convince a few republican senators to vote against it, it may just die on the Senate floor.  I have attached a list of the senators that we are targeting.

Please encourage your staff, colleagues, and any friends to contact these senators.  Talking points include:

1) This bill will not fix the perceived problem with the compliance problem, and ultimately will not help Arizona's ranchers.

2) Representative Cook has no understanding of cultural resources compliance or law, and is misguided in blaming SHPO.

3) Represenative Cook has ignored advice from cultural resources professionals. 

4) SHPO already has procedures in place, or soon to be in place, to streamline the compliance process.  The programs are relatively new and have not yet been fully realized.

5) The use of para-archaeologists will lead to the unintentional destruction of Arizona's heritage due to their inexperience.

Sincerely,

Dave Hart

HB_2498_Senate_Update-032118.docx