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

Archaeological Consulting Services is hiring for multiple positions including a Principal Investigator and a Senior Project Manager. The job announcements are attached here. 

PI_announcement_20180315.doc

SENIOR_PROJECT_MANAGER_2018_20180315.docx

Yesterday the AZ Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee meeting passed HB2498. The vote was basically along party lines and was not unexpected. I am happy to report that many of the senators are taking notice of our efforts and the strong opposition from the archaeological community. The AZ Senate Government Committee will be hearing the bill tomorrow, Wednesday, March 14, at 2:00 pm in room SHR 109. Once again, I encourage everyone to attend and voice your opposition if at all possible. Please do not get discouraged. As more senators become aware of the issues and support our position, the harder this bill will be for them to pass. If this bill has bipartisan support, the Governor will likely sign it. If it does not have bipartisan support, we will continue to have a chance. Please contact members of the Government Committee, the Senators and Representatives of your districts, and show up in person if you can. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to stand in opposition!

SRI is hiring a Crew Chief. See the attached job announcement. Best of luck to all candidates!

Crew Chief Vacancy Announcement.pdf

Jacobs is hiring field technicians. The job announcement is attached.

Archaeological Field Technician_jobdescription.pdf

Arizona House Bill 2498 has passed the House and moved to the Senate. Additionally, the bill has been amended to apply to ALL projects on state lands. The AAC Board strongly urges members and colleagues to oppose the bill, contact their representatives, and to share this information. The AAC has drafted a letter to members urging action, and a letter to the Senate expressing opposition to the bill. Documents are attached for review and dispersal.

1_HB_2498_Update_Senate.docx

2_AAC_Response-AZ_Senate.pdf

HB_2498-amended.pdf

SENIOR_PROJECT_MANAGER_2018.docx

FA_posting_2018.doc

The Arizona Archaeology Expo will be on March 10th from 10 A.M. to 4:00 P.M at the Mesa Grande Archaeological Site. The SHPO needs participants and has extended the due date to February 14th. The form can be downloaded here: https://azstateparks.com/archy.

The Arizona House Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee has put House Bill 2498 on their meeting agenda for February 8, 2018, at 10:00 A.M. in Room HHR 3. The AAC invites members and colleagues to attend and speak in opposition of the bill. Members can create an account and register to speak at the below link. Links to HB 2498 and the Arizona House member roster are also provided.

https://apps.azleg.gov/RequestToSpeak/Agenda/13666

https://www.azleg.gov/memberroster/?body=H%20)

https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/53leg/2R/bills/HB2498P.htm

The AAC has drafted a letter response to Arizona House Bill 2498. The bill and letter response are attached. Please direct any comments to AAC President Dave Hart: dhart@gsrcorp.com

HB_2498_AAC-response.pdf

HB_2498.pdf