McCain, Flake Say Support Growing for Bill To Ban Exports of Native American Cultural Objects
Bipartisan support is expanding for a bill that would bar exports of “sacred Native American items” and raise penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking inherited cultural goods, said Arizona Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain, who are among co-sponsors of the bill (here). The bill would also create a tribal working group to help federal agencies grasp the problem and find possible solutions. “I will continue working with my colleagues and tribal communities to ensure we build on this momentum so we can help repatriate stolen culturally significant artifacts back to Indian Country,” original bill sponsor Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said in a statement. Several Native American tribes have endorsed the legislation, which was introduced July 6 (see 1607070036), including the Navajo Nation and the Jicarilla Apache Nation, according to Flake’s and McCain’s offices.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
In addition to the export prohibition, the bill would initiate a two-year amnesty period for people who return all illegally obtained cultural objects to appropriate tribes, and instruct the Government Accountability Office to report on the number of cultural objects illegally trafficked internationally and domestically, the extent of Department of Justice prosecutions of cultural object or human remains trafficking, and DOJ, State Department and Interior Department recommendations to stem illegal commerce and bring about repatriation of cultural objects.