Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Congress has long recognized the importance of Native American Tribal cultural items and their historical, traditional, and cultural importance to Native American Tribes.

Approximately 137 million Native American artifacts, works of art, and specimens are in the Smithsonian's collections according to the Government Accountability Office.

Both the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act provide a legal framework for the repatriation of human remains and cultural items to Indian Tribes.

While these two statutes have greatly reduced the sale of cultural items within the United States, many items have appeared in European auctions where they have little legal protection from being sold.

In recent years, Paris auction houses facilitated the sale of Hopi, Navajo, and Acoma Tribal masks and ceremonial items.

The U.S. Government attempted to intervene to prevent the sales, but the French government and the auction houses maintained that they were legal.

In response to this problem, former Congressman Steve Pearce introduced a concurrent resolution in March of 2016 condemning these sales and requesting that the U.S. Comptroller General conduct a report on the issue.

The Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act, or the STOP Act, would expand legal protections to Native American Tribal artifacts and sacred objects by increasing criminal penalties for repeat traffickers of Native American human remains or cultural items and banning the export of illegally obtained items.

The Department of the Interior would be required to form an interagency working group to facilitate repatriation of items and protect items currently in an Indian Tribe's possession.

To incentivize repatriation, the bill would allow immunity from prosecution if an individual voluntarily surrenders to the appropriate Tribe the Native American cultural objects in his or her possession within 2 years of enactment.

I want to thank the sponsor of the legislation for working with stakeholders impacted by this bill, including the Acoma, the Pueblo, the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice, and others.

It is important that we protect items of cultural and historic significance to our Indian Tribes.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I, too, wish to thank the really incredible support and working relationship that we have developed with the ranking member and other members of the committee. This is a bipartisan bill, and it has taken some work to get it where it is today, but I think that we are all supportive of it.

The really wonderful thing is that when I am home in New Mexico, I am asked about this bill repeatedly, because the Nations want to see their works protected.

These are cultural items that belong with those who know how to revere them, who know how to protect them, who know how to care for them. It is something that you will hear Tribes across this country, not only in New Mexico, ask Congress to take action on. I am very pleased that we are taking action today on the STOP Act.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I encourage adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation. I see that in the Chamber, we have Representative Young, who is a cosponsor. I would also like to thank Representatives Cole and Radewagen for joining in this bill. It does have bipartisan support.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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