S. 1471 would make it a federal crime to export Native American cultural items, archaeological resources, and objects of antiquity without proper authorization and would require exporters to obtain an export certification. Federal agencies would need to convene working groups to reduce trafficking and encourage repatriation of cultural heritage items. The bill also would direct the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of State to designate liaisons to facilitate voluntary returns of unlawfully acquired items. Those agencies would provide training to tribal organizations, collectors, and dealers concerning the new prohibitions.
S. 1471 would authorize the appropriation of $3 million annually over the 2021-2026 period to carry out the bill’s requirements. CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted late in fiscal year 2021 and expects that federal agencies would begin incurring costs in 2022. Based on spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates, implementing S. 1471 would cost about $13 million over that period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.
In addition, S. 1471 would authorize DOI to charge fees to cover the costs of issuing export certifications. Those fees would be recorded as revenues and could be spent without appropriation. CBO expects the number of applications to be small and that the amount of fees collected and spent would be insignificant in each year.
