Assigned to NR FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR H.C.M. 2012
antiquities act; exception
Purpose
Urges the U.S. Congress to enact legislation exempting Arizona from the Antiquities Act.
Background
The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorizes the U.S. President to proclaim national monuments
on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures or other objects
of historic or scientific interest. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the Jackson
Hole National Monument in Wyoming, which became Grand Teton National Park, to be a national
monument. This proclamation prompted litigation on the extent of presidential authority under the
Antiquities Act, and led to a 1950 law prohibiting future establishment of national monuments in
Wyoming unless designated by Congress (Congress: National Monument and Antiquities Act;
54 U.S.C. ยงยง 320301-320303).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. States that the Legislature prays that the U.S. Congress immediately enacts legislation that
would exempt Arizona from the provisions of the Antiquities Act, similar to the exemption
granted to Wyoming.
2. Directs the Secretary of State to transmit copies of the memorial to the President of the United
States and each member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
FMAE 2/19/25 DP 4-3-0-0
3
rd
Read 3/10/25 31-25-4
Prepared by Senate Research
March 21, 2025
SB/SN/slp