Members of Congress Weigh-In Against Import Restrictions on Ancient Coins

Twelve members of Congress have expressed concerns to Secretary of State Clinton regarding the imposition of import restrictions on ancient coins. See
http://www.accg.us/News/Item/Members_of_Congress_weigh_in_on_CPIA_concerns.aspx

Incoming Chair of the House Budget Committee, the Hon. Paul Ryan, took the lead on the bipartisan correspondence. The letter asks the Secretary to review recent decisions to extend import restrictions to ancient coins, which are inconsistent with Congressional intent that efforts to protect foreign archaeological sites do not impinge on the long-established trade of common place items, like ancient coins.

Voters have also sent a strong message against overregulation during the recent mid-term elections. The Obama State Department will hopefully heed the concerns of Congress and the voters as it processes the Italian and Greek MOUs and other requests for import restrictions on cultural goods.