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House Subcommittee Restores NHPRC Funding; Next Step Is Senate!
June 15, 2005—The House Transportation,
Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia
Appropriations Subcommittee today reported out its recommendations for the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Although the subcommittee did
not make public its totals for NARA as a whole (official numbers generally
are not released until the full Appropriations Committee acts on the recommendations),
it did publicly
announce a figure for NHPRC: $7.5 million, of which $5.5 million
is for grants and $2 million is for program administration. Complete
totals for NARA will be available on June 21, when the full committee announces
its budget recommendations.
While this news about the subcommittee recommendation
is very positive and welcome, there is still much work to be done to ensure
that the full House acts positively on these recommendations—and that
the Senate follows suit.
Here's what you can do to help today!
During the subcommittee mark-up, the chair did
not permit any amendments. When the full Appropriations Committee meets to
consider the Treasury/Transportation bill on June 21, any member of the full
committee could target the NHPRC funds as an "offset" to fund another
project out of the Treasury/Transportation bill. The NHPRC also could become
a target for an offset on the House floor.
Please continue to send your expressions of support
for NHPRC funding to members of the House Appropriations Committee—and
particularly those who represent your district. (For a list of Committee
members, click here and
then select the "Member List" tab at the top of the page.) Ask your representative
to support the subcommittee recommendation of $7.5 million for NHPRC at the
full committee level.
Focus next on the Senate!
The archival profession should hold firm to its
recommendation that NHPRC receive at least $10 million in funding in FY06—including
$8 million for grants and $2 million for administrative costs.
Many members of SAA, the Council of State Historical
Records Coordinators, the National Association of Government Archives and
Records Administrators, and partner groups within the National Coalition
for History
have been communicating with key Senators by sending organizational and
constituent letters in support of NHPRC. These efforts must continue—and
be supplemented by briefing discussions with the following select Senators
and staff:
- Republicans: Shelby, Specter,
Bennett, Hutchison, DeWine, Brownback, Stevens,* Domenici,* Burns,*
- Democrats: Mikulski, Reid,
Kohl, Durbin, Dorgan, Leahy,* and Harkin.*
Several of these members are new to the reorganized
Transportation/Treasury appropriations subcommittee (*), and they especially
need to be fully briefed on the NHPRC.
If you or a member of your organization or staff
has any special constituent contacts in these Senate offices, or if you may
be available to participate in a "Hill visit" in the coming weeks, please
notify Nancy Beaumont in the SAA office as soon as possible. (312-922-0140, nbeaumont@archivists.org)
There is much work still to be done—and
our success this year will depend on the level of coordination, involvement,
and commitment of those archivists, historians, documentary editors, and others
who care about NHPRC.
Please forward this update to others who may be interested
or able to help.
There is strength in numbers!
See also:
House Appropriations Committee
Restores NHPRC Funding; Next Step Is Senate (June 21, 2005)
Update on Efforts to Save NHPRC Funding
for FY06 (May 2005)
Update on Efforts to Save NHPRC Funding
for FY06 (April 2005)
Providing Public Testimony on NHPRC (April 2005)
NHPRC Budget Zeroed Out for FY2006! (February
22, 2005)
NARA Press Release (February 7, 2005)
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