ACTION ALERT
Posted on behalf of the Joint Task Force on Advocacy for NHPRC
CONTINUING THE MESSAGE TO RESTORE FUNDING FOR NHPRC
The House of Representatives has restored funding for the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission in its budget bill--$5.5
million for competitive grants and $2 million for program
administration.
The House Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, and the
Judiciary added the funding back on June 15, and the House
Appropriations Committee approved that addition on June 21. This is a
very positive result at this stage, and the organizations and
individuals who raised their voices to request restoration of funding
can be very pleased.
Of course there's more to be done, but now in the Senate, to preserve
this funding or to raise it to the $8 million in grants and $2 million
in administration that the archives, records management, history, and
research community has identified as the essential level of funding.
To ensure that this funding survives through the next stages of the
budget process, the following steps must be taken:
In the Senate:
Send letters to your senators. If your senator is on the Senate
Appropriations Committee and the Senate Subcommittee on Treasury,
Transportation, HUD, and the Judiciary, ask him or her to propose that
the funding recommended by the House be increased to $8 million for
competitive grants and $2 million for staff and administration in the
National Archives budget. (For a list of committee and subcommittee
members, see
www.savearchives.org)
If your senator is not on the Appropriations Committee or the Senate
T-THUD Subcommittee, ask him or her to contact Senator Kit Bond, chair
of the T-THUD Subcommittee (if your senator is a Republican), or Senator
Patty Murray, ranking member of the T-THUD Subcommittee (if your senator
is a Democrat), with a request that the funding recommended by the House
be increased to $8 million for competitive grants and $2 million for
staff and administration in the National Archives budget. Archival
organizations should also contact Senator Bond as the chair of T-THUD
and indicate their support for funding restoration. Be sure to cite
your membership numbers in your support letter.
Make a visit to the home offices of your senators or representative.
Or, if you or your constituents are going to be in Washington, DC, plan
to visit your members' DC offices. If you can't talk with the senator
or representative, talk to his or her staff members-and specifically the
staff
member who handles appropriations issues. Again, urge them to contact
their colleagues on both the Senate and House Appropriations Committee
and the Subcommittees on Treasury, Transportation, HUD and the Judiciary
to voice their support for the restoration of funding for NHPRC.
Where to go for more information and to keep current on this issue:
-- Council of State Historical Records Coordinators: www.coshrc.org
-- Society of American Archivists: www.archivists.org
-- SaveArchives.org, a Web site dedicated to preserving
our nation's archival heritage: www.savearchives.org
These sites contain:
-- Guidelines for writing letters to Congress.
-- Name/address/fax for House and Senate committee members.
-- Background information on NHPRC and its contributions,
including a comparison of the funding levels for NHPRC
and related federal programs.
Questions? Suggestions? Contact:
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
Members of the Joint Task Force on Advocacy:
Council of State Historical Records Coordinators:
David Carmicheal, Sandra Clark, Kathleen Roe Society of American
Archivists:
Peter Gottlieb, Joan Krizack, Rand Jimerson,
Richard Pearce-Moses, Nancy Beaumont National Association of
Government Archives and Records Administrators:
Tim Slavin
ARMA International:
Stacey Moye
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
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