[snca-list] Update and ACTION ALERT: Continuing the Message to Restore Fundingfor NHPRC

[gerickson at guilford.edu]

Here is the latest for those of you interested in the status of NHPRC
Funding.

----- Forwarded by Gwendolyn Erickson/Staff/Guilford on 06/22/2005 11:58 AM
-----

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:
 info at coshrc.org   or   admin at savearchives.org

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