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)

• Guidelines for Preparing a Letter to Congress
• NHPRC Fact Sheet
• NHPRC Talking Points
• List of Senate Appropriations Committee Members
• List of House Appropriations Committee Members

NARA Press Release (February 7, 2005)