Before adjourning sine die, the 111th Congress passed, and President Obama signed into law, a continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 3082) for fiscal year (FY) 2011 that keeps federal government agencies funded until March 4, 2011. FY ‘11 agency budgets were frozen at FY 2010 funding levels.
On December 22, President Obama signed into law S. 3984, the “Museum and Library Services Act of 2010.” The bill would authorize funding for fiscal years (FY) 2011—2016 for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
At its December meeting, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) awarded 53 grants totaling $4 million for projects in 31 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
The Founding Fathers Advisory Committee (FFAC) held its initial meeting at the National Archives on December 13. The FFAC was established to provide the Archivist of the United States advice and recommendations on issues relating to the goals, performance, productivity and completion of the Founding Fathers papers projects currently being funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
On December 6, the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress (ACRC) met at the U.S Capitol Visitors Center.
The State Department’s Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation (HAC) met on December 13. The Historical Advisory Committee (HAC) reviews records, advises, and makes recommendations to the Office of the Historian concerning the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) documentary series.
On December 13, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) launched a redesigned web site (www.archives.gov) as part of its Open Government Initiative.
The National Archives National Declassification Center (NDC) recently released its 2011 Prioritization Plan for eliminating the 400+ million page backlog of reviewed, but unavailable archival records. President Obama has charged the National Archives with eliminating the backlog by December 2013.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently announced $23 million in grants for 371 humanities projects.
The National Archives has released to Congress a new report on Nazi War Crimes: Hitler’s Shadow: Nazi War Criminals, U.S. Intelligence, and the Cold War. The report is based on findings from newly-declassified decades-old Army and CIA records released under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act of 1998 (the Act).