National Coalition for History

The National Coalition for History has created new Facebook and Twitter pages. Please click on the links and come join us! Read the full article »

On April 10, 2013, President Obama sent his proposed fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request to Congress. In general, programs affecting historians, archivists and other National Coalition for History (NCH) stakeholders would receive funding levels comparable to those they received in the FY ’13 budget (pre-sequester). Read the full article »

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced in October that the state will restore funding to keep the Georgia State Archives open until the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30, 2013. Public pressure put on the governor by archivists, historians and other stakeholders clearly motivated Deal’s commitment to keep the Archives open. Read the full article »

Last week, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced he was closing the State Archives to the public on November 1 due to across-the-board budget cuts mandated by Governor Nathan Deal. On September 21, the National Coalition for History (NCH) sent a letter to the Governor opposing the budget cuts, denial of public access to the Archives, and the laying off seven of the Archives’ ten employees. Read the full article »

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has announced that the Georgia Archives will be CLOSED to general public access beginning November 1, 2012. In addition to the elimination of public access, staff reductions affecting the ten remaining employees are planned and will be announced soon. Even if you do not live in Georgia, this issue is of vital concern to all in the historical and archival communities and we ask your help in getting the decision reversed. Read the full article »

On August 24, a major overhaul in the way federal departments and agencies manage and preserve their records was ordered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Read the full article »

On June 20, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY 2013 spending bill that includes funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The bill proposes $132 million for the agency in FY 2013. This represents a decrease of $14 million, or 9.6%, from the FY 2012 level of $146 million. Read the full article »

On May 9, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the FY 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R.5326) that prohibits the funding of political science programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The amendment, offered by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ-6), passed by a roll call vote of 218 to 208. Read the full article »

On February 28, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved two pieces of legislation to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The “Student Success Act” (H.R. 3989) and the “Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act” (H.R. 3990) were both approved by a party line vote of 23 Republicans to 16 Democrats. Read the full article »

On February 13, 2012, President Obama sent a proposed fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget request to Congress. In general, programs affecting historians, archivists and other National Coalition for History (NCH) stakeholders would receive funding levels comparable to those they received in the FY ’12 budget. Read the full article »

Online registration for the 2012 National Humanities Alliance’s Humanities Advocacy Day is now open. Events will take place Monday, March 19 – Tuesday, March 20, 2012, in Washington, DC. Read the full article »

On Oct. 20, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) completed its markup of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The bill includes an amendment, offered by Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., that would create a “well-rounded” education fund. School districts could use the money to fund programs in history, civics education, social studies and eight other subject areas. Read the full article »

Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives to eliminate the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the grant-making arm of the National Archives. H.R. 2531, the “Stop Wasting Archive Grants Act of 2011,” was introduced by Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). Read the full article »

On June 23, 2011, the House Appropriations Committee cleared a bill providing only $1 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) in fiscal year (FY) 2012. That figure constitutes a 90% reduction from the FY ’11 funding level of $7 million and is $4 million less than the Obama administration’s request for the NHPRC. Read the full article »

Performance on the U.S. History 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) at Grades 4, 8, and 12 has shown some overall improvement since 1994. However, the only progress since 2006 was at grade eight, with significant improvement of Black and Hispanic eighth grade scores over these years. Performance by fourth and twelfth graders remained unchanged compared to 2006. Read the full article »

Legislation (H.R. 1891) will soon be considered in the House of Representatives that would eliminate the Teaching American History (TAH) grants program at the U.S. Department of Education. We urge you to contact your Member of Congress immediately to oppose this bill. Click here to access an on-line advocacy tool that allows you to send an e-mail message directly to your Representative on this vital issue. Read the full article »

On April 12, the House Appropriations Committee released a list of proposed cuts in federal programs for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. Nearly every program of interest to the historical and archival communities was reduced. However the fact that some, such as Teaching American History grants, survived is a testament to the dogged lobbying efforts of the National Coalition for History, its constituent organizations and allies in civics education. Read the full article »

On March 14, President Obama urged Congress to pass legislation to reform the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law before the start of the next school year in September. Read the full article »

The National Coalition for History is asking you to email letters to your U.S. Senators as soon as possible urging them to save the Teaching American History (TAH) Grants Program and Civic Education funding (through competitive grants). Read the full article »

In an unexpected development, Walmart announced on January 26 that it was abandoning plans to pursue a special use permit previously awarded to the retail giant for construction of a supercenter on the Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia. The decision came as the trial in a legal challenge seeking to overturn the special use permit was scheduled to begin in Orange County circuit court. Read the full article »