During this holiday giving season, the NCH Board of Directors urge you to make an end-of-the-year fully tax-deductible contribution to the National Coalition for History (ID #01-0688590 for federal income tax purposes). Your contribution will help ensure the continuation of our important education and advocacy activities that advance the interests of the historical and archival communities here in Washington.
During this holiday giving season, the NCH Board of Directors urge you to make an end-of-the-year fully tax-deductible contribution to the National Coalition for History (ID #01-0688590 for federal income tax purposes). Your contribution will help ensure the continuation of our important education and advocacy activities that advance the interests of the historical and archival communities here in Washington.
What was expected to be a non-controversial committee markup of legislation (S. 2872) to reauthorize the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) resulted instead in the elimination of a proposed significant increase in the Commission’s spending level over the next five years.
On December 8, the White House issued an Open Government Directive requiring federal agencies to take immediate, specific steps to open their operations up to the public. In addition to the directive, the Administration released the Open Government Progress Report to the American People – an analysis of the steps already taken to increase transparency and plans for future initiatives.
On November 13, David Ferriero, the former Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries, was sworn in as the tenth Archivist of the United States at a small ceremony at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Mr. Ferriero will move to Washington and assume his duties full-time in the very near future.
On November 6, the United States Senate voted unanimously to confirm David Ferriero as the 10th Archivist of the United States. Mr. Ferriero was the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries. Mr. Ferriero, who was nominated by President Obama on July 28, 2009, will succeed Professor Allen Weinstein who resigned as Archivist in December 2008 for health reasons.
On October 30, President Obama signed into law the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year (FY) 2010 appropriations bill (H.R. 2996) (H. Rept. 111-316). The bill includes a second continuing resolution (CR) that provides funding to keep the federal government running until December 18.
On October 28, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, by voice vote, approved the nomination of David S. Ferriero to be the next Archivist of the United States. Ferriero’s nomination is considered non-controversial and confirmation by the Senate is expected shortly.
Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has proposed an amendment (No. 2631) to eliminate the National Science Foundation’s political science program. It is an amendment to the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill (H.R. 2847), which is on the Senate floor today. NCH urges anyone who values political science research to contact your Senator’s office TODAY to ask them to vote against Coburn’s amendment.
As Congress returns from its summer recess in September it will have less than a month to pass 12 appropriations bills prior to the start of fiscal year 2010 on October 1. Despite the generally tight budget parameters for discretionary non-defense programs this year, federal programs of interest to the historical and archival communities would fare well under the FY 2010 budgets passed by the House and pending in the Senate.
