On July 10, 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to markup the Financial Services and General Government fiscal year 2009 bill that includes funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Recently, the House Appropriations Committee approved a funding bill that provides the NHPRC with its highest funding level in five years. We want to ensure that the Senate follows suit and provides the NHPRC with $10 million for grants and $2 million for administrative expenses in FY ’09.
On June 25, 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a Labor, Health and Human Services and Education fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget bill that includes $120 million in funding for the Teaching American History (TAH) grants program at the U.S. Department of Education. This reflects a $2.1 million increase over the FY 2008 funding level of $117.9 million. The Committee rejected the Bush administration’s request that the program be cut to $50 million.
On June 26, 2008, the House Homeland Security Committee passed two bills designed to facilitate public access to unclassified records. One of the bills (H.R. 6193) is designed to implement and expand upon the Bush administration’s directive on the use of “controlled unclassified information (CUI).”
Responding to a petition filed in January by several leading U.S. historical and archival associations for the release of grand jury records from the 1951 indictment of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, federal prosecutors in New York conceded that a substantial portion of the grand jury materials could be made public after more than 55 years.
The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) recently released its annual Report to the President profiling data about the Government-wide security classification for fiscal year (FY) 2007. The Report is accessible on the ISOO website by clicking here.
Recently, both the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) have announced the availability of disaster recovery assistance for cultural, historical and archival institutions in the flood ravaged Midwest.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington recently announced he will award the fourth John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity on Dec. 10, 2008. Nominations will be accepted until July 15. To learn more about the selection process and how to submit nominations, visit the Kluge Prize website by clicking here.
On June 25, 2008, the House Appropriations Committee cleared the Financial Services and General Government fiscal year 2009 appropriations bill that includes funding for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA received $423.8 million, a significant $23.6 million increase over the FY ’08 enacted amount of $400.2 million and $31.7 million more than the President’s request for FY ’09.
On June 25, 2008, the House Appropriations Committee cleared the Financial Services and General Government fiscal year (FY) 2009 appropriations bill that includes funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The NHPRC not only staved off elimination, but received its fully authorized amount of $10 million (plus $2 million for administrative costs) for the first time since FY 2004.
On July 10, 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to markup the Financial Services and General Government fiscal year 2009 bill that includes funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Recently, the House Appropriations Committee approved a funding bill that provides the NHPRC with its highest funding level in five years. We want to ensure that the Senate follows suit and provides the NHPRC with $10 million for grants and $2 million for administrative expenses in FY ’09.
