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(FWD) NCC Washington Update, Vol 6, #5, February 16, 2000



NCC Washington Update, Vol 6, #5, February 16, 2000
   by Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating
      Committee for the Promotion of History <pagem@capaccess.org>

1.   NCC Board Selects Bruce Craig To Become
           New Executive Director
2.   Representative Bill Thomas Quashes Plans
           For a House Historian
3.   Summary of the President's FY 2001 Requests
           For Cultural Programs

1.  NCC Board Selects Bruce Craig To Become New Executive Director -
Arnita Jones, the Executive Director of the American Historical
Association and the Chair of the National Coordinating Committee for the
Promotion of History's Board, has announced the selection of Bruce Craig
as the NCC's new Executive Director to succeed Page Putnam Miller, who
is stepping down from the directorship after 20 years.  Craig, who is
currently the chief of resources management at the Gettysburg National
Military Park, will begin work at the NCC in the spring and will overlap
several months with Miller prior to her move at the end of June to South
Carolina, where she will teach at the University of South Carolina while
pursuing several writing projects.

After graduating from college in history and archaeology, Craig worked
for a year as an archives technician for the National Archives and
Records Administration, then for nine years in the National Park
Service.  He was twice the regional and once the national winner of the
NPS's "Outstanding National Park Interpreter of the Year" award.  During
that period he completed an MA in public historical studies from the
University of California at Santa Barbara.  From 1985 to 1994, he worked
for the National Parks and Conservation Association, where he had
responsibilities for supervising an eight-person lobbying staff. He won
the National Resources Council of America's "Outstanding Achievement
Award for Policy Activities" in 1989.  Subsequently he headed the
Conference of National Park Cooperating Associations and the National
Park Trust. In 1997 he assumed his present position, where he supervises
a professional staff of 10 with responsibilities for planning, providing
professional expertise in history, archeology, archival management, and
overseeing the agricultural program and landscape restoration
activities.

Craig received a PhD in History from American University in 1999.  As
part of his dissertation research, he sought access to the grand jury
records of Harry Dexter White.  This effort resulted in a landmark court
decision affirming that federal courts may unseal records for historical
research.  Following that decision, Craig played a major role in
preparing background material for a successful court petition from major
historical and archival organizations to gain access to the Alger Hiss
grand jury records. Craig is a graduate of the Seminar for Historical
Administration in Williamsburg and the Modern Archives Institute.
Currently he is finishing course work to be a certified historical
manuscript appraiser.

Jones notes that Craig brings a unique combination of experiences and
interests to this position and emphasizes how pleased the Board is that
Craig will be leading the NCC and that they look forward to working with
him in the coming years.  The NCC is most indebted to Richard Kohn, who
so ably headed the Search Committee through the six month process that
led to Craig's appointment.

2.  Representative Bill Thomas Quashes Plans For a House Historian -
Although the Clerk of House, Jeff Trandahl, had indicated at the
December meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress
that a proposal was being developed to re-establish the position of
House Historian, Representative Bill Thomas (R-CA), who chairs the House
Administration committee, has indicated that there are no plans to
recreate the position of Historian.  A recent article in the Hill, a
weekly publication that focuses on Congress, quotes staff for
Representative Thomas as saying that new technology has rendered the old
historian's office obsolete and that the Legislative Resource Center is
able to document the history of the House without a historian.  It thus
appears that earlier efforts by Trandahl to hire a historian have met
strong resistance from Representative Thomas, whose committee would have
to approve any changes in the organization and staffing of the
Legislative Resource Center.  Despite Thomas' opposition, there still
appears to be some support in the House for re-establishing the House
Historical Office.   But such an initiative will probably have to wait
until there is a new Congress. The position of Historian of the House
has been vacant since 1995.

3.  Summary of the President's FY 2001 Requests For Cultural Programs -
The President has requested in FY 2001:  $150 million, a 30 percent
increase over the current level of $115.260 million, for the National
Endowment for the Humanities;  $308.343 million for the National
Archives, a $77.755 million increase over the FY 2000 level of $230.588
million, with much of the new spending going toward a $88 million
renovation of the Archives building on Pennsylvania Avenue;  for the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission $6 million, down
from $6.25 million last year;  for the Office of Museum Services, the
museum component of the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the
proposed amount is $33.378 million, an increase of $9.07 million over
the current level of $24.3 million;  $396.8 million, up from $371.2
million in FY 2000 for the operating budget of the Smithsonian
Institution;  for the Woodrow Wilson Center an increase from $6.763
million to $7.310 million;  level funding of $31.598 million in FY 2001
for the State Historic Preservation fund which funds much of the work of
the State Historic Preservation Offices; the Save America's Treasures
program, a special three year millennium initiative, is slated to
receive $30 million, the same as in FY 1999 and FY 2000.  James
Billington, the Librarian of Congress has requested an FY 2001 budget
for the Library of Congress of $428.1 million, an 11 percent increase
over the current funding level.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** *  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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