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(FWD) NCC Washington Update, Vol. 6, #8, March 17, 2000



NCC Washington Update, Vol 6, #8, March 17, 2000
   by Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating
      Committee for the Promotion of History <pagem@capaccess.org>

1.    New Head of the Smithsonian Emphasizes
         Loaning Objects and Repairing Buildings
2.    National Archives Seeks Comments In Updating
          Strategic Plan and Appraising Census Records
3.    Support for Permanent Funding for Historic
          Preservation

1.  New Head of the Smithsonian Emphasizes Loaning Objects and Repairing
Buildings - On March 8 Lawrence Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution, testified before the House Interior Appropriations
Subcommittee on the 2001 budget request.  Although Small assumed his
duties at the Smithsonian less than two months ago, he spent the four
months prior to his installation learning as much as he could about the
history and traditions of the  Smithsonian.  The fundamental lesson, he
said, that he learned was that the Smithsonian is a monument to the
Americans curiosity about the entire world and particularly to Americans
curiosity about themselves.  "No other institution, anywhere," he said
"documents America and the American people so comprehensively."

Because Small is "convinced of the incomparable power of the Smithsonian
to engage Americans in experiencing their history and their cultural and
scientific heritage," he is advocating that the Smithsonian expand its
audiences by loaning its objects.  "We should lend objects," he said "to
any museum in the United States that can responsibly receive and care
for them."  He notes that the Smithsonian has it its collections some
141 million objects and fewer than 2 percent of them can be on display
at any one time.  A second theme that Small emphasized in his testimony
was the "shabby" state of the Smithsonian's physical facilities.  "The
buildings are emblems of the nation.  They should," he said "inspire
awe, and they should shine.  I am committed to making them shine."
Small concluded by stating that the FY2001 budget request was formulated
prior to his arrival.  While he agreed with the overall priorities, he
said he would be seeking approval and support for realigning portions of
the base funding.

2.  National Archives Seeks Comments In Updating Strategic Plan and
Appraising Census Records - The Government Performance and Results Act
requires that federal agencies update every three years their strategic
plan.  The Archives plans later this spring to invite constituent groups
to meetings for hearing formal comments on updating the strategic plan.
Later this summer the National Archives plans to post an official
version of the updated plan for comment. However, at the beginning of
this process, Archivist John Carlin has said that the Archives would
welcome comments and suggestions of ways that the 1997 plan should be
revised. The plan may be seen on the Archives' web site at
<http://www.nara.gov/nara/vision/strategic_directions.html>

The National Archives is also seeking comments on its comprehensive
appraisal schedule for the records of the 2000 Decennial Census.  This
request appears in the March 6, 2000 Federal Register on page 11807.
The deadline for comment in April 20.  You may see the revised schedule
and appraisal report on the National Archives web site at
<http://www.nara.gov/records/schedules/census2.html>

3.  Support for Permanent Funding for Historic Preservation - A number
of bills are now working their way through the legislative process that
would provide permanent and increased funding for historic preservation.
These bills build on the 35 year old Land and Water Conservation Fund
Act which requires that a portion of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas
lease revenues be used to protect other non-renewable resources
including historic resources, public lands, parks, marine and coastal
resources, and fish and wildlife.  H.R. 701, the Conservation and
Reinvestment Act of 1999, which currently has over 300 co-sponsors,
earmarks $100 million for the Historic Preservation Fund.  On February
16 the House Resources Committee in House Report 106-499, Part 1
recommended -- in a vote of 37 to 12 -- this bill for floor action. The
House Resources Committee has referred the bill to the House Agriculture
and Budget Committees, with March deadlines for their consideration.
Thus H.R. 701 will not be brought to the floor for a vote before April.

On the Senate side, a number of bills have been introduced that deal
with historic and natural resources funding.  On September 9 Senator Joe
Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 1573 the Natural Resources and
Reinvestment Act of 1999 that provides for full and permanent funding
for the Historic Preservation Fund.  On February 29, Senator Mary
Landrieu (D-LA) introduced S. 2123, the Conservation and Reinvestment
Act, which is a parallel bill to H.R. 701.  Landrieu stressed the many
hours of bipartisan work that had gone into arriving at what she
considered the balanced compromises in H.R. 701.  She said that she was
introducing the House bill to move the process along for she asserted
that it would be irresponsible for the Congress not to pass legislation
to ensure that a portion of the proceeds from oil and gas are used for
these conservation and enhancement purposes.

On March 6 Senator Jeff Bingaman introduced S. 2181, the Conservation
and Stewardship Act.  Bingaman's bill focuses on the need to provide
permanent funding for conservation and historic preservation programs at
the authorized levels.  He notes that the appropriations from the
Historic Preservation Fund have lagged far behind the $150 million that
is annually credited to the fund.  His bill, like the Lieberman bill,
requires that the authorized amount of $150 million be appropriated each
year.  Bingaman's bill specifies that of the $150 million that half be
available to States, tribes, and local governments to allow them to
better carry out their responsibilities under the National Historic
Preservation Act. S.2181 also includes a provision to provide $15
million per year for the American Battlefield Protection Program and
$150 million annually for a new National Park System Resource Protection
Fund to help the National Park System deal with the significant threats
to its natural, cultural and historic resources.

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