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(FWD) NCC Washington Update, Vol 6, #17, May 17, 2000



NCC Washington Update, Vol 6, #17, May 17, 2000
     by Page Putnam Miller <pagem@capaccess.org> and Bruce Craig
<Rbcraig3@juno.com> of the National Coordinating Committee for the
Promotion of History

1.   House  Interior Subcommittee Marks-up
        FY'2001 Budget
2.   Library of Congress and Martin Luther
        King Jr.'s Papers
3.   Permanent Funding for Historic Preservation
4.   Public Printer Expresses Dismay at Proposed Cuts
        for the Government Printing Office

1.  House Interior Subcommittee Marks-up FY'2001 Budget - Following
opening comments lamenting the budget caps established by the House
leadership, the House Interior Subcommittee sent to the full Interior
Appropriations Committee a $14.6 billion Interior Appropriations bill.
The mark-up provides:  $1.4 billion for the operations budget of the
National Park Service (a $61 million increase over last year);  level
funding of $115.26 million ($34.7 million below the President's request)
for the National Endowment for the Humanities;  level funding or $98
million ($58 million below the President's request) for the National
Endowment for the Arts;  level funding of $6.783 million for the Woodrow
Wilson Center; and level funding of $31.598 million for the state
historic preservation programs.  The overall FY-2001 subcommittee
recommendation is $1.7 billion below the President's budget request and
$302 million below the FY-2000 enacted level.

Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH), the chair of the Interior
Appropriations Subcommittee, noted that "this year's Interior bill was
very difficult to put together" and that the subcommittee's priority in
crafting the spending bill was first to meet land management agencies
critical operational needs and fixed costs. Another priority was to hold
the NEH, NEA and most other accounts to FY-2000 levels.

Representative Norman Dicks (D-WA), the Ranking Minority Member of the
subcommittee, and David Obey (D-WI), the Ranking Minority Member of the
Appropriations Committee, both commended Regula and staff for doing the
best that they could given budget limitations, but nevertheless, both
indicated their displeasure with the bill since it reflects an overall
cut over last year's funding levels. Obey declared the subcommittee mark
"woefully inadequate" and stated that unless two "irresponsible
provisions" are removed from the bill that it faces an almost certain
Presidential veto.  One of these provisions would block the President
from declaring and managing new national monuments. Rather than argue
over specific provisions or consider proposed amendments at the
subcommittee level, members decided to move the appropriations bill
forward to the full Committee where contested issues will be addressed
in greater detail. On a positive note, when reviewing the subcommittee
mark page by page, both Regula and Dicks commended Lee Hamilton of the
Wilson Center for his leadership and for the progress being made in that
agency. Dicks also expressed his continuing strong support for the NEH
and NEA and expressed his personal view that the full House would
probably support increases for the endowments. The House Appropriations
Committee is scheduled to consider the Interior Appropriations bill on
May 25.

2.  Library of Congress and Martin Luther King Jr.'s Papers - Several
pieces of legislation are pending before Congress that deal with the
purchase by the Library of Congress of the Martin Luther King Jr.
papers.  Two parallel bills, HR 2963 and S 1791, direct the Librarian of
Congress to purchase the papers of Martin Luther King Jr. from the King
estate and authorize the appropriation of "such sums as may be necessary
to carry out this Act."  The Senate bill, introduced in October by
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), passed by unanimous consent on
October 29, 1999.  There has been no action on the House bill which was
introduced last fall by Representatives James Clyburn (D-SC), J. C.
Watts (R- OK), and Cynthia McKinney (D-GA).  On February 10, 2000
Representatives Jim Leach (R-Iowa), Spencer Bachus (R-AL), and J. C.
Watts (R-OK) introduced HR 3633 which calls for a Martin Luther King Jr.
commemorative coin with all surcharges from the sale of the coin to be
used by the Library of Congress "for the purpose of securing" the King
papers.  Since no authorization legislation has been signed into law,
the appropriations committees have not, at this point, included any
funds for the purchase of the King papers in the FY 2001 budget.

Sotheby's auction house has appraised the papers at $30 million and
President Clinton's FY 2001 budget proposal to Congress included a $20
million line item for the purchase.  Recently several curators from the
Library of Congress visited the King Center for Nonviolent Social
Change, located in Atlanta, to review the collection.  Professor David
Garrow of Emory University, the author of the noted King biography,
"Bearing the Cross," has expressed grave reservations about the proposed
purchase. Garrow's main concerns are the precedent that this sets for
the Library of Congress and the impact that the withdrawal of the King
papers will have on the other papers at the King Center.  Paying such a
large sum for these papers could, Garrow believes, have a very negative
effect on the ability of the Library to acquire other collections, and
Garrow surmises that other papers at the King Center may be neglected
once the King papers are removed.  Garrow, who has used these papers,
says that much of the collection involves incoming correspondence and
that there are few documents in King's handwriting. A number of
historians and archivists express similar views to those held by Garrow
and conclude that it would be best if this legislation does not move
forward.

3.  Permanent Funding for Historic Preservation - Following 16 hours of
debate and consideration of 26 amendments, on May 11 the House of
Representatives passed HR 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, a
$45 billion environmental bill that include s $100 million for historic
preservation.  The bill, which passed by a vote of 312-102, directs the
government to spend some $3 billion a year for the next 15 years on a
wide variety of environmental and historic preservation programs. The
legislation is supported by over 4,000 organizations, by all 54
governors, and by President Clinton.  It is opposed by some lawmakers
who argue that H.R. 701 is too costly and that it infringes on private
property rights.  Fiscal conservatives and private property rights
supporters are expected to try to derail the measure when it comes
before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 14.

4.  Public Printer Expresses Dismay at Proposed Cuts for the Government
Printing Office - In a May 11 letter to Representative Charles Taylor
(R-NC), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations,
Michael DiMario, the Public Printer and the Head of the Government
Printing Office (GPO), presented a detailed and compeling case of the
negative impact of the subcommittee's recommendation of a 25 percent cut
for GPO.  DiMario concluded that the cuts will mean the elimination of
public access to a significant body of government information.  The cuts
will have, he said, a devastating effect on the Depository Library
Program, ending public access to numerous critically important
government information products including most congressional hearings.
Public Printer DiMario strongly urges the House Appropriations
Subcommittee to reconsider their funding recommendations for GPO.
Additional information on this issue is available at the American
Library Associations' web site at <http://www.ala.org/washoff>

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