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NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #9, February 28, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #9, February 28, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of  the National Coordinating Committee
for the Promotion of History
*****************

1.  President Addresses Congress and Submits Budget
2   Legislation Introduced: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center;
Steel Industry National Historical Park; Louisiana Purchase Commission;
"Peopling" Theme Study; CARA
3.  NEH Grants
4.  $50 Million History Education Grants Update
5.  News Bits and Bytes: Freedman Records Available; NARA Positions
Announced; Endangered Battlefields Report Released; Women's History Reports
Available.

1.  PRESIDENT ADDRESSES CONGRESS AND SUBMITS BUDGET
In an address to the nation on February 28, 2001, President George W. Bush
outlined for Congress and the American people his FY-2002 budget proposal.
Included is a promised $1.6 trillion tax cut and a balanced budget.

Under the President's plan entitled, "A Blueprint for New Beginnings: A
Responsible Budget for America's Priorities," the Department of Education
would realize an 11% increase in its budget - the largest increase of all
the Executive departments. Among other items, the President proposed adding
$5 billion over the next five years to help every child in American learn to
read. The President also spoke about the need for teacher and student
"accountability," and he addressed the issue of "teaching to the test."  The
President said, "Critics of testing contend it distracts from learning.
They talk about "teaching to the test." But lets put that logic to the test.
If you test a child on basic math and reading skills, and you are "teaching
to the test" you are teaching math and reading.  That's the whole idea."

When Congress begins to scrutinize the Bush budget proposal, Capitol Hill
insiders expect that the Interior Department, will be expected to take deep
cuts (perhaps 5 - 7% of the agency's total budget); the Bureau of Land
Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service may see even deeper cuts -
perhaps between 15-20% of their present budgets.  Secretary of Interior Gale
Norton, however,  has promised that the National Park Service (NPS) would
not see dramatic cuts, but rather, the NPS may realize increases in some
budget categories. Norton has promised to make good on the President's
campaign promise to begin to clear the $5 billion backlog of work needed to
improve the national parks.

With respect to the National Endowment for the Humanities, last year,
Congress opted to boost the NEH budget. (Previously, the NEH budget was flat
funded at $110 million, down nearly 40% from the FY-1995 appropriation high
of $177 million.)  In FY-2001, the NEH budget total was increased $5 million
to  $120.26 million.  This year, however, the President's budget is expected
to recommend "flat funding" for the NEH.  Realizing a funding increase for
the NEH is expected to prove challenging this year.
In FY-2002, the National Archives will be moving forward on a number of
initiatives of special interest to the historical community. An increasing
amount of government agency work is being handled electronically, hence,
there is special concern among archivists and historians about funding
levels for the identification, preservation, and eventual access to
electronic records. During the appropriations process, the
historical/archival community will need to stand ready to inform Congress of
the resources necessary to enable this agency to meet its legal mandates. Of
special interest this year is the effort by historians and archivists to
raise the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
funding for its grants program to its full funding level of $10 million.

2.  LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
Several pieces of legislation of interest to the historical/archival
profession have been recently introduced.  They include:

VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL - On February 7, 2001, legislation was introduced
in both the House (H.R. 510) and Senate (S. 281) to authorize the design and
construction of a temporary education center at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in the District of Columbia. The House bill was introduced by
Representative John Murtha (D-PA) and the Senate bill by Senator Chuck Hagel
(R-NE).  The legislation seeks to authorize the construction of a 1,200
square foot "temporary" structure (the building would remain for ten years
at which time Congress would reevaluate the continuing need for the center)
to replace an aging National Park Service visitor center presently located
on the site.  Funds for the structure would be provided by The Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund Inc.

STEEL INDUSTRY NHP - Representative Michael F. Doyle (D-PA) introduced
legislation (H.R. 635) to establish the Steel Industry National Historical
Park in the boroughs of Munhall, Swissvale, and Rankin, Pennsylvania.  Among
the sites included are the United States Steel Homestead Works, the Carrie
Furnace complex, and the Hot Metal Bridge. Several of the sites possess
national significance and according to the legislation's sponsor, "may be
lost without the assistance of the federal government."

LOUISIANA PURCHASE COMMISSION - Senator Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA) has
introduced legislation (S. 356) to establish a National Commission on the
Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1803, Congress paid France $15
million for western lands that at the time virtually doubled the size of the
United States.  The legislation seeks to celebrate the event in 2003 by
"enhancing public understanding of the impact of westward expansion on the
society of the United States" and by "providing lessons for continued
democratic governance in the United States."

As drafted, the legislation seeks to authorize a 24-member Commission (12
Republicans and 12 Democrats) who would be appointed by the President and
the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate. The legislation
does not specify that any member need have historical expertise but rather
merely, "have demonstrated a strong sense of public service, expertise in
the appropriate professions, scholarship and abilities likely to contribute
to the fulfillment of the duties of the Commission." In addition, the
governments of France and Spain would each have the right to appoint a
non-voting member to the Commission.  The Commission, may, however, appoint
such advisory committees as it deems necessary.

The professionally staffed Commission would be charged to plan, develop, and
coordinate activities throughout the United States and internationally. It
would coordinate activities developed by various federal departments and
agencies, would consult with tribal, state, local and foreign governments,
and schools and colleges and private organizations whose activities would:
"commemorate or examine the history of the Louisiana Territory; the
negotiations of the Louisiana Purchase, voyages of discovery, frontier
movements, and westward expansion of the United States."

One year after the enactment of the legislation, the Commission would issue
a report and make recommendations for the production of books, films and
other educational materials, suggest bibliographical and documentary
projects, conferences, lectures and seminars, traveling exhibitions,
ceremonies and celebrations and consider issuing commemorative coins,
medals, and stamps. Total funding for the project is not to exceed $4
million dollars.

"PEOPLING" THEME STUDY - On February 14, 2001, Senator Daniel K. Akaka
(D-Hawaii) introduced legislation (S. 329) - "The Peopling of America Theme
Study Act," directing the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a theme
study to identify, interpret, and preserve sites relating to the migration,
immigration and settling of America.   In the 106th Congress, the Senate
conducted hearings and passed similar legislation (S. 2478).  The Senate
measure was referred to the House Committee on Resources but because of the
press of business at the close of Congress, the House did not act on the
measure.

Akaka introduced the legislation noting that "All Americans were originally
travelers from other lands.  Whether we came to this country as native
peoples, English colonists or African slaves, or as Mexican ranchers, or
Chinese merchants, the process by which our nation was peopled transformed
us from strangers from different shores into neighbors unified in our
inimitable diversity -- Americans all."  It is Akaka's hope that the study
which will focus on immigration, migration and settlement of the United
States will serve as a springboard for the preservation and interpretation
of several significant properties.  The National Park Service, supports the
study and the enactment of the legislation.

In preparing the theme study, the legislation calls on the NPS to establish
linkages to "maximize opportunities for public education and scholarly
research" by entering into cooperative agreements with state and local
governments, educational institutions, professional organizations, local
historical organizations or other appropriate entities to prepare the study
and/or preserve and interpret key sites.  These entities would assist the
NPS to prepare the theme study in accordance with generally accepted
scholarly standards.

CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT (CARA) - Representative Don Young (R-AK)
has introduced legislation (H.R. 701) to create permanent funding levels for
a broad spectrum of conservation and preservation programs. The bill has the
same number (H.R. 701) as last year's CARA measure that was derailed shortly
before the end of the 106th Congress (see NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, vol 6, #34,
October 5, 2000).  As with the legislation that was hotly debated in the
106th Congress, Young's bill seeks to use royalties from Outer Continental
Shelf Oil and gas production to establish a fund for conservation and
preservation of heritage resources.  Among its various provisions, the bill
grants the Secretary of the Interior $160 million annually for historic
preservation purposes.

3.  NEH GRANTS:
The National Endowment for the Humanities has issued a document "NEH Grant
Programs 2000-2001" - in both a print and on-line versions that consolidates
all the NEH grant programs in one place. With this catalog, it is now
possible to identify the best NEH program to match a specific project. One
can obtain the necessary guidelines on how to apply for a specific grant,
get copies of grant forms, and obtain information on how to get assistance
from the NEH. For a hard copy, call (202) 606-8400, or, for the on-line
version, tap into: http://www.neh.gov/grants/onebook.html

The NEH is also interested in comments and suggestions on how to streamline
and improve the grant application process. Issues being currently considered
include increasing the electronic processing of applications, developing
common application forms, and simplifying grant application and reporting
requirements. Please take a moment to fill out and send to the NEH - by the
March 19 deadline - an on-line "who we are" questionnaire accessible through
the NEH home page pop-up box at: <http://www.neh.gov/>.

4.  $50 MILLION HISTORY EDUCATION GRANTS UPDATE
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) reports that it is receiving 5-10
inquiries each day from history organizations, schools, and colleges about
the $50 million history education grant program that was authorized in last
year's DOE budget. Consequently, the DOE has established a mailbox for
inquiries concerning the teaching American history grants.  The address is:
mailto:TeachingAmericanHistory@ed.gov

Requests for information should include the contact person's name, mailing
address, phone number, fax number, and E-mail address. A web site is
presently under construction and should be up and running soon.

5.  NEWS BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1- Freedman Records: The Mormon Church has published records from the
post Civil War Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, a bank established for
newly freed slaves in 1865.  The records of 480,000 black Americans that now
are available in a searchable database have been available through the
National Archives for years, but not in any organized form. The Mormon
Church's eleven-year project links the names of former slaves who made
deposits in the bank with other family information such as birth locations
of freed slaves and names of former owners. The records are expected to help
between 8 - 10 million African-Americans research their family histories.

Item # 2 - National Archives Positions: The National Archives and Records
Administration invites applications for two important positions in that
agency: Director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, Texas, and
Assistant Archivist for Regional Records Services based in College Park,
Maryland.  Both positions are Senior Executive Service appointments within
the federal government with salaries in the plus-$100,000 range.  For
additional information and application forms, phone (301) 713-6760 or tap
into NARA's web site: <http://www.nara.gov>.

Item #3 - Endangered Battlefields: On February 27, 2001, the Civil War
Preservation Trust pared down a list of 384 battlefields in 26 states to ten
"most endangered" Civil War battlefields in the country.  The sites include
relatively obscure battle sites such as Aldie and Middleburg in Virginia to
well known battlefields including Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and Harpers
Ferry in West Virginia. Urban sprawl is the number one threat the report
says. The complete report entitled "America's Most Endangered Battlefields"
may be found at the Civil War Trust's website:
<http://www.civilwar.org/topten/report.html>.

Item #4 - Women's History Reports: The President's Commission on the
Celebration of Women in American History has issued three publications:
"Women's History is Everywhere: 10 Ideas for Celebrating In Communities,"
"Honoring Our Past," (a year 2000 report and recommendations on how best to
acknowledge and celebrate the roles and accomplishments of women in American
history) and a similar report issued in March 1999 entitled "Celebrating
Women's History."  For copies or more information, write: President's
Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History, U.S. GSA,
Department of Communications, 1800 F Street NW, Washington D.C. 20405.

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