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(Fwd) NCC Washington Update, Vol 7, #23, June 8, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #23, June 8, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of the National Coordinating Committee for
the Promotion of History
*****************

1.   Bush Nominations: Florida State Park Director to Head National Park
Service; IMLS Director Named
2.   House Interior Appropriation Subcommittee Action: No Increase for
Endowments
3.   Administration Holds Up Release of Reagan Papers
4.   OAH Expresses Concern Over Smithsonian Donation
5.   Judge Refuses to Halt WWII Mall Memorial
6.   News Bits and Bytes: Comments Sought on NARA Proposed Privacy Rule;
Smithsonian Donation


1.   BUSH NOMINATIONS: FLORIDA STATE PARK DIRECTOR TO HEAD NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE; IMLS DIRECTOR NAMED
On June 4, 2001, President Bush named Florida's Director of the Division of
Recreation and Parks, Fran Mainella, to be the new Director of the National
Park Service.  Once sworn in, Mainella will be the first women ever to serve
in the post.

Mainella has been head of the Florida state parks for 12 years and is a
seasoned professional. She possesses a Master of Arts degree and has more
than thirty years park-related experience.  She has served as past president
of both the National Association of State Park Directors and the National
Recreation and Park Association.

The Florida state park system consists of 153 units.  Like the National Park
system, the Florida system is composed of a diverse resource base and
includes natural, recreational, archeological and historical areas. Mainella
presently has supervision over eight bureaus, two offices, and 1000 employees.

Two days later, on June 6, 2001, the White House nominated Robert S. Martin
as Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  The
nomination, like the NPS Director position, requires Senate approval. Speedy
approval of Martin's nomination is hoped for by the library community.

Martin is a Professor and Interim Director of the School of Library and
Information Studies at Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas. Previously
he served as Professor and as Associate Dean of Special Collections at
Louisiana State University (1991-1995) and as Director and Librarian of the
Texas State Library and Archives Commission (1995 to 1999).

2.   HOUSE INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ACTION: NO INCREASE FOR
ENDOWMENTS
The appropriations cycle now begins in earnest!  On June 7, House
appropriators began consideration of the first of 13 annual departmental
spending bills.  Lawmakers who sit on the House Appropriations Subcommittee
on Interior and Related Agencies unanimously approved a $18.9 billion dollar
spending bill that represents a 4.4% increase over the figures proposed by
President Bush.

In spite of small to modest increases for some agencies and bureaus, the
subcommittee voted to support the President's spending proposal designed to
maintain current spending levels for the nation's two cultural endowments,
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment
for the Arts (NEA). If subcommittee recommendations are approved by the
Appropriations Committee and the full House, the NEH will get $120.3 million
in FY-2002 and the NEA would realize $105 million. The House Committee on
Appropriations may vote on the spending bill next week.

Historically, the House has voted to keep the endowments funding flat while
the Senate has spearheaded efforts for increases.  In each of the last two
fiscal years, the NEH has received a $5 million thanks largely to the Senate.
Democrats on the House panel could not predict whether lawmakers would find
additional money for the endowment this next year.  Hill insiders believe
that House Democrats may try for an increase but more likely, if the
endowments are to experience increases, it will once again probably be up to
lawmakers in the now Democrat controlled Senate.

In considering other aspects of the President's Interior proposals, the House
panel did reject a prominent part of President Bush's environmental agenda.
The President's language relating to endangered species (considered overly
"restrictive" by environmental groups) and his proposed language relating to
cuts in oil and gas research and development were both stripped out of the
bill.  Extra money was earmarked for energy conservation research and land
conservation programs.

The President's proposals for the National Park Service survived relatively
intact except with respect to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The subcommittee recommended LWCF funding of $150 million plus $4 million for
administration of the program, down by $296 million from the President's
request of $450 million.  The subcommittee approved a  budget that overall is
$233 million below the President's bureau request, however, various park
programs would see slight increases.

Approximately $340 million ($9.4 million more than the President's request)
was approved to begin to address the multi-billion dollar park maintenance
backlog.  The subcommittee approved a $30 million add-on for urban parks
program (UPAR) and the House panel increased the "Operations" portion of the
President's request by $1, 480,3000,000; this represents a $31.8 million
increase over the Administration's request.

For historic preservation, the subcommittee recommended $39 million for the
stateside program, $3 million for tribal governments, and $30 million for the
"Save America's Treasurers" initiative. There also is a special $5 million
grant for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. All of these figures
may change when the proposal is considered by the House Appropriations
Committee.

3.  ADMINISTRATION HOLDS UP RELEASE OF REAGAN PAPERS
The White House counsel's office has asked the National Archives to delay the
release of thousands of pages of historical records relating to the
presidency of Ronald Reagan. Confidential memos, letters, and briefing papers
are among the 68,000 pages of records requested to be withheld.

The documents are the first scheduled to be released under the Presidential
Records Act of 1978.  That law provides for a twelve-year moratorium for the
release of certain presidential records including "confidential
communications requesting or submitting advice between the president and his
advisers, or between such advisors."  On January 20 that moratorium expired.
President Reagan's Executive Order 12667 (16 January 1989), however, gives an
incumbent President cart blanch authority to invoke "executive privilege"
concerning any and all proposed openings. At this point, the White House
counsel's office has merely asked for a "delay" until June 21 in order to
give government lawyers time to look at the files before researchers do.
According to the White House press office, "We've asked for a short extension
in order for the documents to undergo a legal review at the Justice
Department."

Hill insiders believe the White House is worried about what some of President
Reagan's top aides (some of whom are in the Bush administration today - for
example, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Budget Director Mitchell
Daniels) and Reagan's Vice-President George W. Bush (the present President's
father), might have written in the 1980s.  According to some historians,
Reagan's Executive Order, in essence, provides for a "presidential
nullification" of the Presidential Records Act.  American University
historian Anna Nelson says, "I think this is part of that everlasting fear
that somebody did something in the past that they can't remember.  I think
they're trying to protect their own people."  The White House press office
denies allegations that the President is trying to protect his aides.

Should the President ultimately invoke executive privilege for any or all of
the records, according to the Reagan Executive Order, "the Archivist shall
abide by any instructions given him by the incumbent President or his
designee unless otherwise directed by a court order."

4.  OAH EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER SMITHSONIAN DONATION
In a June 7, 2002, letter to the Smithsonian Board of Regents, the
Organization of American Historians (OAH), the largest professional
association of scholars and teachers of the American past, expressed concern
about recent developments at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of
American History.  Specifically, the OAH called upon the Regents "to review
and reconsider the recent agreement with Catherine B. Reynolds respecting the
establishment of a Hall of Fame for American Achievers."

In the letter, the OAH reasserted the need for the Smithsonian to abide by
the History Exhibit Standards (adopted by the OAH in April 2000) that
provides that exhibits "meet the highest scholarly criteria."  The letter
also expresses support for the staff of the National Museum of American
History in their recent effort to uphold the exhibit standards (see related
story in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #22, June 1, 2001).

In the coming weeks, other historical and scholarly associations including
the American Historical Association are expected to consider various action
alternatives regarding recent developments at the Smithsonian.

5.  JUDGE REFUSES TO HALT WWII MALL MEMORIAL
A last ditch effort to stop construction of the planned World War II memorial
on the Mall in Washington D.C. failed when a federal judge rejected arguments
advanced by memorial opponents who had requested a restraining order designed
to delay the awarding of the first of a series of memorial building
contracts.  In their lawsuit, the National Coalition to Save Our Mall and the
World War II Veterans to Save the Mall argued that the recently enacted
legislation (P.L.107-11) was unconstitutional because it encroaches on the
judiciary branch's powers.  They also argued that if construction was allowed
to proceed "irreparable harm" would result.

U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. ruled that the opponents did not
prove their assertions thus clearing the way for the American Battle
Monuments Commission to sign a $56 million construction contract with
Tompkins Builders and Grunley-Walsh Construction, a joint venture. Within
hours of the court ruling, the Commission signed the contracts to commence
the first phase of construction. Opponents of the project vowed to press on
and move the case to a federal appeals court as quickly as possible.

6.  BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1 - NARA Rule: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
has published a proposed rule updating Privacy Act regulations. The proposed
rule will affect individuals and entities seeking access or disclosure of
information contained in NARA Privacy Act systems of records and subject
individuals covered by NARA Privacy Act system. The proposed rule specifies
how NARA collects, maintains and uses personal information collected and
maintained by NARA and defunct agencies under the Privacy Act. Comments on
the rule are due no later than August 6, 2001. The proposed rule is posted on
the NARA website: <http://www.nara.gov/nara//pubcom.html>.

Item #2 - Smithsonian Gift: On June 5, 2001 the National Museum of the
American Indian received a $10 million gift from the Mohegan tribe of
Connecticut.  The gift will be used to help offset some of the anticipated
$30 million construction costs. According to Smithsonian officials, "This
gift signals the strong support that the museum has consistently had from
Native communities."  Unlike the majority of recent large donations to the
Smithsonian, the tribes donation comes with no strings attached.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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