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(FWD) NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #29, July 12, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #29, July 12, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of  the National Coordinating Committee
for the Promotion of History
*****************

1.  House Subcommittee Acts on National Archives/NHPRC Budget Proposal
2.  House Passes Brown v. Board Education 50th Anniversary Commission
Legislation
3.  Support Sought for National Education Museum and Archive Proposal (H.R.
1569)
4.  Legislation Introduced: National Heritage Area Criteria; "Peopling" Theme
Study
5.  Tasini Case Update: Writers Group Files Suit
6.  AASLH/American Studies Association Pen Letters to Smithsonian Regents:
Fish and Wildlife Service Reopens Investigation of Smithsonian Secretary's
Private Collection
7.  News Bits and Bytes: Lincoln Flag Authenticated; NCC Intern Announcements

1.  HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ACTS ON NATIONAL ARCHIVES/NHPRC BUDGET PROPOSAL
Congress returned to work after the Independence Day recess and began to
address an ambitious schedule in both the House and Senate. The Senate is
expected to take up the FY 2002 Interior Appropriations bill and hopefully,
later in the month, the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government
appropriations measure.

On July 11, 2001, the House Treasury, Postal Service and General Government
Appropriations Subcommittee approved a spending bill for the National
Archives and National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Details
are sketchy and exact line item budget figures are officially embargoed until
next Tuesday when the full Committee is expected to act on the Subcommittee
recommendations.

Capitol Hill insiders report that - assuming the full Committee accepts the
Subcommittee figures - the historical and archival community will, in
general, be pleased with the budget figures for both the National Archives
and the NHPRC.  The only budget number that has been officially reported out
of the Subcommittee is an increase of $19 million (for a total of $22.3
million) for the National Archives electronic records archives initiative.

2.  HOUSE PASSES BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION 50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMISSION
LEGISLATION
On June 27, 2002, by a vote of 414 to 2, the House of Representatives passed
legislation (H.R. 2133) establishing a commission for the purpose of
encouraging and providing for the commemoration of the Supreme Court
decision, Brown v. Board of Education.  That landmark case, handed down by
the Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, ruled that the discriminatory nature of
racial segregation violated the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that
guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law.  The decision
effectively ended the long-held "separate but equal" doctrine in U.S.
education.

Introduced by Rep. Jim Ryun (R-KS) on behalf of the Kansas Congressional
delegation, the legislation seeks to establish a commission to plan and
coordinate activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decision
which will fall on May 17, 2004. The bill now goes to the Senate Committee on
the Judiciary for action by that body.

As envisioned in the legislation, the commission would work in conjunction
with the Department of Education to plan and coordinate public education
activities such as public lectures, writing contests, and other initiatives.
The commission would also work in cooperation with the Brown Foundation for
Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research in Topeka, Kansas.

One unusual authority granted the commission is, upon completion of its work,
the power to accept and transfer or dispose of books, manuscripts,
miscellaneous printed matter, memorabilia, relics or other materials donated
to the commission which relate to the Brown decision.  Items to be retained
will be placed in the Brown Foundation Collection at the Spencer Research
Library at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.  The legislation
provides that if there are materials that should be disposed of, the
commission must to consult with the Librarian of Congress and gain the
express consent of the Brown Foundation and the Brown v. Board of Education
National Historic Site (a unit of the National Park Service) before disposing
of any such items.

3.  SUPPORT SOUGHT FOR NATIONAL EDUCATION MUSEUM AND ARCHIVE PROPOSAL (H.R.
1569)
On April 24, 2001, Rep. Major R. Owens (D-NY) introduced legislation (H.R.
1569) to "establish a commission to study the establishment of a national
education museum and archive for the United States."  The legislation has
been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce,
Subcommittee on Select Education.

Supporters of the legislation ultimate goal is the establishment of a museum
and archive in Washington, DC devoted to the history of education.  The
National Education Museum & Archive Project (NEMA) comprises two elements: a)
creation of a historical museum where educational artifacts would be
preserved and presented to the public, covering a broad range of educational
forms--public and private, formal and informal, from pre-school through
post-secondary education; and b) establishment of an archive/study center
where the documentary record of our educational past can be stored and made
available to researchers from the U.S. and abroad, through traditional
on-site methods as well as computer-based modes of access.  As envisioned,
the museum and archive would be created and maintained through a combination
of public and private funds.

Organizations and institutions that have given their endorsements to the
legislation include the American Federation of Teachers and the History of
Education Society and support is pending from the National Education
Association and the National School Boards Association.  Also giving their
endorsement are a growing number of education deans, historians, and
archivists at leading institutions across the nation, including the Brookings
Institution, Catholic University of America, University of Chicago, George
Washington University, Howard University, University of Illinois, University
of Maryland, University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, Stanford
University, Washington University (St. Louis), and University of Virginia.
Early leaders in the development of the project include Barbara Finkelstein
(University of Maryland), Stanley Ikenberry (Past President, American Council
of Education), Barbara Smith (former Director of Libraries at the Smithsonian
Institution), David Tyack (Stanford University), and Maris Vinovskis
(University of Michigan).

The project organizers encourage interested individuals and organizations to
request more detailed information and/or email updates from the NEMA Project
Coordinator, Prof. Henry C. Johnson, Jr., at P.O. Box 1397, State College, PA
16804; e-mail: hcj4@psu.edu.  Support for this broad-based effort is welcome
in the form of endorsements, letters to legislators urging their support, and
assistance with publicity and other tasks.

4.  LEGISLATION INTRODUCED: NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA CRITERIA; "PEOPLING" THEME
STUDY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS:
On June 28, 2001, Rep Joel Hefley (R-C) Chairman of the House Subcommittee on
National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands, introduced legislation (H.R.
2388) designed to establish the criteria and mechanism for the designation
and support of national heritage areas.

National heritage areas are places in the United States that contain
significant natural, historic and cultural resources, and recreational and
educational amenities that are geographically assembled and thematically
related that provide unique frameworks for understanding the diverse
character of the United States but do not necessarily deserve national park
designation or require extensive federal land ownership. Originally conceived
as a means to provide an influx of federal funds to enhance the quality of
life to communities, with the proliferation of such areas, the legislation
seeks to establish a criteria and mechanism for logical designation of such
areas.

The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to annually submit to
Congress a prioritization of areas requiring feasibility studies. The bill
also authorizes a 50% federal funding match for such studies, and establishes
criteria for concluding such an area is appropriate for designation. The
legislation also details guidelines for grant support, technical assistance
to local coordinating entities, and guidelines for the preparation of general
management plans. The bill seeks a $10 million annual appropriation to
support grants and technical assistance.

The subcommittee of jurisdiction has requested  "Executive Comment" from the
Interior Department on the legislation; a hearing on the bill is expected to
take place later this year.

PEOPLING THEME STUDY:
On June 28, 2001 Rep. Mark E. Souder (R-IN) introduced legislation (H.R.
2420) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a national
historic landmark theme study relating to the "peopling" of America. The bill
is companion legislation to Senator Daniel Akaka's (D-HI) bill (S. 329) that
authorizes the National Park Service to conduct such a study documenting
migration, immigration, and settlement ("peopling") of the United States.
Similar legislation was introduced in the 106th Congress but failed to be
enacted prior to the end of that Congress (see NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 6,
#36, October 20, 2000).

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has conducted hearings
on Akaka's bill and has issued a report (S. Rept. 107-24) on the measure; the
bill has been placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar and action is pending
by the full Senate.

Both legislative measures direct the Secretary of the Interior to identify
regions, areas, trails, districts, communities, sites, buildings, structures,
objects, organizations, societies, and cultures that "best illustrate and
commemorate key events or decisions affecting the peopling of America" and
secondly, such areas that can "provide a basis for the preservation and
interpretation of the theme as relates to the shaping of American culture and
society."  The measure authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative
agreements with educational institutions, professional associations, and
other entities to prepare the study and to promote cooperative arrangements
and programs relating to the peopling of America.  The legislation authorizes
"such funds as
are necessary" to carry out the Act.

5. TASINI CASE UPDATE: WRITERS GROUP FILE SUIT
The Author's Guild, a group representing book authors and free-lance writers,
has filed a lawsuit against the New York Times and several database providers
in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in the New York Times v. Tasini
case.  In that case, the Supreme Court ordered the case sent back to a lower
court for hearings to decide what remedies should be taken for the copyright
infringements.  The group is seeking class-action status to represent all
freelance writers whose work was used by the Times without permission.

6. AASLH/AMERICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION PEN LETTERS TO SMITHSONIAN REGENTS;
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE REOPENS INVESTIGATION OF SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY'S
PRIVATE COLLECTION
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) and the American
Studies Association (ASA) are the latest national organizations to officially
go on record expressing their "concerns regarding the conception and initial
development" of the "Spirit of America" hall of achievers exhibit funded by
the Catherine Reynolds Foundation proposed for the National Museum of
American History.

The AASLH urged the Smithsonian Regents, "to be especially vigilant in the
months ahead in your attention to the process that will bring this exhibition
and program from concept to reality." The ASA stated that "professional staff
should determine the format, topic, content of Smithsonian exhibitions or
collections, not the representatives of private donors." The ASA also urged
the Smithsonian "to make public its agreements with the Catherine B. Reynolds
Foundation and other donors and to revise those agreements as necessary to
ensure that its agreements uphold the essential principles of curatorial
control and interpretative integrity."

The AASLH and ASA join the American Anthropological Association, the American
Association of Museums, the American Historical Association, the American
Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, the National
Council on Public History, the Organization of American Historians, and
several other groups in expressing concern about recent developments at the
Smithsonian Institution.

On a related front, based on photographs that appeared in the January 2000
issue of Smithsonian magazine, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) has
reopened an investigation into the private collection of Amazonian tribal art
owned by Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence M. Small. In November 2000 a previous
probe of the same holdings was conducted by the F&WS but was terminated in
March after Small sent copies of import permits. According to an agency
official, "Enough things have popped up for us to have to reopen the
investigation."

Investigators are seeking to determine whether items in the collection were
imported in violation of the Endangered Species Act, or any international
statutes including the Convention on International Trade of Endangered
Species.  A violation of these laws could result in confiscation of the art
as well as civil or criminal penalties.  Small is a collector of tribal art,
an interest he developed during his years with Citibank/Citicorp when he was
posted in South America. Small is cooperating fully with the investigators
and through his lawyer issued a statement that he wants "to have the
collection inspected as soon as possible."

7. BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1 - Lincoln Flag Authenticated: Back in 1998, a Connecticut Historical
Society librarian stumbled upon a six-foot square silk flag that was believed
to have been in President Abraham Lincoln's theater box on the night of his
assassination on April 14, 1865.  The Associated Press reports that the flag
has now been authenticated as being one of five flags that surrounded
Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater the night of the assassination; two of the
flags still remain unaccounted for. The flag is currently on display as part
of the Society's new "Civil War Treasurers" exhibition.

Item #2 - NCC Internship Announcement: [The NCC would appreciate posting of
this announcement on departmental bulletin boards.]

                                NCC INTERNSHIPS (WASHINGTON D.C.)
The National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCC) seeks
two interns - one in Policy Activities and one in Archival Management.  Both
positions require individuals who write clearly and concisely, possess good
organizational skills, can work independently, can handle multiple projects,
and can accomplish tasks under tight deadlines. For the Policy position, the
ideal candidate should have a major or minor in history (or other relevant
liberal arts field); excellent written/oral communication skills and word
processing experience are musts; web page management and/or some experience
in html, a plus. For the archival position, the ideal candidate should have a
major or minor in history and/or archival management or library science (or
other relevant liberal arts field), excellent written/oral communication
skills, and word processing experience.

NCC's Policy Intern will gain experience working in a small advocacy
organization on a variety of legislative, policy, and regulatory matters.
The individual will research and write policy background papers relating to
appropriations and legislative initiatives and policy matters of interest to
the historical/archival community; will attend and summarize proceedings of
legislative hearings, write articles for a national web-based newsletter,
draft testimony and correspondence, prepare comments on agency regulations,
attend to correspondence and information requests, and provide general staff
and administrative support for the organization. While duties do include some
routine administrative chores such as filing, data entry, proofreading,
fact-checking, and
photocopying, such duties are incidental to the primary tasks.  As part of
the internship, it is expected that a major project/research report
(comparable to an independent study project) will be undertaken and
completed. The project will be designed around organizational needs and
tailored to the intern's strengths, interests, and career goals.

NCC's Archival Intern will arrange and describe into a manageable record
group, the NCC archives which consists of no less than 15-20 linear feet of
files and other records, a library collection, and special research reports.
The intern will organize the collection and draft a preliminary inventory of
records, and time permitting, begin to compile a Finding Aid to Library of
Congress standards using a standardized processing manual.

These are unpaid internships based in Washington D.C. which will last a
minimum of two months or one semester.  They are available to exceptional
undergraduates and motivated graduate students.  Please visit the NCC website
for background information on the organization -
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~ncc/

To apply for either of the positions, mail or fax cover letter, resume, and
writing sample (no more than 5 pages) to Dr. Bruce Craig, Director, NCCPH,
400 A Street SE, Washington D.C. 20003; Fax (202) 544-8307.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * *
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