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(FWD) NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #42, October 11, 2001



Apologies for unusual formatting.  I'm having email problems again!  Holly


> NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #42, October 11, 2001
> by Bruce Craig <rbcraig@nccph.org
> National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCCPH)
> *****************
>
> 1.   Appropriation Update: Funding Levels for NARA, Endowments, Interior
> and Education Departments Near Completion
> 2.   NGO Representatives Meet to Discuss Public Access Issue Concerns
> 3.   Legislation Introduced: Memorial for the Victims of Terrorist Attacks
> on the United States; Oil Region National Heritage Area Act
> 4.   Legislation Passed: Long Walk National Historic Trail Study Act
> 5.   News Bits and Bytes: Books for Understanding; Park Service CRM
> Publication; Textbook Authors Rush to Rewrite History; National Slavery
> Museum; NARA Seeks Comment on Public Citizen Petition
>
>
> 1.   APPROPRIATION UPDATE: FUNDING LEVELS FOR NARA, ENDOWMENTS, INTERIOR
> AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS NEAR COMPLETION
> With the end of the federal government's fiscal year upon us, House and
> Senate leaders hope to finish four pending appropriation bills this next
> week. Conferees have been appointed to finalize the Treasury, Postal
> Service, and General Government appropriations bill which will provide the
> funding for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
> including the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
> (NHPRC). Most of the line items for NARA have already been decided but
> funding for the NHPRC still appears in limbo.
>
> NARA/NHPRC: The House of Representatives recommended a FY 2002
> appropriation of $10 million for the NHPRC but earmarked $2.7 million for
> special projects in Oklahoma and Massachusetts.  The Senate pegged the
> NHPRC appropriation at $6.463 million but did not include any
> earmarks.  Hill insiders report that the conferees probably will drop out
> the two House earmarks and will attempt to find funding for these projects
> elsewhere in the federal budget.  We also understand  that Senate conferees
> are poised to support the House's higher number.  This would be great news
> -- it means a net increase for the NHPRC of $1.3 million!
>
> INTERIOR: On October 10, 2001, conferees for the Department of the Interior
> and Related Agencies appropriation bill (H.R. 2217) reached agreement on
> what will be a $19.1 billion Interior and Related Agencies bill.  The
> conferenced report will probably go to the House floor tomorrow and then to
> the Senate shortly thereafter - it is highly unlikely that changes will be
> made.  Of particular interest to the historical/archival community are the
> funding levels that the conferees agreed to for the National Endowment for
> the Humanities (NEH) and various historic preservation related programs.
>
> The House had approved $123.5 million for the NEH and the Senate pegged the
> agency's funding level at $125.5 million. Conferees agreed on a $4 million
> increase for the agency over the present budget (and the President's
> request) for a total of $124.504 million.  Hill insiders report that in
> light of new leadership at the NEH, there may be some internal readjustment
> of funds from within, but at this point the funds of particular interest to
> the historical/archival community are to be distributed as follows:
> Federal/State Partnerships -  $30,593,000; Education Programs -
> $12,075,000; Preservation and Access - $18,288,000; Public Programs -
> $12,560,000; Research Programs - $12,519,000; Program Development -
> $397,000; Challenge Grants - $10,436,000 and Regional Humanities Centers -
> $1,186,000.
>
> Under the terms of the conference agreement, the National Endowment for the
> Arts (NEA) is to receive $115.2 million (funding is at $98 million with an
> additional $17 million for the "Challenge America Arts Fund") and the
> Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will realize $26.9 million.
> The Smithsonian Institution is funded at $497 million, some $43 million
> above FY 2001 and $3 million above the President's request.
>
> The Interior bill also provides some $30 million for the "Save America's
> Treasures" program. The National Park Service "Operations" are funded at
> $1.5 billion, some $91 million more than in FY 2001. A total of $44.5
> million is set aside for various National Park Service historic
> preservation activities.
>
> EDUCATION: Finally, on October 3, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
> Labor, Health and Human Services and Education completed work on its FY
> 2002 Labor, H&HS and Education appropriations bill. The Senate is expected
> to markup its version of the bill late today. For the most part, the
> programs authorized in the President's "No Child Left Behind" Department of
> Education bill (S. 1/H.R. 1) are expected to be funded in the FY 2002
> appropriation bill.
>
> In the FY 2001 Department of Education (DOE) appropriation bill, $50
> million was made available for history education. In this next fiscal year,
> $100 million has been allocated for the second year of the "Teaching
> American History" initiative spearheaded by Senate Appropriation Chairman
> Robert Byrd (D-WV).  The $100 million for continuing and expanding the
> history education program appears safe and is expected to be funded.
>
> While the DOE appropriations bill appears to be moving forward, Bush's
> education reform bill of which differing versions passed the House and
> Senate last spring, is still awaiting action by a conference
> committee.  Hill insiders report that progress is being made slowly, and
> that closed-door discussions continue.
>
> 2.  NGO REPRESENTATIVES MEET TO DISCUSS PUBLIC ACCESS ISSUE CONCERNS
> Since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, leaders of
> various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have witnessed what has been
> characterized as "a significant retrenching" of restrictions on the
> public's right-to-know. On October 10, 2001, representatives of over forty
> organizations met at the offices of OMB Watch to discuss the apparent changes.
>
> Representatives identified certain trends in public access policy relating
> to government information.  It was noted that various federal agencies have
> removed from their web sites information that agency officials believe
> could be of possible use to terrorists.  The EPA, for example, has removed
> from its web site Risk Management Plans (RMPs) that detail information
> about hazardous materials, their prevention programs, and emergency
> response information.  The Department of Transportation has discontinued
> access to the National Pipeline Mapping System and the National Imagery and
> Mapping Agency has stopped the sale of large-scale digital maps. The
> Internal Revenue Service has even limited access to the Freedom of
> Information Reading Room and no longer will permit unescorted public
> access. NGO representatives also noted several efforts by non-profit
> organizations to self-police their web sites in order to deny terrorists
> easy access to information about potential targets.  The Federation of
> American Scientists (Project on Government Secrecy) for example, opted to
> pull from its web page some 200 pages of information relating to
> intelligence and nuclear facilities that could be used by terrorists and
> could possibly be viewed as compromising homeland security.
>
> Representatives also noted several pieces of recently introduced
> legislation (S. 1480/S. 1456) that seek to forbid disclosure of information
> relating to critical infrastructure facilities.  One bill (S. 1480) would
> make it a crime to "reveal a specific, identifiable weakness or
> vulnerability" or other information that  "would compromise the physical
> security of...a critical energy infrastructure facility." Another bill, (S.
> 1510) includes troublesome provisions relating to certain library records
> that would be reclassified as "business records" and hence not meet certain
> legal standards for access otherwise required under various state
> laws.  Clearly, in light of the recent attacks, lawmakers and others are
> seeking solutions that balance the right to access to information with the
> nation's security.
>
> While much discussion focused on records relating to environmental
> concerns, Freedom of Information concerns relating to records used by other
> researchers were also noted.  The state of Florida, for example, is closing
> what once were public records relating to certain driver's license
> information and access to crop duster information.  Barbara Petersen,
> president of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, has gone on record
> expressing fears about the trends and stated her belief that the state is
> "hijacking civil liberties in the name of law enforcement."  Suggestions
> are also coming from some sectors of government that the Freedom of
> Information Act (FOIA) should be amended to add language that would remove
> information characterized as "sensitive" from public scrutiny.
>
> The NGO representatives made several suggestions on how best to address
> these complex issues.  Most believed it was necessary to frame the concerns
> in terms of the public's right to know as a vehicle to promote greater
> safety. Access supporters also suggested that rather than seek to hide our
> vulnerabilities, there was a need to educate the public about certain risks
> and encourage them to seek appropriate access policies to reduce them.
>
> 3. LEGISLATION INTRODUCED: MEMORIAL FOR THE VICTIMS OF TERRORIST ATTACKS ON
> THE UNITED STATES; OIL REGION NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT
> Memorial for the Victims of Terrorist Attacks on the United States:
> On October 2, 2001, Rep. Jim Turner (D-TX) introduced legislation (H.R.
> 2982) to authorize the establishment of a memorial in the District of
> Columbia to the victims of terrorist attacks on the United States.  The
> legislation currently has over 80 cosponsors.  It directs the Secretary of
> the Interior to work with the National Capital Memorial Commission and a
> new commission that would be established and known as the Victims of
> Terrorism Memorial Commission.  The commissions are charged with finding a
> suitable location and selecting a suitable design for the memorial "from
> proposals solicited and accepted from qualified American architects."
>
> Members of the Victims of Terrorism Memorial Commission would include the
> Chairman of the National Capital Memorial Commission, several members
> appointed by the Congressional leadership and two members appointed by the
> President. Funds for the memorial are to be raised from private sector
> sources. The legislation was referred to the House Committee on Resources
> where it is expected to receive prompt consideration.
>
> Oil Region National Heritage Area Act:
> Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has introduced legislation (S. 1441) seeking
> to establish a cooperative management framework to assist the state of
> Pennsylvania in conserving, enhancing, and interpreting significant
> features in the so-called Oil Region of northwestern Pennsylvania. The
> legislation recognizes that there are 6 national historic districts, 17
> National Register sites, and an area designated as a state Heritage Park
> that collectively possesses state, national, and international
> significance.  According to the language in the bill, "the unspoiled rural
> character of the Oil Region provides many natural and recreational
> resources, scenic vistas, and excellent water quality for the public to
> enjoy."
>
> The history of the region relates to Native Americans, frontier
> settlements, the French and Indian War, African Americans, the Underground
> Railroad, and the immigration of Swedish and Polish individuals. The thrust
> of this legislation is to have the Secretary of the Interior provide
> planning and technical assistance to various management entities, but more
> importantly, to provide up to $10 million in federal assistance to the
> region. The legislation contains a prohibition on the acquisition of real
> property by the federal government. The bill has been referred to the
> Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for action.
>
> 4.  LEGISLATION PASSED: LONG WALK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL STUDY ACT
> On October 2, 2001, the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R.
> 1384) introduced by Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM) authorizing the Secretary of the
> Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability of designating a
> series of routes in Arizona and New Mexico that would comprise a trail
> corridor to be known as the Long Walk National Historic Trail. The
> legislation now will go the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
> Resources for consideration.
>
> The "Long Walk" is historically significant because in the fall of 1863 and
> winter of 1864, the United States government rounded-up thousands of
> Navajos and Mescalero Apaches and forced them to trek from their ancestral
> lands in northeastern Arizona and northwest New Mexico to Bosque Redondo, a
> remote and desolate site near Fort Sumner, New Mexico - some 350 miles
> distance - where members of the tribes were held captive for over four
> years. During that time, thousands of Native Americans died from
> starvation, malnutrition, disease, exposure, or as a result of conflicts
> with United States military personnel. After four years of imprisonment,
> however, President Ulysses S. Grant issued an executive order terminating
> the military's role and the government entered into treaty negotiations
> with the Native peoples.  When an agreement was reached, the Navajo and
> Mescalero Apaches were allowed to return to their home via the same trail
> corridor.
>
> 5.  NEWS BITS AND BYTES
> Item #1 - Books for Understanding:  As a publishing response to the events
> of September 11, the Association of American University Presses has put
> "Books for Understanding," a growing on-line bibliography - at the moment,
> 470 titles from 56 presses - of books published by AAUP members that can
> help shed some light on the recent terrorist related bombings.  Subjects
> include terrorism, Islamic thought and culture, fundamentalism, aviation
> and airport security.  There is also a section on dealing with grief and
> loss.   For more information, contact Brenna McLaughlin, Communications
> Manager, at (212) 989-1010, x 24.  For the listing of the book titles, tap
> into: <http//www.aaupnet.org/news/spotlight.html>.
>
> Item #2 - CRM Publication:  On practically a monthly basis, the National
> Park Service (NPS) publishes a slick publication (CRM) for cultural
> resource management professionals.   The most recent issue, "Cultural
> Resources in the 21st Century: Managing for the Future" (Vol. 24, No. 7) is
> of particular interest. The essays in this issue were derived from the
> December 2000 conference, "Cultural Resources 2000: Managing for the
> Future" conducted in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Articles cut across a range of
> matters of interest to CRM professionals and covers such topical areas as
> historical architecture, cultural diversity, archeology, curatorial
> concerns, gender, and other aspects of social history and cultural
> landscapes. An electronic version of this issue can be accessed through the
> CRM homepage at: <http://www.cr.nps.gov/crm>.
>
> Item #3 - Textbook Authors Rush to Rewrite History: The October 9, 2001,
> issue of the Wall Street Journal contains a front-page article by Daniel
> Golden entitled, "Rewriting History: Attack Causes Panic for Textbook
> Authors." The article states that on September 11, the newest edition of
> the top-selling history text "The American Nation" became obsolete, sending
> authors and editors "scrambling for nearly four weeks to place the proper
> historical perspective on a terrorist assault that has enveloped the
> country..."  As a result, some topics that were previously ignored such as
> Islamic fundamentalism, are now being highlighted.  But with the Bush
> Administration's reluctance to share classified definitive evidence of
> Osama bin Laden's complicity in planning and carrying out the attacks,
> editors are also in a quandary over whether to identify the Saudi exile as
> the "mastermind" behind the attacks. The article also points out that there
> is likely to be greater emphasis in this year's revised history textbooks
> on the patriotic and community-service aspects of the aftermath of the
> terrorist attacks, rather than the attacks themselves.
>
> Item #4 - National Slavery Museum: The city of Fredericksburg, Virginia has
> been selected as the site for a proposed national slavery museum.  The
> museum will be constructed within Celebrate Virginia, a 2,100-acre
> commercial development near Interstate-95 that will include offices,
> restaurants, hotels, and other attractions. The land, valued at $10 to $12
> million, was donated by The Silver Cos. Also sweetening the deal was a $1
> million pledge to the museum by the city of Fredericksburg. Other cities
> considered included Richmond, Hampton, and Petersburg.
>
> Item #5 - NARA Seeks Comments on Public Citizen Petition:  NARA is seeking
> comments from Federal agencies and the public on a petition for rulemaking
> received from the Public Citizen Litigation Group (Public Citizen). The
> petition requested that the Archivist amend NARA rules concerning the
> management, scheduling, and preservation of text documents created in
> electronic form. Comments will assist NARA in determining whether a
> regulatory amendment should be proposed, whether some other action should
> be taken (e.g., issuance of guidance to Federal agencies in a NARA
> Bulletin), or whether no changes should be made to NARA's regulations and
> other issuances.  Comments are due by January 8, 2002. Comments must be
> sent to Regulation Comments Desk (NPOL), Room 4100, Policy and
> Communications Staff, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601
> Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.  An electronic copy of the
> Public Citizen petition under 5 U.S.C. 553(e) to the Archivist of the
> United States for rulemaking is available for review at
> http:www.nara.gov/nara/petition.html. For further information, contact
> Nancy Allard at telephone number 301-713-7360, ext. 226.
>
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