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FW: [NCCmailings] NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #30, July 19, 20 02



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From: rbcraig@nccph.org [mailto:rbcraig@nccph.org]
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2002 6:48 AM
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Subject: [NCCmailings] NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #30, July 19, 2002


NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #30, July 19, 2002
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig@nccph.org>
National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCCPH)
*****************

1.   Interior Bill Moves Through House - Big Win for Endowments
2.   Update: Smithsonian Science Report
3.   FOIA Advocates Testify on Homeland Security Department Bill
4.   Connecticut Historical Commission Funding Slashed
5.   News Bits and Bytes: New LC Reference Service; New ISOO Chief Speaks
Out on Secrecy; More Education = More Money Report Says
6.   Articles of Interest: "Benefit of Hindsight (Washington Times;
07/16/02)


1.   INTERIOR BILL MOVES THROUGH HOUSE -- BIG WIN FOR ENDOWMENTS
On July 17, 2002, by a vote of 377 to 46, the House of Representatives
passed a $19.8 billion Interior and Related Agencies appropriations bill
(H.R. 5093; H. Rept. 107-564) for FY 2003.  The legislation is over a
half-billion dollars more than last year's enacted appropriation and
exceeds the Bush administration's FY 2003 request by nearly $1.5
billion.  Supporters of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) scored a big victory when the
full House adopted an amendment recommending an increase for the NEA of $10
million (roughly a 10% increase for the agency) and allocated $5 million
more for the NEH.  House recommended funding levels for the endowments are
pegged at $126.5 million for the NEA and $131 million for the NEH.

The controversial amendment to increase funding for the endowments was
offered by Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY).  It passed by a vote of 234
to192 over the vocal objections of a group of conservative Republicans some
of whom consider the NEA a "warped and frivolous" agency; 42 Republicans
joined their Democratic and Independent colleagues and voted for the
amendment.  A counter amendment offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) seeking
to strip $50 million from the NEA was soundly defeated, 300 to
123.  According to Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), who has played a key role in
reshaping the NEA mission over the last couple of years, in spite of a few
dissenters, Congress is "very satisfied" with the NEA and today funding is
a "non-issue."

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its own version of the Interior
bill (S. 2708; S. Rept. 107-201) last week; floor action has not yet been
scheduled. But it appears that the Interior bill, along with the Military
Construction and Legislative Branch Appropriations, will become one of the
first spending measures out of the gate. Two other spending bills
(Treasury/Postal that includes funding for the National Archives and the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act that includes funding for the Library
of Congress) may reach the House floor later this week

The other bill of particular interest to the historical community is the
appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
(LH&HS&Education) which includes funding for the "Teaching American
History" initiative.. That spending bill is not expected to be acted on by
the House until after the August recess. The administration supports $50
million for the initiative.  Earlier this week, however, the Senate
Appropriations LH&HS&Education Subcommittee marked-up its version of the
bill and it includes a $100 million appropriation for the history
initiative. Senator Robert C Byrd (D-WV) once again championed the funding
that is double the administration request.

As reported in this publication last week (see "House Appropriation
Committee Takes Smithsonian to Task," in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8,
#28, July 11, 2002) by passing the Interior bill, the House agreed to a
$436.660 million funding level for the Smithsonian Institution (SI) with
the following amendments: 1) directs the SI to "reopen negotiations with
the donor corporation" with the goal of returning the name of Samuel
Langley to a National Air and Space Museum theater; 2) requires the
Smithsonian Regents to review what some committee members characterized as
the SI's "exorbitant executive salaries" and 3) directs that no changes be
made to the Smithsonian's science programs without approval by the Regents
based on recommendations from the Science Commission (see related story
below).

Funding levels for other agencies of interest to the historical/archival
community in the House-passed bill include: $1.6 billion for National Park
Service "operations," $368 million for national park backlog "maintenance,"
and $325.186 million for "construction."  There is $76.5 million for the
Historic Preservation Fund -- an increase of $9.5 million above the
administration budget request.  The appropriation also includes $30 million
for the Save America's Treasures Program as well as $2.5 million to the
National Trust for Historic Preservation to assist in maintenance of
Trust-owned historic sites.  The House voted for $3.667 million (the
administration's requested amount) for the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation and $8.488 million for the Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars. Since the House version of the Wilson Center's budget is
identical to the Senate version (see "Senate Interior Appropriations Bill
Details," in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #28, July 11, 2002) the
Center's budget will not be subject to change in the House/Senate
conference that will be held to reconcile the differing funding
recommendations between the House and Senate bills.

One final note: This year funding for the museum functions of the Institute
of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was not included in the Interior bill
but rather will be consolidated with the library functions of the IMLS that
are funded in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
appropriations bill. According to the Committee report, "This
simplification will enhance administrative efficiency and achieve synergy
by uniting library and museum communities in common public service and
educational efforts."

2.   UPDATE: SMITHSONIAN SCIENCE REPORT
About a year ago, Smithsonian Institution (SI) Secretary Lawrence Small
announced that he was authorizing a reorganization of the SI's research
program and moved to close two of the institution's research facilities --
the Conservation and Research Center and the Center for Materials Research
and Education.  His action set off a furor in the scientific community and
several influential members of Congress.  Consequently, Small agreed to
back off from the proposed reorganization plan at least until the views
from within the scientific community could be advanced to the SI Regents.

Jeremy Sabloff, director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Anthropology and Archaeology, was appointed chair of a panel composed of
geologists, anthropologists, biologists, paleontologists, astrophysicists
and others (there is no representation from the historical community)
charged to assess the SI's science and research programs and report back to
Small and the Regents.

This last week, Sabloff met with Small and the SI Board of Regents
delivered his "interim report," the details of which are
sketchy.  According to Smithsonian sources, the interim report emphasized
the need to fill the job vacancies left by the recently departed director
of the National Museum of Natural History and the Undersecretary for
Science. Sabloff also announced that he anticipated his panel's final
report that would be delivered to the Regents by mid-December, sometime
after the other science reports requested by Congress (including an OMB
study and a National Academy of Sciences report) are completed. After the
meeting Sabloff commented of Small and the Regents, "They don't want
blue-sky recommendations...they want budget reality."

3.    FOIA ADVOCATES TESTIFY ON HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT BILL
One of the more controversial provisions of the Bush administration's
proposal for a Department of Homeland Security includes an exemption from
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for certain information provided to
the new Department by private industry.  Section 204 of the
administration's bill is specifically designed to protect
voluntarily-submitted private sector information relating to "critical
infrastructure information."

On July 9, 2002 in testimony before the House Committee on Energy and
Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, FOIA advocates
presented testimony arguing against the FOIA exclusion in the Homeland
Security bill. They pointed out to the House panel that exemption 4 of the
FOIA law and existing case law already provide adequate protection against
harmful disclosures.

According to David Sobel, General Counsel to the Electronic Privacy
Information Center (a non-profit research organization that examines
privacy and civil liberties implications of computer networks, the
Internet, and other communications media), Section 204 of the
administration bill is "exceedingly broad."  He said that it "should not go
unnoticed that we are discussing the desire of private companies to keep
secret potentially embarrassing information at a time when the disclosure
practices of many in the business world are being scrutinized....Rather
than seeking ways to hide information, Congress should consider approaches
that would make as much information as possible available to the public,
consistent with the legitimate interests of the private sector." (For
Sobel's testimony tap into:
<http://www.epic.org/security/infowar/07_02_testimony.html>).

The proposal has also raised the ire of members of the House Government
Reform Committee, another one of nearly a dozen Congressional committees
considering the President's legislation. House and Senate hearings continue
and it is unknown at this time whether the provision will be deleted in
Congress' versions of the Homeland Security legislation.  It is also worth
noting that the White House plan entitled, "National Strategy for Homeland
Security" released July 17, 2002 includes language restricting public
disclosure of "critical infrastructure information."  For the language tap
into page 48 of the White House plan at:
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/book/index.html>.

4. CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL COMMISSION FUNDING SLASHED
Following up on a recent posting ("Tennessee May Zero Out SHPO" in NCC
WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #27, July 3, 2002), it seems that Tennessee is
not the only state to have problems funding its history and preservation
offices. We have heard of similar budget problems in New York,
Massachusetts, and other states. Now we learn that the Republican governor
and Democratic controlled state legislature in Connecticut have slashed
funding for the Connecticut Historical Commission by 44 percent -- from
$1.2 million to $677,000.

The Hartford Courant reports that "no one bothered to tell the commission,
which found out about the drastic cut through a newspaper story." According
to Executive Director John W. Shannahan, the state's action forces him to
either lay off nearly half his staff or close some if not all of the six
historic sites operated by the commission. The commission plans to hold a
special meeting this week to decide whether to slash its staff of 19
full-time and eight part-time employees, close the museums, or adopt a
combination of those two actions.

But it gets worse.  Since its creation in 1955, the Historical Commission
has operated as an independent agency charged to identify, register, and
protect the state's historic, archaeological and architectural resources
under both state and federal law. Now, in addition to the budget cut, the
state legislature has recommended saving money by merging the Historical
Commission with another agency such as the Connecticut Commission on the
Arts or the Department of Environmental Protection. According to informed
sources, the merger with the Arts groups seems the more likely
proposition.  When contacted by the NCC, a spokesperson for the governor
stated the merger was still merely being "explored" and that it was still
unclear how the government will deal with the legislature's proposal.

While the state legislature is facing tough decisions this year to close a
budget gap of more than $850 million caused by tax shortfalls and
reductions in capitol gains revenue, critics note that the Historical
Commission is taking a disproportionate hit in the statewide cut. No other
agency is proposed to lose half its funding. Critics also note that the
disproportionate budget cut (one local paper characterized it as "a hatchet
job") is especially shortsighted because a significant large part of
Connecticut's income comes from tourists visiting historical and heritage
areas that the commission is working to preserve. Moreover, Congress is
considering a study of whether Hartford's famed Coltsville area should
become a unit of the National Park Service (see "Legislative
Update...Coltsville Study Act" in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol 8, #26,
2002).  Once that legislation is enacted, the commission is expected to
play an important role.

There is one glimmer of hope. While the budget cut was adopted on June 30
and now is in effect, the state legislature still has to act on the
proposed merger and pass a budget  "implementation bill" during a special
legislative session slotted to take place in late August or early
September. At that time the governor and legislature could opt to restore
the Historical Commission's funding and drop the idea for a proposed
merger. To this end, there is an opportunity to recoup at least some of the
Historical Commission's budget.

NCC ACTION ITEM: The following message needs to be communicated to state
legislators and the governor: "Restore funding to the Historical Commission
and do not merge the Historical Commission with any other state agency."
Connecticut residents are urged to contact their state legislators; others
who should be contacted include: Governor John G. Rowland at (860)
566-4840; the President Pro Tem of the Senate, Kevin B. Sullivan (860)
240-8600 and the Speaker of the House, Moira K. Lions at (860) 240-8500.

5.  NEWS BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- New LC Reference Service:  The Library of Congress has launched
a "live chat" reference service in which librarians in selected Library of
Congress reading rooms monitor chats from 2 to 3 p.m. EST, Monday through
Friday (the number of reading rooms in the service may expand in the
future, as well as hours of availability.) Access to this service will be
provided from the Library's online reference service called, "Ask a
librarian...," at http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib. The site enables users to
send questions and receive answers by e-mail. The live chat feature enables
LC patrons to discuss their information needs with reference librarians
through the Internet. These sessions might involve online resources that
the patron is having difficulty using, or hard-to-find information that
requires the expertise of one of the Library's reference specialists. The
service, which is available to libraries by subscription, is free for
library patrons.

Item #2 -- New ISOO Chief Speaks Out on Secrecy:  On July 16, 2002, in his
first speech as the new director of the Information Security Oversight
Office (the ISOO is the executive branch agency responsible for oversight
of national security classification and declassification activity
government-wide), J. William Leonard told the National Classification
Management Society, "Secrecy is an essential tool in protecting national
security... [but] what makes our Nation great is not how well we can make
and keep secrets."  Rather, "Our ability to share and leverage information
is the source of American power and might in the 21st century.... I believe
that oftentimes we rely on secrecy as a crutch to compensate for
shortcomings in other areas such as personnel security, automated
information systems controls, and just plain day-to-day management." For
the full text of Leonard's remarks, tap into:
<http://www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/ncms071602.html>.

Item #3 -- More Education = More Money Report Says:  A new Census Bureau
report, "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of
Work-Life Earnings" concludes that education is the ticket to upward
mobility.  The study draws on a census sample survey and compares the
lifetime earning of various workers with differing educational
backgrounds.  The conclusion: people with more education on average make
more money. People with doctoral degrees, for example, earn an average of
$3.4 million over the course of their working lives -- $900,000 over those
with a master's degree and $1.3 million more than those with only a
bachelors degree. People with "professional degrees" do even better, on
average taking home a total of $4.4 million over during their careers. For
the study, go to the Bureau of the Census webpage "Big Payoff" press
release and then download the report (via Adobe Acrobat Reader) at
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-95.html

6. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: An article "Benefit of Hindsight" by Trude B.
Feldman in The Washington Times (July 16, 2002) reports on the reflections
of former President Gerald Ford (who turned 89 this last week) on his
famous eleven-minute speech of September 8, 1974 where he pardoned Richard
Nixon for unspecified high crimes and misdemeanors.  Ford states that he
was surprised by the "hostile" reaction to his act and that it "was one of
the greatest disappointments of my presidency."  For the article tap into:
<http:www.washtimes.com/culture/20020716-75595908.htm>.


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