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NCC Washington Update, vol. 3, #8, February 25, 1997 by Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History <pagem@capaccess.org> 1. Update on President's FY'98 Requests for Cultural Agencies 2. House Hearing Set for April 8 for Outside Witnesses to Testify on the National Archives and NHPRC 3. NHPRC Director Stresses that the Commission's February 20th Resolution Calls for A Review of the New Strategic Plan 4. Continued Speculation Over Selection of New Director for the National Park Service 1. Update on President's FY'98 Request for Cultural Agencies -- The President has requested $136 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, a $26 million increase over its current funding level. For the National Archives, the President has proposed $206.479 million in operating expenses, which is approximately a 5% increase. However, the Administration is recommending a 20% cut for the grants program of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. NHPRC is currently funded at $5 million and the Administration has requested only $4 million. In the area of international programs, the President has requested $197.7 million for the United States Information Agency (USIA)'s Educational and Exchange Programs. Although this appears to be an increase over the current level of $185 million, it includes some salaries and administrative costs that were previously covered in other line items. Thus as a result of the restructuring of the budget, the actual program funds for educational and exchange programs are down about 2% from the current level. The Fulbright Scholarly Exchange Program, which is part of the USIA's Educational and Exchange Program's budget, is earmarked in FY'98 for $94 million, down from the current level of $98 million, and a significant reduction from the $126 million in FY'94. The Department of Education's Fulbright-Hays Program, which focuses on area studies and language, was funded in FY'97 at $5.27 million and the President is requesting $5.77 million for FY'98, a $500,000 increase. On the historic preservation front, funding for the state historic preservation program would have a very slight increase under the President's proposal, going from $29.394 million to $30.316 million. The President has recommended a half million increase for the National Trust for Historic Preservation to bring its budget up to $4 million. The largest increase in the President's historic preservation budget is for historically black colleges, which are currently receiving $1.4 million and are slated for $9 million in FY'98. The President has recommended $334.5 million for the operating expenses of the Smithsonian Institution, which is an increase over the current level of $317.5 million. The President's budget also includes for the Smithsonian $32 million for repairs and restoration of buildings and $58 million for construction. The major new construction project is the building of the National Museum of the American Indian which will be located on the mall, east of the Air and Space Museum. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, which is part of the Smithsonian is slated for flat funding of $6 million in the President budget. For the Institute of Museum Service, the President has requested $26 million, an increase over the current level of $22 million. The President is recommending $136 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, which is currently funded at $99.5 million. Of all the cultural agencies, the NEA probably faces the hardest appropriation's battle. A group of conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives are calling for zero funding in FY'98 for the NEA. 2. House Hearing Set for April 8 for Outside Witnesses to Testify on the National Archives and NHPRC -- Representative Jim Kolbe, (R-AZ), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government will be holding a hearing on April 8 for outside witnesses to testify on any of the agencies under its jurisdiction, including the National Archives and the NHPRC. 3. NHPRC Director Stresses that the Commission's February 20th Resolution Calls for A Review of the New Strategic Plan -- Gerald George, the Executive Director of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, has taken strong exception to the use of the word "reconsider" in the February 20th "NCC Washington Update" to describe the Commission's recent resolution on the strategic plan adopted last November. He stresses that the commission voted to "review" the plan not to "reconsider" the plan. He characterizes the commission's action as follows: "At its February 20 meeting, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission unanimously accepted its executive director's recommendation to schedule a review in June of the new NHPRC plan in order to honor requests from constituent organizations to provide additional comment." 4. Continued Speculation Over Selection of New Director for the National Park Service -- Since January 13 when Roger Kennedy announced his resignation as Director of the National Park Service, there has been considerable speculation over whom the President will select to replace him. Legislation passed in the last Congress established professional qualifications for the Director of the National Park Service and requires Senate confirmation. Many of the names rumored to be on various "short lists" have been regional directors or other high officials in the National Park Service. However, the Washington Post on February 24 indicated that Harold Ickes, the former deputy chief of staff in the White House, may also be under consideration. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NCC invites you to redistribute the NCC Washington Updates. A complete backfile of these reports is maintained by H-Net. See World Wide Web: http://h-net.msu.edu/~ncc/ * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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