Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Government Operations Subcommittee, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Ranking Member of the House Government Operations Committee, and Congressman David Price (D-NC), Co-Chair of the Congressional Humanities Caucus, introduced legislation to reauthorize the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the grant-making arm of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
“Universities, museums, state and local governments, and non-profits institutions are doing important work to preserve and tell America’s story for future generations. As we prepare to celebrate the U.S. Semiquincentennial, this legislation will provide the resources necessary to continue making these historically significant records accessible to the public,” said Congressman Connolly.
“I am proud to support this bill so the Commission can carry out its mission to preserve our national history by helping states, local governments, and researchers document events and modernize aging archives,” said Congressman Cummings.
“I want to thank my colleagues for their work on this bill. This is a critical action that will provide needed resources to preserve records for future generations to learn from and enjoy. America’s history is one we have a responsibility to pass down,” said Congressman Meadows.
“As Co-Chair of the Congressional Humanities Caucus and as a lifelong educator, I’m pleased to join my colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Historical Publications and Records Commission,” said Congressman Price. This commission serves as a vital education and preservation resource by improving the accessibility of historical records and papers that illuminate our country’s rich and diverse history. This legislation will authorize additional resources for the commission and expand nationally-significant projects for the curious minds of today and tomorrow.”
The NHPRC supports innovative programs and projects through state and local governments, academic and non-profit institutions and typically requires 50 percent cost sharing. The legislation would increase funding for the NHPRC to $15 million annually between fiscal years 2020 through 2025. Authorization for the NHPRC expired in 2009 but it has continued to receive funding, including $6 million in funding last year, however, many worthy funding requests went unfunded. Additionally, the legislation adds the Council of State Archivists, a nonprofit membership organization of the state and territorial government archives, as a member of the NHPRC.
Text of the legislation is available here.
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