Hi listers Please write your congressmen/women to implement this bill. Pass on this info to others/lists to get this bill passed. There is a web site at the very end of this email to find your representatives There is a DRAFT LETTER at the very end of this email SEE 2 INFO emailsBELOW. allen German-Bohemian Heritage Society web site http://www.rootsweb.com/~gbhs/ Today's Topics: 1. American Historical preservation (PHAR) bill in congress (KarenHob@aol.com) 2. More PHAR information (KarenHob@aol.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 14:17:58 EDT From: KarenHob@aol.com Subject: [GERMAN-BOHEMIAN] American Historical preservation (PHAR) bill in congress To: german-bohemian-l@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <d59.1f245d5d.35549dd6@aol.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" There is finally some effort by the US Congress to preserve US historical records. The proposal would provide grant money to archives and historical societies around the country. Consider contacting your congressman before Saturday, May 10, to ask for his support of the PHAR bill by signing on as an original sponsor. Read about this initiative at: _http://www.fgs.org/rpac/2008/05/07/action-needed-for-the-preserving-the-ameri can-historical-record-act/_ (http://www.fgs.org/rpac/2008/05/07/action-needed-for-the-preserving-the-american-historical-record-act/) There are links to find your congressman's Email at that site. Following is text copied from that webpage. ------------------------------------ To advise the genealogical community on ensuring proper access to historical records of genealogical value in whatever media they are recorded, on means to affect legislation, and on supporting strong records preservation policies and practices. Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Chris Cannon (R-UT) have issued a ? dear colleagues? letter to the members of the House of Representatives, inviting them to sign on as original sponsors to the ?Preserving the American Historical Record? (PAHR) bill. PAHR proposed to increase federal support for state and local archival records held by government agencies, historical societies, libraries, and related organizations. This initiative would establish a program of formula-based grants to states for re-grants and statewide services to support preservations and use of historical records. The program, to be administered by the National Archives, will provide a total of $50 million per year nationwide. Each state would receive a portion of these funds for redistribution to organizations within its borders. This program would be in addition to the existing national grants program within the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. How can you help? Contact your Representative in Congress and urge them to sign on as an original sponsor of PAHR. Write a few sentences telling him or her how PAHR would help his or her constituents ? you! (Tell them how vital it is to have records preserved and available to the public.) Also, spread the word about this action alert! ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 14:33:09 EDT From: KarenHob@aol.com Subject: [GERMAN-BOHEMIAN] More PHAR information To: german-bohemian-l@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <c21.22637e22.3554a165@aol.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" There is a second website about the bill to Preserve the American Historical Record (PHAR) at: http://www.archivists.org/pahr/_ (http://www.archivists.org/pahr/) Karen ------------------------------ To contact the GERMAN-BOHEMIAN list administrator, send an email to GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-admin@rootsweb.com. To post a message to the GERMAN-BOHEMIAN mailing list, send an email to GERMAN-BOHEMIAN@rootsweb.com. __________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body of the email with no additional text. End of GERMAN-BOHEMIAN Digest, Vol 3, Issue 114 *********************************************** WEB SITE TO FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES: http://www.humanitiesadvocacy.org/action_ctr.html DRAFT LETTER TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES: [Date] The Honorable [Full Name] United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 [or] The Honorable [Full Name] United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear [Member of Congress]: On behalf of [name of your institution] I am writing to urge your support as an original co-sponsor of the Preserving the American Historical Record Act (PAHR). Our nation has recognized the importance of preserving federal documents, archives, and our history by its support of national institutions such as the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution. However, this support does not address the other vital archives being held in state and local governments, historical societies, and library history collections. It is essential that more resources be directed to states and localities to ensure that documents and archival records can be readily used for a host of purposes by the people of this nation. When archival documents are preserved in our states and communities, we protect the evidence of ownership of land, the rights and privileges of individual citizens, the right to know about the workings of government, the genealogy of our families, and the cultural heritage of our nation. The organizations managing this essential evidence face many challenges, from fire and hurricanes to mold and mildew; from decaying materials to ensuring the recovery of outdated electronic media. This part of the American record needs attention now to ensure that the documents, records, and collections we need and treasure are cared for and available to all Americans for generations to come. The PAHR bill will be introduced soon by Representative Maurice Hinchey to address this issue. When enacted, the proceeds will bring critical support to the state of [wherever] through a formula-based distribution of funds. If the full request of $50 million is approved, [state] will receive [dollar amount]. This would have a major impact on our ability to ensure that your constituents have access to irreplaceable archival records throughout our state and in our communities. [insert a few sentences on why this bill is important to your state or your organization] I urge you to become an original co-sponsor for this legislation. I will be following up this letter with a request to meet with you in Washington or during a congressional work period at your district office. For more information on becoming an original co-sponsor, you may contact Anne Georges in Representative Hinchey's office (202-225-6335. I look forward to your support of this important initiative. Sincerely, [your name, institution] -- American Historical preservation (PHAR) bill in USA congress