> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > December 28, 2007 > > NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUDGET INCREASED FOR FY08 > > Washington, DC. . . The National Archives and Records Administration > (NARA) will receive $411.1 million in funding for the current fiscal > year under the omnibus appropriations bill signed by President George W. > Bush on December 26. > > The funding level represents an increase of 20.5 percent over the > Fiscal Year 2007 level of $341.1 million, which was a continuation of > the FY 2006 funding because of the absence of a regular appropriation > for NARA. The FY 2007 funding level also did not include any monies for > the larger construction projects for the Presidential libraries. > > NARA's funding is part of the $555 billion Consolidation > Appropriations Act of 2007, which funds the parts of the U.S. government > that have not received regular appropriations. > > The legislation provides $2.1 million to restore important customer > services: $1.3 million to return to the public research hours that were > reduced in October 2006 and $800,000 to hire more staff archivists to > replace those who have left the agency in the past few years. The agency > has 30 days to report to Congress on its progress in these two areas. > > "I am very pleased that the Congress and the President have > recognized the importance of the work of the National Archives and the > urgency of our needs for increased staffing and greater public > access," said Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States. > "We will restore our regular research hours and bring on more > trained archivists as soon as possible." > > Professor Weinstein added, "The resources being provided to us > reflect a recognition of the dedicated and professional work of > Archives' staff during this period of fiscal austerity. They not only > have worked to maintain access to records of our democracy, but they > also have expanded that access." > > The new budget provides $315 million in operating expenses for the > National Archives, up from last year's operating expense level of > $279.3 million. Operating expenses include energy, security, and staff > costs for operating Archives' facilities around the country. > > For continued work on the Electronic Records Archives (ERA), the > legislation also provides full funding of $58 million, compared to last > year's funding level of $45.2 million. However, the spending measure > requires the agency to submit to Congress a spending plan before any > multi-year funds are obligated. > > The ERA is being built by the Archives to preserve and make accessible > all the electronic records being produced by the federal government now > and in the future. It is to allow access to these records to anyone, > anywhere at any time. > > The legislation also provides $28.6 million for repairs and > restorations at NARA facilities, including $8.6 million for general > repairs at NARA facilities. This also includes $7.4 million for > construction of an archival addition to the Richard M. Nixon > Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, CA. The Nixon facility was turned > over to the National Archives in July by the private foundation that had > operated it since 1990. > > Also included is $3.7 million to complete the repairs and restoration > of the plaza at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, > TX; $8 million for the first steps of acquiring land for and building a > new addition to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston; and > $750,000 for design work on renovations at the Franklin D. Roosevelt > Library at Hyde Park, NY. > > The National Historical Publications and Records Commission, which > makes grants to non-federal entities to preserve and provide access to > important and significant non-federal historical records, will receive > $7.5 million for grants under the spending bill. > > Also, the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation will receive, in the Department > of Education budget, a $718,000 grant for the Presidential Timeline, an > interactive Internet feature that allows visitors to explore each of the > modern Presidents' lives and administrations. This foundation > provides support for the Johnson Library. > > The National Archives and Records Administration is the record keeper > for the federal government and operates not only major facilities in > downtown Washington, DC, and College Park, MD, but also at locations in > 17 states and an additional facility in the District of Columbia. It > also publishes the Federal Register and other official government > publications and has on permanent display the nation's founding > documents and many other records of importance to the history of the > nation. > > # # # > > For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs > Staff at 202-357-5300. > > 08-41 > >