This is the website giving NARA proposed fee increases, it is written in typical governmentese, but slog your way through, as it is so important to us all: http://www.nara.gov/nara/fees-pro.html Read especially carefully, as it details the cost of PENSION RECORDS going to $40.00. The following is the text of a message I recently sent to members of our local gen society, feel free to forward it to as many others as you choose: The National Archives is proposing new fees for records requested from them. The last fee increases were 1997. The major change on this proposal is a flat fee of $40.00 for a complete pension file. This is based on their statement that the average complete pension file is 105 pages. Pension File would be $40.00 Bounty Land Warrant files would be $17.25 Service Record files would be $17.50 Land Records (Donation Land Claim, Homestead, etc) would be $17.75 There would no longer be the 20 page file for $10.00. The pension file fees seem, to me, to be exorbitant increases as I checked my files and found the following: All of these COMPLETE pension files came from NARA. 1 file 93 pages 1 file 49 pages 1 file 23 pages 1 file 22 pages 1 file 22 pages 1 file 17 pages 1 file 14 pages 1 file 9 pages This service record came from NARA 1 file 2 pages Yes! 2 pages. Works out to $8.625 per page. BLW file from NARA 1 file 19 pages These proposed changes affect all genealogists. While NARA may need an increase in fees and I support NARA, as do we all, evidenced by our recent donation to FGS for microfilming NARA records, I believe we need to express to NARA in strong, polite language that this may well put pension files out of reach of many of us. Our fixed incomes do not allow for 400 percent increases in the cost of the pension files. Please get a copy of the NARA proposal, which I placed in the CGGS Library, and write to the addresses provided expressing your opinions. Comments to NARA must be received by June 26, 2000. ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Regulation Comment Desk (NPLN), Room 4100 National Archives at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001 Comments may also be faxed to (301)713-7270. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Allard on (301)713-7360. You may also submit comments on the fee increases to the committee reviewing them for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society at this e-mail address: FGS/NGS Records Preservation and Access Committee e-mail fgs-access@fgs.org I strongly urge you to write NARA and FGS/NGS on this matter. Marianne Victory Purdy, President, Cottage Grove Genealogical Society.