Press/Journalists

Press Release nr98-46
Press Release · Monday, February 2, 1998

Washington, DC

Press Release
February 2, 1998
President Proposes Budget Increase for National Archives and Records Administration

Washington, DC -- If the Congress approves the budget proposed by President Bill Clinton for Fiscal Year 1999, the nation’s records will be better managed, better preserved, and much more accessible to the public.

The President’s budget would provide the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) with significantly increased funds to:

  • expand public access to the nation’s records;
  • develop solutions to the problems of managing and preserving electronic records;
  • help federal agencies manage their records more efficiently for use in their current operations and to ensure preservation for the future;
  • preserve valuable historical records that are already at risk;
  • repair facilities in which records are protected; and,
  • ensure the preservation of the nation’s Charters of Freedom, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights.

The President’s budget proposes the largest increase in operating expenses for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in years. Additionally it includes funds for facilities repairs and restorations and for grants for documentary preservation and publication from NARA’s grant-making affiliate, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

The President proposes to increase NARA’s operating budget from $205,166,500 to $230,025,000, an increase of $24,858,500, which is 12.1%. The budget proposal also includes $10,450,000 for repairs and restorations at NARA facilities, and re-encasement of the Charters of Freedom to ensure their preservation. And the proposal would increase funds for NHPRC grants by one-half million dollars, 9.1%, The NHPRC budget would rise from $5.5 million to $6 million, which is the most that NHPRC has ever received for competitive grants.

"The President has understood the importance of managing the nation’s records well, preserving them, and making them readily accessible records in electronic as well as in traditional forms," declared Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin. "The President is acting dramatically to ensure our progress. We are grateful to him, as everyone will be who cares about our nation’s records. The budget represents a tremendous step forward."

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail.

98-46

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