Press Release
Press Release · Tuesday, August 5, 2003

Press Release
August 5, 2003

House Committee Approves NARA Budget

College Park, MD. . . The House Appropriations Committee has approved the National Archives and Records Administration's FY 2004 budget request. The committee has approved major increases for the Electronic Records Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and agency operating expenses.

The bill calls for an appropriation of $307,563,000, an increase of $38,738,000 from the National Archives' final FY 2003 appropriation of $268,825,000. Once the House has acted on the bill in September, it will go to the Senate for consideration.

Archivist of the United States, John W. Carlin said "I am pleased with our progress so far on our FY 2004 budget, as it provides the necessary funding for us to advance initiatives in the Strategic Plan and tells us that the President and Congress are committed to addressing the challenges of electronic records."

To meet electronic records challenges, the House committee's budget plan calls for $35,914,000 for the Electronic Records Archives (ERA), the National Archives' effort to manage, preserve, and provide access to the Government's electronic records. This is a major increase of $22,000,000, which would be available for the next three years, when the National Archives will be designing and building the first increment of the ERA.

The committee's budget proposal also includes $10,000,000 for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This would be an increase of $3,542,000 and would fully fund the NHPRC to its authorized level for the first time.

To address storage and preservation needs, the House committee's budget includes $6,458,000 for repairs and restoration of National Archives facilities. This includes $500,000 for a requirements study for a facility to replace the Military Personnel Records Center (MPRC) in St. Louis, which houses records of military veterans from the World War I era to the present.

Finally, the House panel's budget includes an increase in the agency's base operating expenses budget of $12,991,000 to fund employee pay raises, facility rate charges, rent charges, additional records storage needs, increased security costs, and increased systems costs for payroll, personnel, and accounting services.

For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 301-837-1700.

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