Congress has again authorized the Library of Congress (P.L. 106-113) to invite up to 3,000 emerging Russian political leaders to be hosted in cities and communities throughout the United States this spring and summer to gain significant firsthand experience on how American government works and how American citizens conduct their daily lives.
Those invited to visit will be participants in the second Library of Congress Open World Russian Leadership Program (RLP), a program established by Congress in May 1999. The 1999 RLP was one of the largest and most inclusive one-time visitation programs to the United States ever. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, was the chief sponsor of the authorizing legislation.
"The feedback from the first-year participants in the Russian Leadership Program indicates how successful it has been in allowing the Russian visitors to see and experience our multilayered political and economic system," Sen. Stevens said. "Dr. Billington's vision, as one of the world's leading historians of Russian culture, and his hard work as chairman of the program are important factors in ensuring success in accomplishing the program's purpose."
This year's program, "Open World 2000," was announced on March 6 by Dr. Billington, and James F. Collins, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation. Additional information is available at www.loc.gov/rlp.