National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(44 U.S.C. Chapter 25)
§ 2501. Creation; composition; appointment and tenure; vacancies; meetings
§ 2502. Vacancies
§ 2503. Executive director; staff; transportation expenses
§ 2504. Duties; authorization of grants for collection, reproduction, and publication of documentary source material
§ 2505. Special advisory committees; membership; reimbursement
§ 2506. Records to be kept by grantees
§ 2501. Creation; composition; appointment and tenure; meetings
(a) The National Historical Publications and Records Commission shall consist of 15 members as follows:
(1) the following ex officio members:
(A) the Archivist of the United States, who shall be chairman;
(B) the Librarian of Congress (or an alternate designated by the Librarian);
(C) one Senator, appointed by the President of the Senate;
(D) one Representative, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(E) one member of the judicial branch of the Government, appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States;
(F) one representative of the Department of State to be appointed by the Secretary of State; and
(G) one representative of the Department of Defense to be appointed by the Secretary of Defense;
(2) one member from each of the following organizations, appointed by the governing council or board of the respective organization:
(A) the American Historical Association;
(B) the Organization of American Historians;
(C) the Society of American Archivists;
(D) the American Association for State and Local History;
(E) the Association for Documentary Editing; and
(F) the National Association for Government Archives and Records Administrators; and
(3) two other members, outstanding in the fields of the social or physical sciences, the arts, or archival or library science, appointed by the President of the United States.
(b)(1) The members appointed under subsection (a) shall be appointed for terms of 4 years, except that--
(A) a member appointed under subsection (a)(1)(D) shall be appointed for a term of 2 years; and
(B) the Archivist and the Librarian of Congress are permanent ex officio members.
(2) A member may continue to serve after the expiration of a term until a successor has been appointed, but not to exceed one year.
(c) The Commission shall meet at least annually and at call of the Chairman.
§ 2502. Vacancies
A person appointed to fill a vacancy in the membership of the Commission shall be appointed only for the unexpired term of the member whom he succeeds, and his appointment shall be made in the same manner as the appointment of his predecessor.
§ 2503. Executive director, staff, transportation expenses
(a) The Commission may appoint, without reference to chapter 51 of title 5, an executive director. The Chairman may appoint such other employees as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Members of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses (including per diem allowance in lieu of subsistence) in the same amount and to the same extent as persons serving intermittently in the Government service are allowed travel expenses under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
§ 2504. Duties; authorization of grants for historical publications and records programs; authorization for appropriations
(a) The Commission shall make plans, estimates, and recommendations for historical works and collections of sources it considers appropriate for preserving, publishing or otherwise recording at the public expense. The Chairman of the Commission shall transmit to the President and the Congress from time to time, and at least biennially, the plans, estimates, and recommendations developed and approved by the Commission.
(b) The Commission shall cooperate with, assist and encourage appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and nongovernmental institutions, societies, and individuals in collecting and preserving and, when it considers it desirable, in editing and publishing papers of outstanding citizens of the United States, and other documents as may be important for an understanding and appreciation of the history of the United States.
(c) The Commission may conduct institutes, training and educational programs, and recommend candidates for fellowships related to the activities of the Commission and may disseminate information about documentary sources through guides, directories, and other technical publications.
(d) The Commission may recommend the expenditure of appropriated or donated funds for the collecting, describing, preserving, compiling and publishing (including microfilming and other forms of reproduction) of documentary sources significant to the history of the United States and for the activities described in subsection (c).
(e) The Archivist of the United States may, within the limits of available appropriated and donated funds, make grants to State and local agencies and to nonprofit organizations, institutions, and individuals, for those activities in subsection (d) after considering the advice and recommendations of the Commission.
(f)(1) For the purposes specified in this section, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission--
(A) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 1989;
(B) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1990;
(C) $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1991, 1992, and 1993;
(D) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 1994;
(E) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 1995;
(F) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1996;
(G) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1997;
(H) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;
(I) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999;
(J) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
(K) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2001;
(L) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002;
(M) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
(N) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
(O) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
(P) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
(Q) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
(R) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
(S) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
(2) Amounts appropriated under this subsection shall be available until expended when so provided in appropriation Acts.
§ 2505. Special advisory committees; membership; reimbursement
The Commission may establish special advisory committees to consult with and make recommendations to it, from among the leading historians, political scientists, archivists, librarians, and other specialists of the Nation. Members of special advisory committees shall be reimbursed for transportation and other expenses on the same basis as members of the Commission.
§ 2506. Records to be kept by grantees
(a) Each recipient of grant assistance under section 2504 of this title shall keep such records as the Archivist of the United States prescribes, including records which fully disclose the amount and disposition by the recipient of the proceeds of the grants, the total cost of the project or undertaking in connection with which funds are given or used, and the amount of that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied by other sources, and any other records as will facilitate an effective audit.
(b) The Archivist and the Comptroller General of the United States or their authorized representatives shall have access for the purposes of audit and examination to books, documents, papers, and records of the recipients that are pertinent to the grants received under section 2504 of this title.
