Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker. as the sponsor of H.R. 3625, the House version of this bill, I want to thank the distinguished Senator Hatfield for his leadership on the bill before us. I would also like to thank Chairman Clinger of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Chairman Zeliff of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice, and the gentlelady from Florida and ranking member of the subcommittee, Mrs. Thurman for their support of this bill.
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission [NHPRC], established in 1934, is a Federal-State partnership program, administered by the national archives. The NHPRC is dedicated to promoting, preserving, and publishing records that document American history nationwide. No other Federal program has this mandate.
In cooperation with State historical records advisory boards, the NHPRC generates grants to solve archival problems, preserve valuable historical records, and ensure accessibility to non-Federal records. These NHPRC grants are enabling historians to collect, edit, and publish papers on major figures in American history such as Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King. Thanks to the NHPRC, priceless historical documents previously lost to sight are becoming widely accessible.
The NHPRC's current 4-year authority expires at the end of fiscal year 1997, for which the appropriations ceiling is $10 million. S. 1577 reauthorizes the commission for another 4 years at the same appropriations ceiling previously authorized. Because administrative costs for the NHPRC's staff are absorbed by the National Archives, all funds authorized by S. 1577 will go directly to support non-Federal projects in the field. Matching grants, cost-sharing requirements, and private-sector fundraising provide on average $3 for every $1 granted by the NHPRC.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join in passing this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I thank the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Mica] for bringing this bill before the House today.
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission is an important part of the efforts to preserve the documents which make up the history of our country for future generations. The reauthorization we are voting on today continues the Commission's authorization at the current level of $10 million for another 4 years.
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission helps State, local, and private institutions preserve non-Federal records, helps publish the papers of major figures in American History, and helps archivists and records managers improve their techniques, training, and ability to serve a range of information users.
This Commission is as dedicated to assuring that local and State records are afforded the same preservation as Federal records wherever possible.
The Commission has assisted in preserving the papers of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Johnson, and Andrew Jackson, as well as the correspondence of James K. Polk. It has been an important force in preserving the papers of political figures, military leaders, scientists, diplomats, and numerous corporate and organizational records.
Nearly all of the grants provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission are matching grants. The local organization, be it a city library or a State archive, are required to pay a substantial portion of the project. This allows the Commission to support more projects, and it requires a strong local commitment for the project to go forward.
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The Commission has given grants to historical societies, libraries and State and local institutions for the preservation of a broad range of materials. Since its inception, more than 500 organizations in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have received grants.
In my State, the Commission has made grants to the Florida State Historical Records Advisory Board, the Florida Department of State, and several grants to the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission plays a vital part in preserving the documents that make American history come alive at the national , State, and local level. This reauthorization allows the Commission to continue for another 4 years, and I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 3625.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is not the most monumental piece to pass this Congress. There have been so many significant accomplishments of this Congress, passing the first balanced budget for the American people since 1969, passing line-item veto which I read about as a student in high school and talked about as a candidate for office years ago, changing our insurance and health care coverage so that people with prior disabilities and people who change or lose jobs could in fact be secure in the knowledge of being able to receive health coverage. Many other significant reforms have passed this Congress, including cutting the budget of the legislative branch of Government by a quarter of a billion dollars, doing away with 2,000 positions, doing away with the daily delivery of ice at a cost of over $400,000 and requiring 14 employees in the Congress, requiring an extra majority for passage of tax increases on the floor, ending the proxy voting which took place on a regular basis in the committee process. So many reforms that have taken place here.
This is not that kind of legislation, but it is a piece of legislation that is important to our children, to people who are interested in the great history of this country, of this Congress, our great Nation and its historic background, and it also shows what the Federal Government working in partnership with States and local governments and the private sector can do to make those documents available that outline the rich heritage and history of our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to present this legislation and again want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership. I have enjoyed working with her, I have enjoyed working with the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Clinger], the chairman of our committee who is going to be leaving, and the gentlewoman for Illinois [Mrs. Collins], also, the ranking member of the full committee, who also was supportive of this legislation and many other reforms that came through the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.
Mr. Speaker, again this is not a monumental piece of legislation but it is a significant piece of legislation and important that we pass on the rich heritage of this Nation to our children and do it in cooperation with many organizations and levels of government.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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