Posted on behalf of the Joint Task Force on PAHR:
S. 3227, “A bill to authorize the Archivist of the United States to make grants to States for the preservation and dissemination of historical records,” was introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch and Carl Levin (with six original co-sponsors) on April 19 and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
This bill is identical to that introduced in the House by Congressman Maurice Hinchey–H.R. 2256. We have an incredible opportunity to get action in both the House and the Senate THIS SPRING AND SUMMER. We need to act now before the attention of Congress is diverted by the November elections. So it is critical that you work with your constituents to tell your senators now why PAHR is important to you, your organization, and your researchers. See the attached Action Alert for more details, and please distribute it or some version thereof as widely as you can.
We have the potential by the end of this summer to have this legislation enacted in the House and the Senate. But just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the entire archival, history, library and genealogical community to pass PAHR. We need your help now and through the next two or three months to make this a reality. Please do your part to bring this to a vote in Congress–every letter, every phone call, every visit matters.
Many, many thanks for all the work that has gone into PAHR so far, and for all you can do in the next months. We can make this change happen–and we look forward to celebrating the passage of PAHR this year!
Please contact us if you have questions or ideas, or need any help with your efforts.
Council of State Archivists: Kathleen Roe, David Carmicheal, Karl Niederer, Vicki Walch
Society of American Archivists: Brenda Lawson, Steven Hensen, Ben Primer, Nancy Beaumont
National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators: Tracey Berezansky, Jelain Chubb
Learn more about PAHR and how to contact the Task Force at http://www.archivists.org/pahr/
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