Here's something you might find of interest.  ATW, editor, Virginia Review
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Press (Webb) 
To: Press (Webb) 
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 10:22 AM
Subject: WARNER, WEBB, GOODLATTE, DAVIS APPLAUD PASSAGE OF PRESIDENTIAL HISTORICAL RECORDS BILL


United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

 
For Immediate Release          Contact: Bronwyn Lance Chester (Warner), 202-224-6290
Wednesday, October 1, 2008                                      Jessica Smith (Webb), 202-228-5185

         Kathryn S. Rexrode (Goodlatte), 202-225-5431

 

WARNER, WEBB, GOODLATTE, DAVIS APPLAUD 
PASSAGE OF PRESIDENTIAL HISTORICAL RECORDS BILL

                

Washington, DC - On Sept. 26, 2008, the U.S. Senate passed S. 3477, the Presidential Historical Records Preservation Act, sponsored by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), to ensure that grant funding is available to preserve the documents of presidents who served before President Herbert Hoover. 

 

The House of Representatives approved its version of the bill, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Robert Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Tom Davis (R-Va.), on Sept. 27, 2008. It now goes to the President to be signed into law.

 

Through the Presidential Library Act of 1955, the National Archives and Records Administration manages and maintains 12 presidential libraries, from presidents Hoover to Clinton.  These facilities are privately constructed and deeded to the federal government, and house official records and papers of those former presidents.   

 

But the documents of pre-Hoover presidents, who have no libraries of their own, also deserve careful historical preservation. Due to the geographic distribution of those papers, it is unlikely that a single library dedicated to such conservation will ever be built. 

 

This legislation provides modest grants on a competitive, discretionary basis to worthwhile nonprofits and state or local governments willing to engage in such preservation efforts, and will ensure public access to preserved records. Grant recipients must provide a 100 percent match to all federal government monies, and the archivist of the United States - charged with safeguarding historical documents - will decide which records are appropriate for preservation. 

 

"Our founding fathers understood the need to preserve important documents for future generations," said Warner. "Thomas Jefferson once said that 'a morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable.' It is my hope that current and future generations will look upon the examples of those who came before and learn from their accomplishments, as well as their mistakes."  

 

"This bill will help the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Foundation, and other non-profit entities like it, preserve and make available to the public the historical records and documents of American Presidents," said Webb.  "Our country will be better off for having an improved, more complete understanding of American Presidents and their legacies. I was pleased to work with Senator Warner, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, and the National Archives to successfully create this competitive grant program."

 

"I am extremely pleased that the U.S. Congress unanimously passed the Presidential Historical Records Preservation Act which will help organizations, like the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, preserve our nation's history," said Goodlatte.  "The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library has been a national leader in document preservation and restoration.  They, along with other historical organizations, will benefit from the grants that will be made available through this legislation.  We will ensure that future generations have access to the records that tell the story of our nation's most important leaders and their dedication to our country."

 

"Like many of our nation's presidents, this bill has its roots in Virginia, said Davis. "The important mission of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, Va., and the determination the individuals there, combined to move this legislation forward. In these trying times, we do ourselves a tremendous service to preserve history and to seek to understand the lessons it teaches."

 

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