Bush approves increased NARA budget.

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The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) received a raise of sorts this year from Congress and President George W. Bush. The president recently signed a measure granting a fiscal year 2006 budget of $338 million for NARA--bout $15 million more than Bush had requested for the administration this year and nearly $20 million more than the 2005 appropriation of $318 million.

The measure includes more than $283 million for basic operating expenses, $38 million for work on the Electronic Records Archives (ERA), more than $9 million for repairs and renovations at NARA facilities, and $7.5 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

The legislation also authorizes a 3.1 percent pay raise for civilian employees but does not include any additional funds to pay for it.

For the ERA, Congress appropriated $38 million, of which $22 million will be available through fiscal year 2008, to build the system that will preserve and make accessible the electronic records of the U.S. government into the future. This funding will allow NARA to continue to develop the ERA and lay the groundwork for building the entire system.

The ERA funding also includes $2 million for NARA to begin...