President approves $459 million budget for NARA.

• Position: ARCHIVES

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The Omnibus Appropriation Bill passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama includes more than $459 million for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)--a $48 million (12%) increase over last year's appropriation.

Funding for NARA's operating expenses (OE) is set at more than $330 million, up from $315 million last year. The OE appropriation pays for rent, energy, security, and staff costs for NARA's facilities at 44 locations around the country.

This budget also includes continued funding for new archivists hired during fiscal year 2008, and $875,000 to further increase the number of archivists on staff. The agency is directed to report to Congress within 30 days of the specific actions it is taking to restore archivist workforce size to pre-2002 levels.

Also included in the appropriations bill is $1 million for the new Office of Government Information Services, which was created by a 2007 amendment to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Its purpose is to strengthen FOIA, monitor compliance with it by federal agencies, and ensure the records of government remain open and accessible to the public.

The Obama administration also provides $650,000 to complete the review of U.S. government records documenting the activities of the Nazis and the Japanese Imperial Government. These resources will be available for two years to enable the agency to release a supplemental report to NARA's 2007 report on this subject.

For continued development of the Electronic Records Archives (ERA), the Congress appropriated nearly $67 million, compared to a little more than $58 million last year. This year, the ERA officially took in the electronic records of the Executive Office of the President from the George W. Bush administration.

The budget also directs NARA to provide quarterly progress reports on ERA to Congress and the Government Accountability Office and to alert them to any potential delays, cost overruns, and other problems with the...