[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 93 (Friday, June 19, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S6850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 197--CONGRATULATING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE NATIONAL 
ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION ON OCCASION OF ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. CARPER (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Alexander, 
Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Burris, Mr. Levin, Mr. Webb, Mr. Warner, Mr. Cornyn, 
and Mr. Akaka) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 197

       Whereas the National Archives was established by Congress 
     in 1934 to centralize Federal recordkeeping;
       Whereas the National Archives, now called the National 
     Archives and Records Administration (in this resolution 
     referred to as ``NARA''), serves democracy in the United 
     States by ensuring that United States citizens can discover, 
     use, and trust the records of the United States Government;
       Whereas NARA has grown from one building along the National 
     Mall to 38 facilities nationwide, from Atlanta to Anchorage;
       Whereas NARA administers regional archives, Federal records 
     centers, Presidential libraries, the Federal Register, and 
     the National Historical Publications and Records Commission;
       Whereas the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom serves as 
     the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, the 
     Constitution, and the Bill of Rights and makes these founding 
     documents available to more than 1,000,000 visitors each 
     year;
       Whereas the first issue of the Federal Register was 
     published on March 16, 1936, and the Federal Register has not 
     missed a publication date since, providing orderly 
     publication of the official actions of the Federal 
     Government;
       Whereas the Electronic Records Archives is laying the 
     foundation for preserving and providing public access to 
     historically valuable electronic records, ranging from vast, 
     complex databases to documents that detail the making of 
     foreign and domestic policies;
       Whereas the Presidential libraries are great treasures of 
     the United States, serving as repositories and preserving and 
     making accessible the papers, records, and other historical 
     materials of Presidents of the United States;
       Whereas the National Personnel Records Center serves as the 
     official repository for records of military personnel, 
     responding to 2,000,000 requests a year by veterans and their 
     families for documents to verify military service;
       Whereas the Information Security and Oversight Office is 
     responsible to the President for policy and oversight of the 
     Government-wide security classification system and the 
     National Industrial Security Program;
       Whereas the National Historical Publications and Records 
     Commission promotes the preservation and use of the 
     documentary heritage of the United States, which is essential 
     to understanding the democracy, history, and culture of the 
     United States, by providing grants in support of the archives 
     of the United States and for projects to edit and publish 
     non-Federal historical records of national importance;
       Whereas NARA holds records, in the National Archives 
     Building and its regional facilities across the country, that 
     allow naturalized citizens to claim their rights of 
     citizenship;
       Whereas NARA works with Federal agencies, researchers, 
     genealogists, lawyers, scholars, and authors to respond to 
     their evolving needs, requirements, and methods;
       Whereas NARA provides records management training, enhances 
     reference services, works with partners to digitize its 
     holdings, and improves access to the records of the United 
     States;
       Whereas NARA provides, through its Internet site, easy and 
     convenient public access to many of the most important and 
     most requested historic documents and valuable databases of 
     the United States; and
       Whereas inscribed on the facade of the National Archives 
     Building are Shakespeare's words, ``What is past is 
     prologue'', which aptly describe the records of the past 
     preserved by NARA as the groundwork for the future: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the men and women of the National 
     Archives and Records Administration on the occasion of its 
     75th anniversary;
       (2) understands the vital role that records play in a 
     democracy;
       (3) recognizes the service that NARA has given to the 
     democracy of the United States by protecting and preserving 
     the records of the United States Government; and
       (4) commends the efforts by NARA to support democracy, 
     promote civic education, and facilitate historical 
     understanding of the national experience.

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