 |
      |
|
|
|
|
"All
Legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the
United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." |
 |
Landmark Resolution on Congressional Papers ApprovedAvailability of the Browder Collection and
Online Analytic Guidebook Landmark Resolution on Congressional Papers Approved The article that follows, written by Senate Archivist Karen Paul, places the passage of H. Con. Res. 307 in its historical perspective. This resolution stands as a major landmark for all of us who use, collect, and preserve congressional collections. This article was written for the Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter and is reproduced with the author’s permission. H. Con. Res. 307, 110th Congress, Passes June 20, 2008 was a milestone in the long term efforts to improve preservation of the papers of members of Congress. What began over thirty years earlier with the establishment of a Historical Office in the Senate in 1975 culminated when the House passed H. Con. Res. on March 5, 2008 and the Senate in turn passed it by unanimous consent on June 20th. This resolution puts in place the final piece of a puzzle whose design element is the documentation of Congress, specifically the preservation of the papers of its members. With this concurrent resolution, the Congress finally has expressed in writing its “policy” regarding the preservation of these materials. The discussion began years ago when the Public Documents Commission recommended that members’ papers become public records. [National Study Commission on Records and Documents of Federal Officials. Final Report, March 31, 1977 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1977), 19-22]. At the time, there were many objections and perceived problems, mainly centering on separation of powers and cost issues. The result was that nothing was done. Both House and Senate went on to produce records management guidance for members and gradually an acceptable modus operandi developed. The Congressional Papers Roundtable had been exploring various issues related to congressional documentation since 1984. At a forum held in 2001, the Roundtable emphasized the value of concentrating these collections at institutions that specialize in congressional documentation. The economies of doing so were noted as well as the fact that it would be an incredible boon for researchers to have sources concentrated in several large research centers rather that scattered about the nation in numerous isolated institutions. The Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (established 2003) also reviewed the present state of preservation and access to congressional collections. As a result, the John H. Brademas Center for the Study of Congress at New York University hosted a symposium on October 25, 2005 on the history of the 1974 Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act, its role today, and current policy options and obstacles in archiving the papers of government officials. Representative John Brademas (D-IN, 1959-1981) was responsible for the legislation that resulted in the Presidential Records Act of 1978. In opening remarks at the symposium, he commented that the time has come “to fashion a more rational, orderly public policy for dealing with the papers of senators and congressmen.” The final panel of the day was on the topic of “Can We Create a Policy for the Papers of Public Officials?” In his report of the symposium, Bruce Craig (“Symposium Raises Concerns Over Disposition of Congressional Papers,” American Historical Association Perspectives, January 2006, 23) recounted that John Constance, then director of congressional affairs at the National Archives expressed his doubts that Congress would ever embrace legislation that would turn congressional records (now viewed as personal property) into public property. He stated that members would not allow a law to standardize access, the cost of preserving the collections is prohibitive, and all collections are not equally good. Craig then went on to report that Karen Paul’s “upbeat” presentation suggested that the problems relating to creating a public policy were not as overwhelming as they seemed in the past. Paul pointed out that to an extent we already have a policy for the papers of public officials in place. Both houses had devised records disposition guidelines for their members. Retiring members generally do select a repository for their papers, and access to these collections is spelled out in deeds of gift and deposit agreements that tend to parallel the access rules for the official committee records of each body. The Congressional Papers Roundtable has helped to further standardize the appraisal and processing of congressional collections. She said that the one item lacking was a written policy. The symposium report called for a congressional discussion of the issues and recommended that the presidential library system, characterized by its ease of use and centralization of resources and funding opportunities, be used as a model for congressional papers, in terms of how to define them and how to provide access to them. The report emphasized that access to these records is just as important as access to presidential papers. (Preserving and Expanding Public Access to Public Papers, The John Brademas Center, www.nyu.edu/ofp/brademascenter/events.html, 27 March 2006). The Brademas conference provided the inspiration for a congressional resolution regarding preservation of papers. By September 2006, a draft resolution for the Senate was created but conditions were not conducive to moving it in the 109th Congress, there simply was not enough time. With the substantial changes brought by the 110th Congress, it was not until January 2008, that it was raised again with the Secretary of the Senate in preparation for a meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress. The resolution was thoroughly discussed at the January 28th committee meeting and unanimously endorsed. The Clerk of the House, Lorraine Miller, “embraced” the resolution and immediately proposed it to the Committee on House Administration whose staff also liked the idea. By February 6 a discussion draft was produced. Over two days at the end of February, Farar Elliott , Chief of the House Office of History and Preservation, attended at least one three-hour meeting, and Senate Historian Richard Baker and I (via e-mail) discussed finer points of wording in the resolution with the House Legislative Counsel. Finally the language was shaped to their satisfaction. The phrase “official papers of members of Congress” was changed to “Members’ Congressional papers” having been through several iterations including at one point “historically significant congressional office papers.” Also in the preamble, the phrase “must be properly maintained” was changed to “should be properly maintained.” Representatives Robert Brady (D-PA) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) introduced the measure and spoke eloquently in its favor. (See below) On March 6, Roll Call reported that “The House passed a concurrent resolution by voice vote on Wednesday (the 5th) reminding Members that their Congressional papers must be properly maintained and encouraging them to “take all necessary measures to manage and preserve these papers.” (So much for fine tuning of the wording as reported by the press.) As Richard Baker said in his keynote address to the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress later in May, “Karen Paul and I have never danced before…” That same day, March 6th, it was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. On March 28th it was referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security so that the subcommittee could exercise its jurisdiction. With committee archivist Elizabeth Butler’s timely assistance to the Staff Director, and “talking points prepared by Richard Baker and myself, the committee ordered it to be reported favorably on April 10th. On the twenty second, Senator Lieberman reported it and it was placed on the Legislative Calendar. On June 19 at 14:40:22, the Republican Cloakroom “Hotlined” the resolution with the notation, “Call up and pass.” And it did on the next day, June 20th at 12:47 P.M. H. Con. Res. 307 expresses the sense of Congress regarding the importance of preserving members’ collections. While it does not define the contents- that is left to archivists- it does state the members’ common belief in their value and in the importance of preserving them. Over time, it will grow in stature as it is used over and over again in remarks, in written guidance, and as a constant reminder. This written “policy” provides congressional archivists inside and outside the Congress with a persuasive and useful tool for demonstrating the documentary importance of the materials that result from the members’ service. Service in Congress is a high public trust and the records of that service are invaluable. It now is up to all of us to use this new found tool to the best of our abilities. *** The enrolled text follows: Agreed to June 20, 2008 One Hundred Tenth Congress
the third day of January, two thousand and eight Concurrent Resolution Whereas Members' Congressional papers (including papers of Delegates and Resident Commissioners to the Congress) serve as indispensable sources for the study of American representative democracy; Whereas these papers document vital national, regional, and local public policy issues; Whereas these papers are crucial to the public's understanding of the role of Congress in making the Nation's laws and responding to the needs of its citizens; Whereas because these papers serve as essential primary sources for the history of Congress, the study of these papers will illuminate the careers of individual Members; Whereas by custom, these papers are considered the personal property of the Member who receives and creates them, and it is therefore the Member who is responsible to decide on their ultimate disposition; and Whereas resources are available through the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to assist Members with the professional and cost-effective management and preservation of these papers: Now, therefore, be it
Attest: Clerk of the House of Representatives. Attest: Secretary of the Senate. **** Below is the Congressional Record and introductory remarks from Representatives Robert Brady (D-PA) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT MEMBERS' CONGRESSIONAL PAPERS SHOULD BE PROPERLY MAINTAINED --- Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 307) expressing the sense of Congress that Members' Congressional papers should be properly maintained and encouraging Members to take all necessary measures to manage and preserve these papers. The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution. The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows: H. Con. Res. 307 Whereas Members' Congressional papers (including papers of Delegates and Resident Commissioners to the Congress) serve as indispensable sources for the study of American representative democracy; Whereas these papers document vital national, regional, and local public policy issues; Whereas these papers are crucial to the public's understanding of the role of Congress in making the Nation's laws and responding to the needs of its citizens; Whereas because these papers serve as essential primary sources for the history of Congress, the study of these papers will illuminate the careers of individual Members; Whereas by custom, these papers are considered the personal property of the Member who receives and creates them, and it is therefore the Member who is responsible to decide on their ultimate disposition; and Whereas resources are available through the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to assist Members with the professional and cost-effective management and preservation of these papers: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that-- (1) Members' Congressional papers (including papers of Delegates and Resident Commissioners to the Congress) should be properly maintained; The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania. GENERAL LEAVE [Page: H1255] rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 307. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. Announcing Availability of the Browder Collection and Online Analytic Guidebook THE BROWDER COLLECTION INTRODUCTION Jacksonville State University Eminent Scholar Glen Browder — who previously served as a U.S. Congressman, Alabama Secretary of State, and Alabama State Legislator has donated his public and private records to the JSU library. In this project, Jacksonville State University is attempting to inventory, organize, analyze, and make publicly available the Browder Collection, which consists of information, documents, manuscripts, and scrapbooks pertaining to the life and career of Glen Browder. GLEN BROWDER Glen Browder’s experience and expertise as a participant/observer in Alabama politics and American democracy have spanned the latter third of the Twentieth Century and the early years of the Twenty-First Century. A long-time political scientist and Eminent Scholar in American Democracy at JSU, Dr. Browder also has served as an Alabama State Legislator, Alabama Secretary of State, and U.S. Congressman. While his service in each elective office was relatively brief, he exercised leadership and compiled useful notes and records regarding important issues and developments at each level. Throughout his public career, Browder tried to merge positive aspects of theory, politics, and reform; and he has been recognized as a practical, progressive leader in dealing with the challenges of a changing world. THE COLLECTION The Browder Collection is being prepared as a resource for interested citizens, news journalists, and academic researchers. Over 300 boxes (450 linear feet) of material are being processed for housing at JSU’s Houston Cole Library and the JSU McClellan Center in Anniston. This task is an ambitious undertaking, and it promises a uniquely valuable collection for several reasons: (a) Browder’s broad combination of academic, political, and governmental activism at local, state, and national levels, (b) his realistic yet positive and effective style of civic service and democratic leadership, and (c) his assistance in compiling and structuring the material for open, objective analysis as well as his own approach to government, politics, and political science. AN ANALYTIC GUIDEBOOK To maintain the historical reality of the material as much as possible, the actual boxed files will remain for the most part in their original physical condition and order; however, the primary objective is to provide an analytic guidebook that enhances, in printed and electronic manner, the collection’s value as an historiographic record of Browder’s career and as useful insight into important aspects of Alabama politics and American democracy. Initially, we simply inventoried boxes of documents; now we are organizing a more comprehensive, coherent guidebook within a political and philosophical framework reflecting the nature of Browder’s public service. Most of the material has already been reconfigured in thematic format; and various aspects of Browder’s work are being analyzed and incorporated for easy access and usage. This analytic guidebook is available online at: www.jsu.edu/depart/library/browdercollection/. For additional information, contact: JSU University Librarian Bill Hubbard
(256-782-5248, bhubbard@jsu.edu) or Glen Browder (256-782-5356, browder@jsu.edu). Grants Available for Digitizing Historical Records The materials must be of national significance. The NHPRC plans to fund from one to three projects at up to 50% of the total project cost, (up to $150,000 each) with the other half of the total project budget coming from cost sharing. The full description of this grant program
and its requirements and deadlines for applications can be found on the
NHPRC website at: The New Frontier of Research in Congressional Papers by Raymond Smock From the Fall 2005 issue of The Federalist,
quarterly newsletter of the Society for History in the Federal Government
(www.shfg.org). Video
Greeting to the Annual Conference of Thomas J.
Dodd Research Center, May 10, 2006
My thanks to all of you gathered there at the Dodd Center at UCONN for inviting me to welcome you to this important conference. I regret that I’m not able to join you in person, since the Senate is in session and voting today. Under current leadership, the Senate usually only votes Tuesday afternoon through Thursday night, so in the Senate Wednesday is considered a real full-time workday! But seriously, this audience more than most will appreciate the need for me to be here in the Senate to do the work of the people of Connecticut. I do regret missing your discussions, since the agenda your members have developed looks fascinating. Your gathering reminds me of a true story told by a University of MN archivist about Hubert Humphrey. She was proudly showing off the seemingly endless rows of shelves of his Senatorial and Vice-Presidential papers to the senator, arranged in special acid-free boxes carefully embossed with the Senate or Vice-Presidential seal. Humphrey looked at the vast array stretched out in front of him and said "Lord, they always complained that I talked too much. I guess they weren’t kidding.” The Association and the Congressional Centers you represent can play a key part in renewing our democracy, in shaping our grand national democratic experiment. In an era when anger, cynicism, extremism and polarization too often hold sway, your voices of reason are essential. And believe me, with Congressional approval ratings hovering in the low 20’s, driven in part by recent Congressional scandals centered in the people’s House… with national voter turnout rates still among the lowest in the western world...with too many Americans taking our democratic system for granted, assuming it will work as well as it has for over 200 years without their active civic engagement….and with Americans’ increasing distrust of our government institutions … it’s clear that the Congress needs your help now more than ever. Help to better explain to Americans what we in Congress do, help to describe how the legislative process works -- and help to discern ways to improve the democratic process, making it more open, accountable and responsive. From combating government secrecy and promoting openness to preserving Congressional collections and archives; from promoting scholarship on Congress and representative government to explaining to Americans more clearly how Congress works, the mission of the Association is enormously important. As I look back on the last few decades, it’s clear we have come a long way on all these fronts. But we still have a ways to go. Your contributions to assessing what we in Congress do and how we do it, and your recommendations to make Congress more effective and more accountable to those whom we serve are important to all of us. We are partners in these efforts. I’m delighted the Dodd Center is hosting this important gathering, and want to acknowledge the important work of Tom Wilsted, the Director of the Center, and his staff; Ray Smock, the distinguished former historian of the House and now your President; the staff of the Association, and all those who worked hard to make this conference a success. I also want to welcome my former colleague Congressman Glen Browder, whose many contributions in the area of national security, and thinking about how we might renew our democratic system, still resonates. And all those other conference presenters who have prepared so thoughtfully for these discussions. Laboring in the vineyard of Congressional studies and records collections can be a solitary calling, and I want you to know how much those of us who serve in the House and Senate appreciate your work. I know that my father would be deeply proud of the work of the Center, and especially of its sponsorship of this conference and the work you are doing there together. I grew up in and around Congress, trailing my father to committee hearings and mark-ups, and have worked within it much of my adult life, so have a special and profound personal investment in the institution and its work. I learned early on that Congressional service is a high honor, accompanied by a profound responsibility. You help us discharge that responsibility. As in so many other areas of life, we sit in the shade of trees planted long ago, by those who recognized the importance of work like yours. We’ve arrived at this moment because of countless gestures of hope made by generations that have preceded us: Congressional Centers started and sustained, Members’ personal and office archives donated and preserved, scholars nurtured and encouraged to study Congress, our unique democratic system, and our hope for a vibrant, healthy democratic future together. Your work more than most brings to mind that hope, as you consider how best to preserve, protect and strengthen the finest traditions of the Congress and, looking forward, how to help us as an institution better serve all Americans. In just a few short years, the ACSC has developed an excellent program which draws on the talents and resources of its members to promote a wide range of programs and research opportunities related to Congress. Many of you bring unique expertise and perspectives developed over decades of working in Congress, in the academy, in think tanks and centers of excellence which focus on Congress. Distinguished centers like the Woodrow Wilson Center here in Washington are an enormously important resource for those of us who work in Congress. Its scholars and practitioners contribute in so many ways to our ongoing work here, regularly interacting with Members of Congress and their staff in a mutually beneficial relationship. But I know most of you labor in the nearly 50 independent historical societies, congressional archives and collections, and university-based study centers that compose the association outside of Washington, and that you may not often have the chance to gather and share your work and ideas and best practices with one another. That’s why I was so pleased to see the Association start its work several years ago, with able and energetic leadership, and why these kinds of conferences are so important. I welcome you to the Dodd Center, and wish you all the best in your deliberations and discussions in the next two days. The fourth annual meeting of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress on May 10-11, 2006, will be held at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Centers, University of Connecticut, 405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205, Storrs, CT 06269-1205. Find related 2006 meeting information at: The third annual meeting of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress on May 4-5, 2005 will be held at the National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408. Jefferson Room. Find the 2005 meeting agenda at: The Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC) meeting on May 5-6, 2004 will be held at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 2004. Fifth floor Conference Room. (Metro stop: Federal Triangle). For directions and security information regarding entrance
to the Find the meeting agenda at: http://congresscenters.org/conference.htm#2004
|
|
© 2004 Association of Centers for the Study of Congress The ACSC does not release information to third parties except in conjunction with ACSC-sponsored programs. ACSC Privacy Policy |
|||
