Dear fellow researchers:
I know that many of you have ordered documents from the National Archives and
Records Administration called NARA for short. This is the federal agency
which has *our* pension records, bounty land records, military records,
passenger lists as well as other records of importance to a genealogist.
NARA is proposing a rate increase. Not a small one to cover the cost of
living but a VERY LARGE increase! The records most often sought, the pension
records of our ancestors, will have a 400% increase in Sept. unless we make
our voices heard.
Several years ago, when NARA was threatened with a dramatic funding cut, they
appealed to genealogist to write and express our opinions and
dissatisfaction. We did and basically *saved* them. Now it is our turn to
speak out on this issue too.
First visit this site, it is the NARA site that tells you about the proposed
fee increases. Some of you can hyperlink and others will need to copy and
paste the page. Either way, read it carefully. Yes, it is your typical
government document full of mumble jumble and you have to wade through all of
that. But the new fees are listed. All increases are far more than a modest
increase!
Now is the time we can act together. We can write an email, send a fax or
better yet, a snail mail letter to NARA. In addition, notify you congressman
and any other official you know to express your dissatisfaction in this most
unfair rate increase.
The time is NOW. The cut off date for getting your opinions in is June 26,
2000. Although the increase is not scheduled until Sept., we must act now to
get them to rethink this gigantic increase.
Thank you for reading this. Please take the time to write a similar message
to each of the mailing list you receive, and send to them as well as to each
genealogist that you personally correspond with and encourage them to do the
same. Together we can be a Million Genealogist On Line Against Fee
Increases!!
With elections not far away, I do not think congress wants to make a VERY
Large group of constituents upset!! So go below and click or copy and see
for yourselves what is proposed and then write your letter now, not tomorrow,
not next week. NOW.
<A
HREF="http://www.nara.gov/nara/fees-pro.html">Proposed Rule NARA Fee
Schedule-36 CFR Part 1258</A> or
http://www.nara.gov/nara/fees-pro.html
Thanks. Gale