House Bill 287, transferring the Georgia Archives from the Secretary of State to the University System of Georgia, has passed all House committees and is expected to be approved by the full Georgia House of Representatives on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
The bill also is expected to pass the Senate.
In the meantime, the struggle for state dollars continues.
The Fiscal Year 2013 Supplemental Budget is headed to a House-Senate conference committee. It is unlikely that additional funds will be allocated to the Archives.
USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby has recommended that the legislature add $448,266 to the Archives budget for Fiscal Year 2014. Gov. Nathan Deal recommended $3,851,428. A total of $4,299,694 would:
- Restore fairness to the Archives budget (mitigating the Secretary of State’s $730,000 cut)
- Comply with the the governor’s mandated 3% cut for all state agencies
- Give the Archives some funds to work with — possibly allowing a few more public hours
The 2013 legislative session is more than half completed. If you support the Georgia Archives, the time to act is now. Contact your state legislator, as well as members of the House and Senate Higher Education Appropriations subcommittees and the full House and Senate Appropriations Committee members.
Chairmen of these committees are as follows:
- Rep. Terry England, chairman, House Appropriations Committee
- Rep. Earl Erhart, chairman, House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee
- Sen. Jack Hill, chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee
- Sen. Buddy Carter, chairman, Senate Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee
Vivian Price Saffold
GeorgiaArchivesMatters 
Ms. Saffold, I took the time to write a letter voicing my opinion to the members of the committee who are proposing HB287. I will be happy to forward you the response I received from Representative Terry England as I found it very informative and convincing. I really enjoy being a member of Georgia Archives Matters. Thank you for all you do!