Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished chairwoman and Mr. Keller, my colleague and friend from Pennsylvania, for their leadership on H.R. 7337, the Access for Veterans to Records Act. The Access for Veterans to Records Act will help provide the National Archives and Records Administration resources desperately needed to address veterans' records requests. The records center houses records that are essential for veterans to receive the service-related benefits they need, including medical treatment, unemployment assistance, and emergency housing. The records center was already behind the curve when it came to investing in records digitization, creating a massive backlog. The pandemic then exacerbated that problem. Although NPRC has reduced the backlog to 515,000 from a peak of 603,000, it is still preventing veterans from receipt of the records they need. It can't be an acceptable standard. The Access for Veterans to Records Act requires NARA to submit a detailed plan for eliminating the backlog and authorizes $60 million to improve the situation. This legislative effort works in lockstep with the National Archives and Records Administration's own efforts to secure funding from the Federal Technology Modernization Fund. At the urging of the chairwoman, myself, and others, the National Archives applied for and received a $9.1 million award from the Technology Modernization Fund to do just that.…”