Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

On March 11th, President Obama signed the Omnibus Appropriations Act (H.R. 1105), which funds federal departments, agencies, and programs not funded through the regular appropriations process for FY2009, which began October 1, 2008. Note that this signing was nearly half way through the fiscal year to which it applies.

Monies that will at least partly benefit archaeological and historical programs listed here total nearly $500 million, out of $410 billion total for the Omnibus Appropriations Act. That’s 0.12%. Note that additional funds had come to archaeological endeavors through the original appropriations process.

$227.60 million for US Forest Service Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness

$114.70 million for National Endowment for the Arts grants program

$69.50 million for Historic Preservation Fund, including
—–$42.5 million for State Historic Preservation Offices
—–$20 million for Save America’s Treasures
—–$7.0 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

$28.10 million for National Landscape Conservation System

$22.65 million for National Park Service cultural resources

$15.76 million for Bureau of Land Management cultural resources

$15.75 million for National Heritage Areas

$5.50 million for Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

For a certified PDF of the bill, click here (1.2 MB). To read the bill online, click here to go to the link on THOMAS, the Library of Congress webpage for legislative information (named after President Jefferson). The enrolled version is the final text, passed by both the House and the Senate, and signed by President Obama.

Posted online on Monday, April 13th, 2009