U.S. Senator Patty Murray introduces bill which would effectively stop the sale of the Seattle branch of the National Archives

U.S. Senator Patty Murray

On March 24, 2021, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) led Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing the ARCHIVES Act.

The Act would amend the Federal Assets Sale Transfer Act (FASTA) to add a requirement that properties cannot be sold or transferred unless the relevant agency has consulted with all affected Tribal governments or if the sale would harm access to agency services by a federally recognized Tribe.

 

This targeted legislation would only affect facilities that provide services to Tribal members, such as the federal archives facility in Seattle.

It would effectively halt the current process to close the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Federal Archives and Records Center in Seattle.

“The generations of history and artifacts stored in the Seattle federal archive facility are critical to telling the story of the Pacific Northwest, especially for our region’s Tribal communities,” Senator Murray said. 

“This bill would correct a flawed process and ensure that Tribes are a part of any decision regarding the future of this facility, which houses so many critical pieces of their history."

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