<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
        {font-family:"Cambria Math";
        panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Calibri;
        panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
        {margin:0in;
        margin-bottom:.0001pt;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;}
h1
        {mso-style-priority:9;
        mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
        mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
        margin-right:0in;
        mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
        margin-left:0in;
        font-size:24.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;
        font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
        color:#428BCA;
        text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
        color:#428BCA;
        text-decoration:underline;}
p
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
        margin-right:0in;
        mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
        margin-left:0in;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
        {mso-style-name:msonormal;
        mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
        margin-right:0in;
        mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
        margin-left:0in;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;}
p.remove-embedded-content, li.remove-embedded-content, div.remove-embedded-content
        {mso-style-name:remove-embedded-content;
        mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
        margin-right:0in;
        mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
        margin-left:0in;
        font-size:1.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;
        display:none;}
p.bquote, li.bquote, div.bquote
        {mso-style-name:bquote;
        margin-top:.25in;
        margin-right:7.5pt;
        margin-bottom:.25in;
        margin-left:15.0pt;
        background:#FAFAFA;
        border:none;
        padding:0in;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;}
p.bqfooter, li.bqfooter, div.bqfooter
        {mso-style-name:bqfooter;
        margin-top:3.75pt;
        margin-right:0in;
        mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
        margin-left:0in;
        text-align:right;
        font-size:9.5pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
        color:#333333;}
span.Heading1Char
        {mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
        mso-style-priority:9;
        mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
        font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
        color:#2E74B5;}
span.EmailStyle24
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
        {mso-style-type:export-only;
        font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
        {size:8.5in 11.0in;
        margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
        {page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor="white" lang="EN-US" link="#428BCA" vlink="#428BCA">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext"> SAA Headquarters via Society of American Archivists <Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, January 2, 2020 5:08 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Carleton, Janet <carleton@ohio.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [SAA announcements] : SAA Comments on Proposed Hike in USCIS Records Access Fees<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:.75pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:1.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SAA "was dismayed to learn of the proposed changes in fees for accessing the public records of the United States Citizenship and Immigration
 ... -posted to the "Announcements" community<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" style="width:100.0%" id="HLMsgOuter" name="HLMsgOuter">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">
<div align="center">
<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" style="background:white">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" style="width:100.0%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt">
<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" style="width:100.0%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding:3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt">
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SAA "was dismayed to learn of the proposed changes in fees for accessing the public records of the United States Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS)," per comments submitted to the chief of the Regulatory Coordination
 Division of the USCIS on December 30, 2019. The comment continued:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">"As outlined in the agency's proposed rulemaking under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Docket No. USCIS-2019-0010, USCIS proposes significant increases in two fees: The fee for the agency to search the Master
 Index of the Genealogy Program would increase from $65 to $240 (269%) and the fee to request a record would increase from $65 to $385 (492%). The current fees already were significantly increased from their 2016 levels of $20 and $35, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">"Based on our significant concerns about diminished access to these records, SAA opposes the increases and proposes that USCIS instead transfer these public records to the National Archives and Records
 Administration (NARA).</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> Through NARA these records can be managed more efficiently, accessed more freely, and reproduced more economically, as preserving and providing access to historical records
 of the federal government is one of NARA's core missions and areas of expertise."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Read the full letter <a href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.archivists.org%2Fnews%2FComments-on-USCIS-Proposed-Fee-Increases-2019.pdf&data=02%7C01%7Ccarleton%40ohio.edu%7Cc23339c346a641faaef308d78fd03a07%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C1%7C637135996796301119&sdata=vCvFXW2OSDmsD%2BMKO0OKy7wFhRylFSQL%2BA4xYUPd6e8%3D&reserved=0" title="http://files.archivists.org/news/Comments-on-USCIS-Proposed-Fee-Increases-2019.pdf">here</a>. 
 Read all comments <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=USCIS-2019-0010-0001" title="https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=USCIS-2019-0010-0001">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">------------------------------<br>
SAA Headquarters<br>
Society of American Archivists<br>
Chicago IL<br>
(866) 722-7858<br>
<a href="mailto:saahq@archivists.org">saahq@archivists.org</a><br>
------------------------------<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><img border="0" width="2" height="1" style="width:.0208in;height:.0104in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://oedginnrrl.execute-api.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/v1/readstatus?MailingID=136281819&Email=carleton%40ohio.edu"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>