The AHA sent a letter to the Alabama legislature opposing Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 4, “which would strip important supplemental appropriations recently designated for the Alabama Department of Archives and History,” the part of the state government “dedicated to identifying, preserving, and providing permanent access to records that tell the story of all Alabamians. Furthermore, the department’s Museum of Alabama plays a critical role in making the state’s history accessible to its citizens, families, and schoolchildren.” The archival collections relied on by “genealogists, students, historians, [and] journalists” “are essential to how we learn about our individual and collective pasts,” the AHA wrote. “Meaningful access to well-preserved archives of government activities is important to a free society and a vital aspect of government accountability.”