ATLANTA (AP) — Gov. Nathan Deal has set aside $4.3 million in next year's proposed budget for the Georgia Archives, the latest step in efforts to keep the institution's doors open.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/a1eK) that Deal's proposal would also fund 10 positions at the institution in Morrow, which lost five employees last fall to layoffs.

Supporters say many more steps remain to keep the archives open and accessible to Georgians. They are pushing for an additional $1.5 million to expand public access to the state's important and historical records dating to at least 1733, saying the additional money would reopen the archives from two to five days a week.

Deal's proposed budget is for fiscal year 2014, which starts July 1.

__