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                                                             ISSN 1069-7799
                                  ALAWON
                      ALA Washington Office Newsline
                     An electronic publication of the
              American Library Association Washington Office

                            Volume 3, Number 56
                              October 3, 1994

   In this issue: (100 lines)
     UPDATE ON ESEA--ACTION NEEDED
     REMINDER ON POSTAL RATE INCREASE--ACTION NEEDED

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                       UPDATE ON ESEA--ACTION NEEDED

It appears that a cloture motion to end a filibuster will be filed on H.R.
6, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization, some time
this evening in the Senate.  That means that a vote on cloture will occur
on Wednesday of this week.  It takes sixty favorable votes to invoke
cloture and bring the conference report on H.R. 6 up for Senate
consideration, so this is the first of two extremely important votes that
will occur on H.R. 6 this week. 

ACTION NEEDED:  Library supporters should call Senate offices, AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE, either local offices or offices in Washington (call: 202-224-
3121) to request a favorable vote on the cloture motion.  The second
request, of course, is for a favorable vote on the conference report on
H.R. 6.  That vote may come as late as Friday.  We will keep you updated,
both on the vote on cloture and need for further action.  Thanks to all who
made calls to House members.  Please keep up the momentum in this the last
week and the last chance in this session for passage of the bill.

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              REMINDER ON POSTAL RATE INCREASE--ACTION NEEDED

Many libraries that would be affected by the proposed 73.7 percent increase
in the fourth-class library postal rate have asked their legislators to
write to the Postal Rate Commission to urge that this proposal be rejected. 
Some have received replies or copies of letters sent to the PRC by
congressional offices on behalf of libraries.

ACTION NEEDED:  If you have not yet heard from your Representative or
Senators, a reminder would be timely.  Call the district or Washington,
D.C. office, remind the staff of the date and nature of your request, and
ask whether your legislator has written to the Postal Rate Commission on
your behalf.  The congressional session is about to end, and the Postal
Rate Commission is likely to make a decision before Thanksgiving on the
rates proposed by the U.S. Postal Service.  It's likely that the new rates
would take effect in January.

BACKGROUND:  The library rate makes possible the mailing at less than
commercial rates of books and other library and educational materials among
libraries, schools, colleges, museums, and other nonprofit entities. 
Publishers use the library rate to deliver materials ordered by schools and
libraries.  The library rate is used heavily by many libraries for books-
by-mail programs to reach isolated and homebound users, for delivery of
books reserved by users, and for interlibrary loans.

ALA is a limited intervenor in the general postal rate case, and filed a
limited request for discovery.  These efforts have elicited no plausible
evidence from USPS to explain the huge increase proposed for the library
rate, compared with the 10 percent average increase proposed for all rates. 
However, the Postal Rate Commission, an independent agency that is the
decision-making body on postal rate proposals, has in the past taken into
account the impact of out-of-proportion rate increases, and adjusted the
proposal accordingly.

For additional background, see the August 25 ALAWON (vol. 3, no. 44).

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