================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 21 ISSN 1069-7799 April 25, 1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: FY96 APPROPRIATIONS--UPDATE HOUSE HOLDS FY97 APPROPRIATIONS HEARING YOUTH ADVOCACY DAY ON THE HILL _________________________________________________________________ FY96 APPROPRIATIONS--UPDATE Congress returned from its recess with a great deal of work remaining on the calendar. Halfway through the fiscal year, the Omnibus Appropriations bill was still in conference between House and Senate. The current Continuing Resolution expired on April 24, which allowed Congress one short week to work out remaining differences and pass the legislation. It appears that the difficulties have been resolved; last evening a one-day extension was passed on the Continuing Resolution and the bill may be on the President's desk sometime today. Details will be shared when they become available. _________________________________________________________________ HOUSE HOLDS FY97 APPROPRIATIONS HEARING On April 17, the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services Education, held a hearing on FY97 funding for the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Dr. Sharon Robinson, Assistant Secretary for OERI testified before Rep. John Porter, Chair (R-IL), and Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY), Frank Riggs (R-CA), and Steny Hoyer (D-MD). In her prepared statement, Dr. Robinson emphasized the President's "national mission to make all children technologically literate by the dawn of the 21st century..." and described the new Presidential initiative called the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund. Rep. Porter responded by stating that any proposed additional spending would have to be balanced by cuts and he was still waiting for the President to indicate what programs to cut in order to find funding for new initiatives. During the question period Rep. Riggs, also a member of the Labor and Educational Opportunities Committee, asked whether the Administration supported the proposed reauthorization of library programs, and Dr. Robinson answered, "yes." Rep. Lowey asked whether libraries were involved in technology and Dr. Robinson cited the state of Maryland's success in connecting all libraries, public, school and academic to the Internet. Both House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittees are conducting a series of hearings on FY97 appropriations, which may extend through early May. _________________________________________________________________ YOUTH ADVOCACY DAY ON THE HILL On Wednesday, April 24, approximately two hundred supporters of the Youth Development Community Block Grant (S. 673 and H.R. 2807) gathered in the Senate Russell Office Building to hear remarks from Senator Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), main Senate sponsor; Senator Robert Kerrey (D-NE), also a sponsor and Representatives J.C. Watts (R-OK), (House lead sponsor), and Donald Payne (D-NJ). The proposed legislation would consolidate several drug abuse prevention programs, the national youth sports program, the demonstration partnership program in the Department of Health and Human Services; the school drop-out demonstration assistance and all drug free and safe schools programs in the Department of Education; three programs from the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention; and seven programs from the Crime Bill. The legislation would authorize $900 million for the first year and "such sums as necessary" through 2000. Low income communities would be eligible based on the community's total youth population (ages 6-18), the percentage of that population living in poverty and recent increase of juvenile crime. Funds would flow to local counties to be overseen by a Community Youth Development Board. The board would determine what activities would be funded. The day was scheduled by youth groups to encourage further Senate action on the Senate bill and to gain more sponsors for the House bill which has been referred to three House Committees, Judiciary, Commerce and Economic and Educational Opportunities, with no hearing scheduled as yet. Senator Kassebaum urged attendees to push for passage of the Senate bill within the next forty-days, since Congress will adjourn in August for political conventions and the first few weeks of September will be taken up with Appropriations bills. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname]" to . ALAWON archives gopher.ala.org; select Washington Office Newsline. Web page HTTP://www.ala.org/alawashington.html. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Contributors: Mary Costabile All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================