================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 43 ISSN 1069-7799 July 18,1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: - IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TODAY: Nonprofit Labeling Proposed - ALA AND AALL ASK SENATE TO FUND SERIAL SET AND BOUND CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS PASSED _______________________________________________________________ IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TODAY: Nonprofit Labeling Proposed Both the House and the Senate have taken action on welfare reform legislation that would require tax exempt recipients of funds covered by the reform bill to make a new public disclosure if they attempt grassroots efforts to influence public policies. The House bill(H.R. 3734 [H.Rept. 104-651]) and the Senate bill (S. 1795) are being considered today, July 18. SENATE: The welfare reform bill, S. 1795, contains a burdensome disclosure requirement that would create a chilling affect on the advocacy efforts of nonprofit organizations receiving federal funds. The provision is similar to one offered by Reps. David McIntosh (R-IN) and Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) last year. The current proposal requires all nonprofit organizations that receive federal funds under the welfare reform bill to include a disclaimer on all outgoing communications intended to promote public support or opposition to any federal, state or local government policy, even if it has nothing to do with welfare. The proposed disclaimer would state: "This was prepared and paid for by an organization that accepts taxpayer dollars." The disclaimer must be included in any communication made through any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, outdoor advertising facility, direct mailing, or any other type of general public advertising. The provision targets only nonprofits, not similar communications made by for-profit recipients of federal funds under the bill. The bill's enforcement provisions are severe. Any organization that makes any communication described above without including the required disclaimer becomes ineligible to receive federal funds under the bill. Even one inadvertent failure to include the disclaimer would invoke the penalty. HOUSE: The disclosure provision in H.R. 3734 was identical to the Senate version. But at mark-up in the House Ways and Means Committee, an amendment was accepted that excludes tax exempt organizations participating in programs under the Committee's jurisdiction. Otherwise the description of the Senate bill applies. Why oppose this provision: It is a bad precedent. In addition to being poor public policy, ALA and other nonprofits are concerned that this provision represents a new, piecemeal approach to implementing the agenda of muzzling nonprofits that was rejected several times by the Senate during the past year. If the attempt succeeds on the welfare reform bill, it could turn up on others that would more directly affect the library community. It is unfair. Only nonprofits are required to make this disclosure. For-profit organizations receiving funds under the bill are not affected. It goes too far. The enforcement provisions preclude any future federal funding for organizations that inadvertently fail to include the disclaimer even once. ACTION NEEDED: Immediately urge your Senators to oppose the nonprofit labeling provision in S. 1795. Contact Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD)(ph: 202-224-2321) and Senator James Exon (D-NE)(ph: 202-224-4224) to ask them to do what they can to strike this provision from the bill. Also urge your Representatives to oppose the nonprofit labeling provision in H.R. 3734. _________________________________________________________________ ALA AND AALL ASK SENATE TO FUND SERIAL SET AND BOUND CONGRESSIONAL RECORD In a July 17 letter, the American Library Association and the American Association of Law Libraries asked the Senate Appropriations Committee to continue to fund the production of the _U.S. Congressional Serial Set_ and the bound _Congressional Record_ in the permanent, print versions required in support for long-term access and preservation of government information. Senators were asked to restore the $1,200,000 cut by the House of Representatives for the _Serial Set_ and the $1,050,000 cut for production of the bound _Congressional Record_ when they passed H.R. 3754 (H.Rept. 104-657), FY97 appropriations for the Legislative Branch, on July 10. The House appears to have accepted the five-to-seven year time frame for the transition to a more electronic depository library program because they are not recommending drastic cuts to the program as they did last year. This year, the House cuts target the print versions of the two key historical titles mentioned above. The Senate Appropriations Committee may mark up their version of H.R. 3754 on July 18. ACTION NEEDED: Urge Senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund the Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation at the full amount, $30,827,000 requested by the Government Printing Office for FY97, and to continue to fund the production of the _U.S. Congressional Serial Set_ and the bound _Congressional Record_. Key Senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee: (Members listed in state order: Senate central switchboard is 202-224-3121.) CO R Ben Nighthorse Campbell FL R Connie Mack (chair of Legislative Branch Subcom.) MD D Barbara Mikulski OR R Mark Hatfield (chair of the full Committee) UT R Robert Bennett WA R Patty Murray WV D Robert Byrd (ranking minority member on the Committee) _________________________________________________________________ TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS FY97 PASSED On July 17, the House passed H.R. 3756, the Treasury, Postal and General Government Appropriations bill for FY97. Included in the bill are appropriations for the National Archives and Records Administration and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. For FY97, funding for the National Archives has dropped from FY96 level of $199,633,00 to $195,109,000. The President's request for FY97 for the National Archives was $196,964,000. The Committee report HR 104-660, p. 77, says $4,500,000 from funds appropriated in FY96 "for cataloging, archiving and digitizing activities" have been rescinded "because the National Archives and Records Administration has not developed a plan as to how these funds will be spent." The report states that the Committee is "pleased that current Archivist brings broad management experience to NARA, and believes his greatest challenge will be to marry the role of the historian with the role of the manager. The Committee urges the NARA to change its deep rooted culture of collecting and retaining everything and focus on how to better manage that which it collects and retains." The report goes on to describe the Archives as "being ill-equipped to deal with its current substantial holdings of electronic records and the reality of a future explosion of such records." The Committee "is determined that all agencies wishing to pursue expanded use of technology must first prepare a solid blueprint for design, development, acquisition, and implementation." The report then compliments the Archivist for not putting together a hasty inadequate plan in order to retain the $4,500,000. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission grants program also suffered a drop in funding level from $5,000,000 in FY96 to $4,000,000 in FY97, the same as the President's request. ACTION NEEDED: The FY97 Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations bill now goes to the Senate, where full Appropriations Committee markup is scheduled for July 23. Library supporters are urged to contact members of the Appropriations Committee to reject the House rescission and restore funding for the National Archives and the NHPRC to at least FY96 levels. _________________________________________________________________ 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 Rae Costabile and Anne A. Heanue All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================