================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 49 ISSN 1069-7799 August 6, 1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT NEEDS FINAL PUSH! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED _________________________________________________________________ LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT NEEDS FINAL PUSH! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED Congress is on recess until after Labor Day. When they return, only one short month remains until final adjournment to complete election year campaigning. Contact Representatives and Senators at home during August, or contact your congressional staff contacts in Washington, D.C. during August. IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: All library advocates are urged to make a major push during this recess month. This is the last opportunity this year to demonstrate strong grassroots support in order to achieve final enactment of LSTA. THE ADVOCACY MESSAGE The Library Services and Technology Act conference agreement within H.R. 1617 deserves enactment. If H.R. 1617 is not moving, then the library/museum portion should move forward separately. It is bipartisan. It is broadly supported. Forcefully urge all congressional offices to give it a final vote in September and get it enacted. Having done all this great work, Congress should complete the last step--floor votes on the LSTA conference agreement. Otherwise, no successor program to the Library Services and Construction Act will be on the law books, and a crucial stimulus to improvement of library services through technological innovation and outreach services may disappear. SITUATION ON OVERALL BILL A conference report has now been issued on H.R. 1617, the CAREERS Act bill in which the Library Services and Technology Act is contained. House-Senate conferees agreed on July 17 to a conference version of the legislation, and issued a conference report (H. Rept. 104-707) on July 25. The report was issued without Democratic support and without much commentary as to congressional intent. Several larger non-library programs in the bill have become embroiled in controversy. The July 17 session was described by one observer as an extended funeral with many positive eulogies for effort and regret for impasse. The expectation is that the conference version may never come to the floor in the Senate, which would apparently take up the conference agreement first. The Democrats have threatened a filibuster; and both the Secretaries of Education and Labor have recommended a Presidential veto. It is unlikely that the Senate leadership would allow floor debate on a vehicle that could potentially use up so much floor time, with so little likely result, when so little time remains in this election year session. WHAT ABOUT LSTA? The Library Services and Technology Act, plus the museum grant program, and their combined administration in an Institute of Museum and Library Services, is part of the conference agreement on H.R. 1617. This portion of the bill does have bipartisan agreement. Conferees feel that the House-Senate compromise in this area is a better program than either the House or Senate passed versions. Conferees support it and there is some interest in finding a way to send it forward separately or attached to another piece of legislation that is moving in September. WHAT'S IN LSTA? The conference report provides the first publicly available text of the House-Senate compromise version of LSTA, originally developed by ALA, the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, and the Urban Libraries Council. The text of the library and museum portion of the conference agreement shows no surprises from the oral summaries by congressional staff that have previously been reported. ALA, COSLA, and ULC made joint recommendations to the conference committee for a compromise that incorporates the strengths of both the House approach of a block grant to the states, and the Senate's more comprehensive federal role in support of libraries. Conferees worked out a reasonable compromise that, while not incorporating all the library community's recommendations, would continue a successor program to LSCA and HEA library programs that deserves support. SUMMARY of Museum/Library Provisions Highlights of the library/museum portion of H. Rept. 104-707 include: Library Services and Technology Act would be established-- * $150 million authorized for FY97, such sums each year through 2002. * Funds go to Secretary of Education, who transfers them to Institute of Museum and Library Services (arrangement retains L-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittee jurisdiction over LSTA appropriations). * Forward funding authorized. * Allotment of LSTA funds: 1.91.5% or more allotted to states via state library agencies; 2.4% for national leadership competitive grants/contracts 3.1 1/2% for services for Indian tribes; 4.3% limit allowed for federal level administration. * Purposes for which state-based LSTA funds could be used (in any proportion) by state library agencies directly or through subgrants or cooperative agreements: 1.establishing electronic linkages among libraries, library consortia, career centers, other service providers mentioned in the bill; 2.targeting library and information services to persons having difficulty using a library and to under served urban and rural communities, including children in poverty level. * State-based LSTA program requirements: 1.Minimum allotment $340,000 with remainder on population basis; 2.4% limit on funds used for state-level administration 3.1/3 matching required from nonfederal, state, or local sources; 4.Maintenance of effort (MOE) on state-level expenditures for similar purposes; 5.Allotment to state reduced by % MOE less than average of last 3 years; 6.Waiver of MOE for exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances; 7.5-year state plan; revisions allowed; 8.Plan must be publicly available, developed with library/library user input; 9.Broadly representative state advisory council permitted, not required; 10.Independent evaluation/report required prior to end of 5-year plan. * Services for Indian Tribes: From 1 1/2% LSTA set aside, Institute to make grants to organizations primarily serving and representing Indian tribes for electronic linkages and targeted services (purposes similar to state-based uses of funds). * National Leadership Grants or Contracts: From 4% LSTA set aside, Institute to make competitive awards for: 1.Education and training of persons in library and 2.Research and demonstration projects related to the improvement of libraries, education in library and information science, enhancement of library services through effective and efficient use of new technologies, and dissemination of information derived from such projects; 3.Preservation or digitization of library materials and resources, giving priority to projects emphasizing coordination, avoidance of duplication, and access by researchers beyond the institution or library entity undertaking the project. 4.Model programs demonstrating cooperative efforts between libraries and museums. Institute of Museum and Library Services-- * Amends Museum Services Act and adjusts Institute of Museum Services to create an Institute of Museum and Library Services. * Director: 4-year term, Ex. Schedule III level, appointed by President, confirmed by Senate, first director is head of IMS at time of enactment, then alternates between individuals with special competence with regard to library and information services, and museum services. * Office of Library Services created, headed by Deputy Director with graduate degree in library science and expertise in library and information services, appointed by Director. * Office of Museum Services created, headed by Deputy Director with expertise in museum services, appointed by Director. * National Commission on Libraries and Information Science has responsibility for advising Institute Director on general policies related to financial assistance for library services, and any joint library/museum projects, as well as coordination between Institute and other activities of federal government. * National Museum Services Board has responsibility for advising Institute Director on general policies related to financial assistance for museum services and any joint library/museum projects. * NCLIS is to meet jointly with museum board at least annually on general policy with respect to financial assistance for joint library/museum projects; 2/3 vote of total Commission/Board members present required on such decisions. MUSEUM SERVICES-- $28.7 million authorized for FY97, such sums through FY 2002; for grants, contracts, cooperative agreements for the federal share of increasing, improving, strengthening museum services; up to 10% for federal administration. Transfer of functions and transition provisions-- * Transferred to the Institute Director are all functions of the Director of the Institute of Museum Services and of the Director of Library Programs in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the Department of Education (along with related functions of Dept. of Education). * Transferred government personnel are given certain protections; technical provisions ensure continued effect of legal documents, proceedings, etc.. * In appointing employees of the Office of Library Services, the Director is to give strong consideration to individuals with experience in administering state-based and national library and information services programs. * The Office of Management and Budget is to take appropriate measures to ensure an orderly transition from Dept. of Education Library Programs to the Institute for Museum and Library Services; such measures may include transfer of funds. * The Secretary of Education is to transfer at least $200,000 to the Institute Director to ensure the orderly transition from Office of Library Programs activities to the Institute. * Within 6 months, the Institute Director is to submit to Congress any needed technical and conforming amendments as recommended legislation. WHAT'S NEXT? Time is running out in this short election-year session. It is expected that the current LSCA may be authorized for a brief period on an appropriations bill for FY97. However, election year maneuvering could mean funding for less than a full year. Any temporary option would mean that the authorization process would have to start from scratch in the next Congress, and would leave library programs in limbo for the next funding cycle. This scenario is not as solid or desirable as getting the program on the law books for a full 5 or 6 years. Some key conferees are looking for likely vehicles to which to attach the library and museum portion of the conference agreement. See the first two paragraphs for action needed by all library advocates. HOW TO OBTAIN CONFERENCE REPORT The conference report on H.R. 1617 is available on the World Wide Web through GPO Access and Thomas. The University of California provides an excellent gate to GPO Access, and a search for 104-707 at the following site produces links to a text version and an Acrobat version of the report: http://www.gpo.ucop.edu/search/congrpt.html _________________________________________________________________ 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: Carol C. Henderson All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================