================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 56 ISSN 1069-7799 September 13, 1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (159 lines) APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE: ACTION ALERTS LABOR, HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE - TIIAP Grants Threatened _________________________________________________________________ APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE: ACTION ALERTS The week of September 16 will find both Senate and House trying feverishly to finish appropriations bills before a possible targeted adjournment date of September 27. In any case, the new fiscal year will begin October 1. As is the case at this time of year, rumors abound, but one possible scenario may be that all unfinished appropriations bills will be rolled into another omnibus continuing resolution. LABOR, HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS H.R. 3755 was voted on by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, September 12. On the same day, a letter was sent from Jacob Lew, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, expressing dissatisfaction with some of the Senate subcommittee levels of funding and saying that the President's senior advisers would recommend a veto if the bill were presented in its current form. The Senate total for education is $25.8 billion, $580.9 million above FY96, and $582.4 million above the House passed bill. This morning at a press conference, Senators Thomas Daschle (D-SD) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) presented a proposal for an add back of $3.1 billion over the Senate FY97 funding levels for education. The amendment would be offered on Tuesday, September 17, to the Interior Appropriations bill and would increase programs at the levels requested in the President's budget for Goals 2000, Title I, School-to-work, Education Technology, Summer Jobs and Continuing Education for Dislocated Workers, Pell Grants and Head Start. It is expected that the amendment would use the sale of spectrum from the Digital Audio Radio Service portion of the spectrum as an offset to the amendment. The sponsors feel that since the same funding provision was passed earlier this year by the House to offset the gas tax reduction, there may be a greater chance for approval. The education community has requested calls to Senators asking for a favorable vote on this proposed amendment. H.R. 3755 is expected to come to the Senate floor next week, but it is questionable whether enough time remains to conference House and Senate bills and send a final version to the President for signature before the end of session. The Senate bill recommends a total of $128,369,000 for library programs, a decrease of $4,136,00 below the FY96 appropriations. LSCA Title I--public library services would be funded at $92,636,000, the same as the House amount and the same as appropriations for FY96. LSCA Title II--public library construction would be funded at $16,369,000. The House bill would include no funding for this title. LSCA Title III--interlibrary cooperation would be funded at $11,864,000, a decrease of $6,136,000 below the FY96 appropriation, but the same amount suggested in the House bill. The Senate bill would provide $2.5 million for HEA II-B library career training programs, the same amount as that requested in the House bill. Library Research and Demonstrations would be funded at $5,000,000 with $1.5 million suggested to expand the demonstration project funding Portals, the Portland area library network system; $1 million to be competitively awarded for a "nonprofit social tolerance resource center to operate a national training program to develop educational materials and operate prejudice reduction programs for educators, students, health care providers, and others involved in community relations." A further $500,000 is suggested in the committee report to be used for the establishment of the Columbia River history project to provide for the development of teaching and library materials focused on the history of the Columbia River basin. ACTION NEEDED: Library supporters should call Senators and ask them to support proposed increases in the Education Appropriations bill. A Senate bill with higher numbers for education and libraries would assure an overall better bargaining position when and if the bill is conferenced between House and Senate. In view of the election year and possible higher numbers in a Senate bill might assure a better posture for education and libraries in a continuing resolution should one be proposed. The Senate switchboard number is 202-224-3121. PROGRAM FY96 FY97 FY97 (in thousands) APPROP. HSE.-PASSED SEN. COM. LSCA I pub service $ 92,636 $ 92,636 $ 92,636 LSCA II pub constr 16,369 0 16,369 LSCA III interlib 18,000 11,864 11,864 LSCA VI literacy 0 0 0 HEA II-B lib ed 2,500 2,500 2,500 HEA II-B R&D 3,000 1,000 5,000 TOTAL $132,505 $108,000 $128,369 _________________________________________________________________ COMMERCE, JUSTICE STATE APPROPRIATIONS TIIAP Grants Threatened Also to be considered by the Senate early in the week, perhaps as early as September 17, is the FY97 Commerce, Justice State Appropriations bill, H.R. 3814. Included in this bill is the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the Department of Commerce. This program has provided matching grants to schools, libraries, hospitals, state and local governments and other non-profit entities. Last year, TIIAP leveraged $35.7 million in federal funds with $60 million in private, state and local funding and awarded 117 grants to projects in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The House FY97 appropriations for this program would be set at $21.49 million, well below the President's budget request of $59 million for this program. The Senate bill would currently fund the program at only $4 million. Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Robert Kerrey (D-NE) plan to offer an amendment to restore $21.5 to the TIIAP program when the bill comes before the Senate for action next week. More information will be provided about this amendment on Monday, September 16. ACTION NEEDED: Library supporters are urged to call Senators to ask to return funding back to the TIIAP program. There may be campaign events where this issue could be raised with incumbents and other candidates. It is expected that the amendment will be offered on Tuesday, September 18. The Senate switchboard number is 202-224-3121. _________________________________________________________________ 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.alawash.org/ ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Contributing to this issue: Mary Rae Costabile All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================