ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 13, Number 61 September 10, 2004 In This Issue: 1) SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER LIBRARY FUNDING LEVELS NEXT WEEK; 2)HOUSE PASSES FY 2005 LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATION BILL 1) SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER LIBRARY FUNDING LEVELS NEXT WEEK ACTION NEEDED: Contact your Senator immediately and ask them to support $232 million for Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) programs at the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and $100 million for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program so that every state would receive funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee is set to consider the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2005 on Wednesday, September 15th. The LSTA and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries programs provide critical funding for libraries of all kinds nationwide. Only by including at least $220 million for the LSTA and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill will we ensure that library patrons of all ages have sufficient access to library and information services, support recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians, and provide libraries the resources they need to improve literacy skills and academic achievement. Visit ALA's website for more information and talking points on these critical programs: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/washfunding/funding.htm Use ALA's Washington Office Legislative Action Center at to identify and fax your Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate. You can also call your Member of Congress directly using the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121. 2) THE HOUSE PASSES FY 2005 LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATION BILL The House of Representatives passed the FY 2005 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill yesterday by a vote of 388 to 13. The House version of the bill includes an overall funding level of $219.9 million for LSTA programs, an increase of $21.7 million over fiscal year 2004. For the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program, the House approved only $19.8 million, the same level as FY 2004 and well below the authorized amount of $250 million. It should be noted that the House did adopt an amendment sponsored by Representative Shadegg (R-AZ) by voice vote that transferred $20 million from the Even Start program to Title V state block grants that fund innovative education programs. Title V was eliminated in the House bill; it was a $297 million program in FY 2004. The Even Start family literacy program, which was eliminated in the President's budget, is funded at $226.9 million after the cut. Many education programs are level funded and twenty-two programs are eliminated entirely, including the Star Schools and the Community Technology Centers programs. In addition, the President's Striving Readers Initiative was funded at $100 million. According to the President's budget, the Striving Reader's Initiative would make competitive grants available to States and school districts to develop, implement, and evaluate effective reading interventions for middle or high school students reading significantly below grade level. For more information on funding for other library programs, please visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/washfunding/funding.htm ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Carol Ashworth, Camille Bowman, Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.