****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File**** *************************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 4, Number 18 March 3, 1995 In this issue: (119 lines) HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE APPROVES RESCISSION BILL - ACTION NEEDED REP. PELOSI ADVOCATES FOR LIBRARIES IN APPROPRIATIONS HEARINGS - ACTION NEEDED LIBRARIES ELIGIBLE FOR RURAL TECHNOLOGY GRANTS *************************************************************************** HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE APPROVES RESCISSION BILL On Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee approved the $17.3 billion rescission bill, intended to pay for emergency supplemental appropriations for the California flood victims and to provide for $12 billion in tax cuts promised in the Contract with America. The Committee met for the entire afternoon and defeated several amendments proposed by Representatives David Obey (D-WI) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) that sought to restore some rescinded programs in education and services for the elderly. Library programs cut in the committee action include LSCA II and VI and HEA II-B as reported earlier. Education programs cut include Chapter 1, Safe and Drug Free Schools, education for the homeless, school to work, tech- prep, Public Broadcasting, Summer Jobs and Goals 2000. Amendments were also offered by Rep. Louis Stokes (D-OH) to restore HUD cuts and Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) to earmark $12 billion from the proposed tax cut money to be applied to deficit reduction. Those amendments were also defeated. It is estimated that the full House will take up the rescission package on March 15. The bill number will be available as soon as the bill and the committee report are printed. A status report on these proposed library rescissions was published in ALAWON, Vol. 4, No. 15, February 24, 1995. ACTION NEEDED: Library supporters are urged to contact all members of the House of Representatives to urge them to make floor amendments to remove the library programs from the rescission bill. The Capitol switchboard telephone number is 202-224-3121. *************************************************************************** REP. PELOSI ADVOCATES FOR LIBRARIES IN APPROPRIATIONS HEARINGS Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) showed strong support for libraries in the House Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education Appropriation hearing of March 3 on the Clinton FY1996 budget request for educational research, statistics, and library programs. She used the public library that is being built in her native San Francisco as an example of the projects helped by LSCA funds. Even though the House Appropriations Committee has approved sending a drastic rescission bill to the full House, Pelosi asked questions of Sharon Robinson, Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement, which allowed Robinson to make a case for how badly the rescissions will affect public libraries in particular. Chairman John Porter (R-IL) then pointed out the inconsistency in the administration's past request to completely defund LSCA II in the 1995 budget as compared with this year's request for considerable funding. Porter's suggestion was that San Francisco, as well as any other city in need of a library, should raise funds at the local level. Pelosi's response was that in this age of expanding technology it is the federal assistance that helps libraries to "cross the threshold" into the modern technology. As Pelosi was trying to point out, there is still a chance to stop these rescissions on the floor of the House. ACTION NEEDED: ALAWON cannot repeat enough: it is extremely important to communicate your support for library programs to your congressional representatives and to seek their support to keep library programs in the FY1996 budget. *************************************************************************** LIBRARIES ELIGIBLE FOR RURAL TECHNOLOGY GRANTS The Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service is calling for applications for grants to establish and/or operate centers for rural technology. Libraries are eligible to apply for these grants in conjunction with other local nonprofit organizations. One of the eligible projects for these monies includes collection and dissemination of information useful to rural industries, cooperatives, agribusiness, etc. For more information contact Jennifer Barton, Loan Specialist, Community Facilities Division, Rm 6304, South Agriculture Bldg. 14th and Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250-0700, phone: 202/720-1504. The deadline for preapplication is April 10, 1995. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363. Contributing to this issue: Mary R. Costabile and Claudette W. Tennant; Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org). ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (Internet). Back issues and other documents are available from the list server. To find out what's available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv. The ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and filetype. To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename filetype" to the listserv. Do not include the quotes in your commands. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. For other reprinting or redistribution, address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org). *************************************************************************** ***End of file******************End of file******************End of file***