****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 72 July 29, 1995 In this issue: (159 lines) HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ACTS ON LIBRARY FUNDING - ACTION NEEDED REP. NEY SIGNS ON AS COSPONSOR OF LIBRARY AMENDMENT - HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE SCHEDULED TO ACT ON H.R.1555 AT 5PM ON MONDAY, JULY 31 ACTION NEEDED: CONTINUE PRESSING RULES COMMITTEE TO SUPPORT "MORELLA-ORTON-NEY" ***************************************************************** HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ACTS ON LIBRARY FUNDING - ACTION NEEDED On July 23 after several days of markup sessions, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill for FY96 (H.R. 2127, H. Rept. 104-209). At this writing, the text of the bill and report are not yet available, but the Committee made no changes from the levels recommended by the L-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittee for library and education programs or for the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. This leaves library programs with a potential 30 percent cut compared with FY95, and NCLIS with $450,000 compared with the current $901,000. LSCA I would be level funded at $83.2 million; LSCA III would receive $18 million compared with the current $23.7 million. All other currently funded LSCA and HEA library programs would be at zero. Cuts would be made in education programs such as title I aid for disadvantaged students, education technology, and many others. Education cuts total $4 billion, and many education organizations are urging defeat of the bill. President Clinton has already indicated he intends to veto any bill with large cuts in education programs. The House bill would eliminate Goals 2000 school reform efforts and the Community Service initiative--both Administration priorities. The House committee also approved an amendment offered by Rep. Ernest Jim Istook (R-OK) to prohibit the use of federal funds for political advocacy. In general, the use of federal funds for lobbying is already prohibited. Further, nonprofits are already prohibited from engaging in partisan politics, and the amount of money nonprofits can use for lobbying is already restricted. The Istook amendment, despite a clause that says it does not abridge First Amendment rights, would expand the scope of prohibited activity beyond lobbying to "political advocacy," and add additional conditions and requirements. It would have a chilling impact on the democratic process as well as the rights of individuals and organizations to participate in public policy debates. ALA has signed a position statement on advocacy by nonprofit organizations developed by Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits to which ALA belongs. The statement has been widely distributed on Capitol Hill. H.R. 2127 is scheduled for House floor action on August 2. No amendments known at this writing would attempt to improve funding levels for library or education programs. Any such amendment would have to be paid for by cutting some other program in the bill. The best hope for improvement is in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will take up the bill after Labor Day. ACTION NEEDED: Any attempts to improve the position of library and education programs in H.R. 2127 should be supported, as long as they do not come at the expense of other programs affecting libraries or educational institutions. The Istook amendment relating to political advocacy goes much too far and should be opposed. Regarding funding levels, the most productive action at this stage would be to contact Senators, especially members of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, to urge funding for library programs at least at the current levels. ***************************************************************** REP. NEY SIGNS ON AS COSPONSOR OF LIBRARY AMENDMENT - HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE SCHEDULED TO ACT ON H.R.1555 AT 5PM ON MONDAY, JULY 31 ACTION NEEDED: CONTINUE PRESSING RULES COMMITTEE TO SUPPORT "MORELLA-ORTON-NEY" Rep. Bill Ney (R-OH) has signed on as a cosponsor of the "Morella-Orton-Ney" amendment proposed for H.R. 1555, the Communications Act of 1995. This is at the same time that the House Rules Committee keeps changing its schedule for working on procedures for floor debate on the bill. Library and education advocates are pressing the House Rules Committee to allow procedures for floor debate so that this amendment can be introduced. The new language would add in "affordability" and "users of public libraries" to Section 246 dealing with universal service. Supporters are anxious for this to be included so that we will be in a stronger situation when the House meets with the Senate conferees to reconcile H.R. 1555 with S. 652. (See previous ALAWONs Vol. 4, Nos. 70 and 71 for text of amendment and other information.) The House Rules Committee is now scheduled to address rules for floor debate on H.R. 1555, the Communications Act of 1995, at 5 pm on Monday, July 31. This date and time has changed at least once a day this week. In order for this legislation to be acted upon before Congress recesses in the next week or so, Rules Committee must set the procedures. On one hand some Congressional staffers insist that library and education advocates have no chance to get such a library/education amendment introduced. Yet, we have seen sponsorship and support growing. It is a small issue for many addressing the "bigger" problems in H.R. 1555 presented by the warring factions within the telecommunications industries. Our K-12 education allies continue to work on this as part of a large coalition which came together initially to work on the Snowe-Rockefeller-Kerrey-Exon amendment in S. 652. It is more than unfortunate that the issue of equity of access to information and education are considered a "minor" issue to be dealt with - or not dealt with, in this legislation. How the public interest is fairly addressed in the many issues presented in H.R. 1555 is a complex debate. In addition to education and library access are issues regarding concentration of ownership, rate deregulations, entry into competitive markets and more. ACTION NEEDED: The House Rules Committee is now scheduled to address H.R. 1555 at 5pm on Monday, July 31. Library and education advocates are encouraged to continue to lobby the Rules Committee heavily until their vote takes place. Contact your own congressional representatives and ask them not only to support the Morella-Orton-Ney amendment, if and when it comes to the floor, but also to contact the Rules Committee directly to seek favorable rules. ********************************************************************************************************************************** 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: Carol C. Henderson; Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org). ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. 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