ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 8, Number 55 June 10, 1999 In this issue: Construction Bills for Libraries and Schools on Capitol Hill -[1] The Andrew Carnegie Libraries for Life-Long Learning Act -[2] Rep. Major Owens' Bill Proposes to Improve School Infrastructure -[3] Department of Education Secretary Riley Urges House to Pass School Construction and Modernization A number of construction bills for libraries and schools have been introduced in both the House and Senate recently. Also, this week House members and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Richard Riley held a news conference at the Capitol Building to urge the House leadership to pass meaningful school construction and modernization legislation this year. The details are still emerging, but here is what we know so far: [1] The Andrew Carnegie Libraries for Life-Long Learning Act On June 3 Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced his intention to introduce the Andrew Carnegie Libraries for Life-Long Learning Act, which would authorize grants to allow cities, counties and towns to build, renovate and rehabilitate library facilities. The bill would also permit libraries to use grants to purchase high- tech hardware and information technology. The proposal would require a match on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The draft bill would amend the Library Services and Technology Act to add a new chapter on "Public Library Construction and Technology Enhancement." Funds would be allocated to state library administrative agencies. For FY2000, $200 million would be authorized, with the same amount for each of the following four years. In his press conference held on the steps of the New York Public Library, Sen. Schumer also released New York state statistics about the age of library buildings and the tremendous need for improvements. He also said that nationwide 85 percent of America's 15,994 libraries require expansion or renovation. ALAWON will report the bill number when the bill is introduced. [2] Rep. Major Owens' Bill Proposes to Improve School Infrastructure On the House side, Rep. Major Owens (D-NY) introduced H.R. 1820 on May 14. The legislation would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to provide grants to improve the infrastructure of elementary and secondary schools. The bill cites the need to replace 74 percent of all public school buildings. It also states that school facilities such as libraries and science laboratories are inadequate with outdated equipment. H.R. 1820 would authorize expenditure at the level of $22 billion for FY2000 and the same for each of the succeeding fiscal years. [3] Department of Education Secretary Riley Urges House to Pass School Construction and Modernization On June 9 freshmen House Democrats, Minority Whip Rep. David Bonior (D-MI), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Richard Riley held a news conference in the Capitol Building to urge the House leadership to pass meaningful school construction and modernization legislation this year. While a number of construction bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate, H.R. 996, sponsored by Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) and H.R. 1600, introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) were discussed at the news conference. Secretary Riley applauded the efforts of the Democratic freshmen for listening to the American people and recognizing this national concern. He cited a 1995 Government Accounting Office study that found that "more than $112 billion was needed [at that time] to bring existing schools into good condition, with 60 percent of all schools needing at least one major building repair." "A rapidly growing student population and overcrowded schools makes the situation more severe," Secretary Riley said. The Secretary stated that the proposed appropriation for Labor-HHS and Education was unacceptable even after the minor adjustments that the House leadership had made. ****** 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 or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. 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. Editor: Lynne E. Bradley; Managing Editor: Deirdre Herman; Contributors: Phyllis Albritton, Mary Costabile, Carol Henderson, Peter Kaplan, Claudette Tennant and Rick Weingarten.