ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 8, Number 83 August 20, 1999 In this issue: Long Hot Summer Produces No Budget Solution Congress adjourned for summer recess the first week of August having completed only two funding bills -- military construction (H.R. 2465) and the legislative branch appropriations (H.R. 1905). While some bills are ready for conference, the FY2000 Labor-HHS- Education Appropriations bills have yet to be reported out of either House or Senate Subcommittee. However, both subcommittees plan to take action soon after Congress reconvenes on September 8. It is expected that neither the House nor Senate subcommittees can report out bills that adequately fund education and education related programs. Optimistic budget estimates would predict the subcommittees funding programs at FY99 levels; pessimistic estimates would predict cuts of 10 to 20 percent for all programs. Legislative action over the summer in appropriations bills has been hampered by both the rules of the Budget Enforcement Act of 1997, which established tighter and tighter budgetary caps from FY99 onward, and by conservative House members who have managed to cut appropriations below established caps (for example, H.R. 1906, Agriculture Appropriations). Two complicating factors have emerged: the projected larger-than- expected budget surplus and the passage of a large tax bill, H.R. 2488. On June 28 President Clinton announced the projected FY2000 budget surplus of $142.5 billion and released a framework for its use, including: (1) balancing the budget without using the Social Security fund, (2) adding a prescription drug benefit, (3) establishing a children and education trust fund, (4) creating a targeted tax plan for savings and other issues, and (5) eliminating the debt by 2015. In early July, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the FY2000 surplus at $161 billion. On July 5 The Washington Post published an editorial, "The Surplus Illusion" (p. A20), which debunked the idea of a large surplus and cutting federal spending by 20 percent. "[T]hey are arguing over money that doesn't exist and won't unless their successors make deep spending cuts, from just the first stage of which they themselves are backing away." The tax bill, H.R. 2488, which was finalized the week before Congress adjourned, comes with a price tag of $792 billion. On August 4 the President said if the tax bill was passed, he would veto it. While lawmakers are strategizing and discussing proposed tax cuts at county fairs with their constituents, news reporters are checking their lexicon of terms used in past budget years -- words like budget impasse, train wreck, government shutdown and continuing resolution. October 1 is the beginning of the new FY2000 fiscal year, and all appropriations bills must be completed or a continuing funding resolution passed by that time. In FY99 all unfinished appropriations bills were rolled into an omnibus bill that passed on October 20, 1998. ACTION NEEDED: The Committee for Education Funding, a coalition focused on funding for federal education programs of which ALA is a member, is planning a National Contact Washington Day for Education Funding on Thursday, September 10. This year's campaign, "Be Smart, Invest in Education," is intended to call the attention of legislators to the importance of increased funding for education and related programs for FY2000. The message to Congress: Don't cut or freeze education. Make increased federal investment in education the top budget priority. For more information, see http://www.cef.org/ At the beginning of the new school year, it is important to note that elementary and secondary schools must somehow find space for 53.2 million students -- nearly half a million more than last year. College enrollment will rise to a high of 14.9 million. On August 19 President Clinton underlined the need for new school construction, new teachers, and training. For a copy of the Department of Education report, "A Back to School Special Report on the Baby Boom Echo: No End in Sight," see http://www.ed.gov/pubs/bbecho99/ Funding for library programs under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) would be included in the FY2000 Labor HHS Education Appropriations bills. The U.S. Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121. You also can send a message by using the ALA Legislative Action Center at http://congress.nw.dc.us/ala/elecmail.html ****** 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: Sally Benson, Mary Costabile, Peter Kaplan, Carrie Russell, Saundra Shirley, Claudette Tennant and Rick Weingarten.