ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 8, Number 96 September 24, 1999 In this issue: Action Needed: Istook Filtering Amendment Included in Labor-HHS- Education Appropriations ACTION ALERT: Library supporters should contact members of the House Appropriations Committee (listed below) to request that the Istook amendment, which would mandate Internet filtering for any library or school receiving any type of federal support for their computers, be removed from the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. On September 23, the House Appropriations Subcommittee, in addition to marking up its version of the FY2000 Labor-HHS- Education Appropriations, accepted by voice vote a filtering amendment offered by Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK). Rep. Istook's amendment would require all libraries and schools that receive federal funds for the purchase or operation of computers to ensure that minors are prevented from accessing material which is either obscene or child pornography by installing filtering software. The Istook amendment applies to ALL federal funds used "for the acquisition or operation of any computer that is accessible to minors and that has access to the Internet." This provision would apply to grants under LSTA (the primary federal grant program for libraries), as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation or any other "program or activity of any Federal agency." It also could possibly apply to the E- rate, which could be considered a program of the Federal Communications Commission. If a library or school did not comply with this mandate, federal funds would be withheld. Should this provision become law, libraries and schools would have to "assure" that filters are on when computers are used by minors. Internet use would have to be constantly supervised and library patrons would have to be "carded." Alternately, filters would have to be on at all times to guarantee that no minor would have access to obscene materials or child pornography. Adults would be prevented from accessing material that is constitutionally protected speech for adults. The Istook amendment would give the broad authority over software use to state administrations rather than individual communities. The amendment also appears to override all existing local programs already in place to protect Internet access to minors. The Subcommittee's FY2000 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, including the Istook amendment, is now awaiting action by the full House Appropriations Committee. HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ST-DST PTY REPRESENTATIVE PHONE FAX (use 202 area code) AL-1 R Sonny Callahan 225-4931 225-0562 AL-4 R Robert B. Aderholt 225-4876 225-5587 AL-5 D Bud Cramer 225-4801 225-4392 AZ-2 D Ed Pastor 225-4065 225-1655 AZ-5 R Jim Kolbe 225-2542 225-0378 AR-4 R Jay Dickey 225-3772 225-1314 CA-8 D Nancy Pelosi 225-4965 225-8259 CA-17 D Sam Farr 225-2861 225-6791 CA-32 D Julian C. Dixon 225-7084 225-4091 CA-33 D Lucille Roybal-Allard 225-1766 226-0350 CA-40 R Jerry Lewis 225-5861 225-6498 CA-48 R Ron Packard 225-3906 225-0134 CA-51 R Randy Cunningham 225-5452 225-2558 CT-3 D Rosa L. DeLauro 225-3661 225-4890 FL-2 D Allen Boyd 225-5235 225-5615 FL-10 R C. W. Young 225-5961 225-9764 FL-13 R Dan Miller 225-5015 226-0828 FL-17 D Carrie P. Meek 225-4506 226-0777 GA-1 R Jack Kingston 225-5831 226-2269 IL-2 D Jesse L. Jackson 225-0773 225-0899 IL-10 R John Edward Porter 225-4835 225-0837 IN-1 D Peter J. Visclosky 225-2461 225-2493 IA-5 R Tom Latham 225-5476 225-3301 KS-4 R Todd Tiahrt 225-6216 225-3489 KY-3 R Anne Meagher Northup 225-5401 225-5776 KY-5 R Harold Rogers 225-4601 225-0940 MD-5 D Steny H. Hoyer 225-4131 225-4300 MA-1 D John W. Olver 225-5335 226-1224 MI-11 R Joe Knollenberg 225-5802 226-2356 MI-15 D Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick 225-2261 225-5730 MN-5 D Martin Olav Sabo 225-4755 225-4886 MS-1 R Roger F. Wicker 225-4306 225-3549 MO-7 R Roy Blunt 225-6536 225-5604 MO-8 R Jo Ann Emerson 225-4404 NH-1 R John E. Sununu 225-5456 225-5822 NJ-11 R Rodney P. Frelinghuysen 225-5034 225-3186 NM-2 R Joe Skeen 225-2365 225-9599 NY-1 R Michael P. Forbes 225-3826 225-3143 NY-16 D Jose E. Serrano 225-4361 225-6001 NY-18 D Nita M. Lowey 225-6506 225-0546 NY-25 R James T. Walsh 225-3701 225-4042 NY-26 D Maurice D. Hinchey 225-6335 226-0774 NC-4 D David E. Price 225-1784 225-2014 NC-11 R Charles H. Taylor 225-6401 226-6405 OH-7 R David L. Hobson 225-4324 225-1984 OH-9 D Marcy Kaptur 225-4146 225-7711 OH-16 R Ralph Regula 225-3876 225-3059 OK-5 R Ernest J. Istook 225-2132 226-1463 PA-5 R John E. Peterson 225-5121 225-5796 PA-12 D John P. Murtha 225-2065 225-5709 TN-3 R Zach Wamp 225-3271 225-3494 TX-11 D Chet Edwards 225-6105 225-0350 TX-12 R Kay Granger 225-5071 225-5683 TX-22 R Tom DeLay 225-5951 225-5241 TX-23 R Henry Bonilla 225-4511 225-2237 VA-8 D James P. Moran 225-4376 225-0017 VA-10 R Frank R. Wolf 225-5136 225-0437 WA-5 R George R. Nethercutt 225-2006 225-3392 WA-6 D Norman D. Dicks 225-5916 226-1176 WI-7 D David R. Obey 225-3365 WV-1 D Alan B. Mollohan 225-4172 225-7564 ****** 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. 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