ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 9, Number 32 April 13, 2000 In this issue: [1] HOUSE AND SENATE TO CONFER ON BUDGET RESOLUTION [2] LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BILL INTRODUCED [3] SENATORS LEAHY AND SARBANES GIVES ACCOLADES TO LIBRARIES [1] HOUSE AND SENATE TO CONFER ON BUDGET RESOLUTION Both the House and Senate have approved versions of a Budget Resolution, the legislative tool that proposes spending outlines for FY 2001. After a final Budget Resolution is agreed to, allocations will be given to the Appropriations Committee and the appropriators will begin to make their decisions. Although House and Senate have allocated funds differently, the total amount for non-defense discretionary spending is the same, $289.7 billion. Both versions assume tax cuts to be enacted. While the Senate bill allocates more for discretionary spending as a total, the increase ($4 billion) is allotted to defense spending, thus bringing the Senate number for non-defense discretionary spending level with the House. Since both versions set aside Social Security surpluses, in effect, this decreases any chance for increased spending for programs like education and social services. The Senate resolution also increases the limit on advanced appropriations, a budgeting gimmick used in the last few years to allocate an amount but have it spend out over the next fiscal year as well. While much rhetoric has been spent on education as a priority, it would seem that Congress is painting an even tighter budget box this year in terms of restrictions and limits on spending. The Senate Budget Resolution did include an approved Kennedy/Feingold amendment to increase education funding by $623 million in FY2001 and by $3.2 billion over five years. The amendment also included an increase in the maximum Pell grant award by $400. The amendment was offset by a reduction in the proposed tax cut. Sen. Barbara Mikulski's Sense of the Senate amendment to increase funding by $1.45 billion in various programs for digital opportunity was accepted. However, Sense of the Senate amendments are often dropped in conference. A speedy agreement on differences in the Budget Resolutions was achieved on Tuesday, with the final Budget Resolution scheduled to reach the floor today in both House and Senate. H. Con. Res 290 will be considered along with a tax bill (H.R. 4199). In the Senate, consideration is being given to H.R. 6, a bill to fix the "marriage penalty" in the tax code. After that vote the Senate will consider the Budget Resolution. [2] LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BILL INTRODUCED LIBRARY OF CONGRESS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000- On April 6, 2000, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) introduced H.R. 4180, the Library of Congress Financial Management Act of 2000. This bill would authorize the Librarian of Congress to establish certain programs and activities of the Library of Congress as programs to be administered through a revolving fund. The Congressional Record (April 5, P.H1822] includes a statement of introduction and a section-by-section analysis of the bill. The Library has been working for this legislation for several years. This bill is a companion bill to S. 2286, which was introduced in late March by Sen. Chad Cochran (R-MS). [3] SENATORS LEAHY AND SARBANES GIVES ACCOLADES TO LIBRARIES In the Congressional Record of April 7, (P. S2435), Senator Leahy (D-VT) entered an article about his local library into the Record. He stated "the happiest memories of my childhood in Montpelier revolve around my family and the Children's Library in the Kellogg-Hubbard Library." In the article Leahy expresses his gratitude to a librarian, Miss Holbrook, and says he sends payments received from published photographs and voice-overs for TV series to the Library to buy books for the Children's Library. Leahy says it is his way of saying "Thank you, Miss Holbrook." On April 10 Senator Sarbanes entered remarks in the Congressional Record (P.S2461) recognizing National Library Week. In his remarks Sarbanes stated, "When the free public library came into its own in this country in the 19th century, it was, from the beginning, a unique institution because of its commitment to the same principle of free and open exchange of ideas as the Constitution itself. Libraries have always been an integral part of all that our country embodies: freedom of information, an educated citizenry, and an open and enlightened society." ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. 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