ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 9, Number 42 May 9, 2000 In this issue: HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS PASSES LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS Today the House Appropriations Committee passed the appropriations bill reported from its Legislative Subcommittee for legislative branch agencies, which include the Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress (LC). There is not an official bill number at this writing. As expected, there was an apparent straight party-line vote; the appropriations (with all proposed cuts) were passed 31 to 23 with all Republicans voting for the cuts. This appropriations bill makes major cuts to GPO's printing functions, especially for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). This cut would eliminate tangible documents and focus exclusively on electronic information. Rep. Charles Taylor (R- NC), chair of the Legislative Subcommittee of Appropriations, characterized the current process as the "second round" of a "ten-round" fight, referring to the additional steps in the appropriations process. In presenting the subcommittee report with the cuts, he also confirmed that the U.S. Code would no longer be published but available online and for purchase through other sources. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress (LC) as well as the Copyright Office are also targeted to be cut. Democratic representatives fighting these cuts at the Committee markup this morning contend that CRS would be cut by 114 employees, which disables a major support of the legislative branch. The Copyright Office would also receive a major cut that could equate to about 130 of their 520 employees. Other major cuts target the Government Accounting Office (GAO) and the Capital Hill Police. This vote affirms the Legislative Subcommittee's vote from last week as reported in two recent ALAWONs (See ALAWON, Volume 9, Number 41, May 5, 2000 and ALAWON, Volume 9, Number 40, May 3, 2000). (See ALAWON, Volume 9, Number 36, April 20, 2000 for Budget Resolution ALAWON). Though the party-line vote was expected, the debate was lively. Democratic members of the Appropriations committee argued vigorously against the cuts. Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ), ranking subcommittee member, recognized the need for the ongoing print functions at GPO and the FDLP noting that constituents will be hurt by this cut in printing. "We know that [depository] libraries still need print." The Democrats argued that there would be 700 staff positions lost at GAO; the Republican estimated but of 580 GAO employees. Rep. David Obey (D-WI) ranking minority on the full committee, argued that the package of cuts is a "reckless attack on the quality of public service." "What on earth are we doing?" he asked rhetorically. He argued that the cuts would contribute to the creation of a "hollow government" and weaken the role of Congress. He, and also other Democrats, argued against the proposed cuts to the Capital Hill police which would return the force to a lower number of uniformed officers than before the deadly shooting at the Capital in July 1998. Rep. James Walsh (R-NY) was one of the few Republicans who spoke at the session. He indicated grave concerns about the levels of the cuts even though he would vote for the appropriations. As former chair of the Legislative Subcommittee, he was especially concerned about CRS and GAO. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) argued that these drastic cuts were being done to please the Republican leadership and try to help the Republicans meet their stated goal of a tax reduction "This bill is not real," he said. In the course of the discussions, Hoyer and Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) got into heated and apparently spontaneous debate. Kingston defended the Republican efforts to make the "tough decisions" to lower government spending. Compassion was needed for the Moms and Pops in home districts who had to work lengthy hours to pay their federal income taxes. "Let's not squirm at making the tough decisions," he said. Noting that people in the real world need compassion he added "they don't understand our culture - they don't understand OPM - using other people's money." Appropriations Committee Chair Young closed the session with charts to demonstrate the projected "tough choices." He argued that the focus should be on paying down the debt and providing a tax cut. A report from the committee, and hopefully a bill number, will be forthcoming later this week. After that, the next step is to go to the House floor for a vote. Watch for more reports on the various rounds in this "ten-round" fight. 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