ALAWON v2n51 (November 13, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v2n51 ****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File**** *************************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 2, Number 51 November 13, 1993 In this issue: (184 lines) PENNY-KASICH AMENDMENT TO HIT FLOOR NOVEMBER 19 - ACTION NEEDED SENATE VERSION OF FUNDING CUTS DEVELOPS - ACTION NEEDED DIMARIO CONFIRMED AS PUBLIC PRINTER AMENDMENT TO HR 3400, TITLE XIV, RECOMMENDED BY HOUSE COMMITTEE EX. ORDER ON RECYCLED PAPER OMITS PERMANENCE CONSIDERATIONS *************************************************************************** PENNY-KASICH AMENDMENT TO HIT FLOOR NOVEMBER 19 - ACTION NEEDED The package of budget cuts proposed by Reps. Tim Penny (D-MN) and John Kasich (R-OH) will be offered on November 19 as an amendment to the House rescission package. The Penny-Kasich amendment proposes a significantly lower cap on discretionary spending over the next five years--an action that would put in jeopardy funding for all programs, especially education, library and children's programs. Among the many line items that Penny-Kasich proposes to cut is FY94 funding for the Library Services and Construction Act Title II. Congress has just approved FY94 appropriations for LSCA II, which provides to every state valuable "seed money" that public libraries use with matching funds to comply with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements and to re-wire and retrofit for new technology. Every state has a long waiting list of libraries competing for these funds, which provide jobs in communities, open the doors of libraries wider to physically challenged populations, and create opportunities for small business as well as new immigrants to access information needed to compete in our society. It would be particularly ironic to snatch sorely-needed funds from communities across the country in the middle of a recession. LSCA II funds, like enterprise zones, encourage public-private partnerships to match federal funds and create jobs. ACTION NEEDED: Contact House members and remind them that Penny-Kasich cuts a recently funded library program that brings dollars, opportunities and jobs to their state. The Administration's rescission package does not suggest any library cuts. Attempts to lower budget caps on discretionary spending any further are ill-advised and will endanger education, library and children's programs. *************************************************************************** SENATE VERSION OF FUNDING CUTS DEVELOPS - ACTION NEEDED On November 10, Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and a bipartisan group of Senators unveiled a $109 billion rescission plan. The plan eliminates the same programs targeted in the Penny-Kasich package, including LSCA II-- Public Library Construction, Renovation, and Technology Enhancement. At this point, it is not clear whether the Kerrey plan would reduce the spending caps. However, a summary of the plan includes language that can be interpreted to mean lowered caps. The language states that the plan "enacts permanent spending reforms that will save the taxpayer dollars long after the life of the plan." ACTION NEEDED: Contact Senators, especially members of the Appropriations Committee, to urge them to defeat rescission of FY94 funded programs, and to defeat attempts to cut spending caps on discretionary spending. Competition for funds in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations categories is already fierce. ************************************************************************** DIMARIO CONFIRMED AS PUBLIC PRINTER The Senate confirmed Michael F. DiMario as Public Printer on November 9. On behalf of ALA, Patricia Glass Schuman strongly supported DiMario's confirmation before a hearing of the Senate Rules Committee on October 28. ************************************************************************** AMENDMENT TO HR 3400, TITLE XIV, RECOMMENDED BY HOUSE COMMITTEE On November 10, the Committee on House Administration, chaired by Rep. Charlie Rose (D-NC), approved an amendment to replace the introduced version of Title XIV of H.R. 3400, the Government Reform and Savings Act. Among other things, the amendment approved by House Administration keeps policy control and operation of the Depository Library Program in the legislative branch, guaranteeing continued free access to government information in all formats for the public through depository libraries. More to follow soon. ************************************************************************** EX. ORDER ON RECYCLED PAPER OMITS PERMANENCE CONSIDERATIONS President Clinton's executive order requiring the use of recycled paper within the federal government makes no mention of permanence considerations or of the law (PL 101-423) enacted in October 1990 which establishes a national policy to promote the use of permanent alkaline paper. Executive Order 12873 of October 20 concerns federal recycling, acquisition, and use of environmentally preferable products and services. Printing and writing papers must contain 20 percent postconsumer waste by December 31, 1994, increasing to 30 percent by December 31, 1998. Federal procurement must meet these standards "unless written justification is provided that a product is not available competitively within a reasonable time frame, does not meet appropriate performance standards, or is only available at an unreasonable price." An alternative standard for printing and writing papers, effective immediately, requires at least 50 percent recovered materials "that are a waste material byproduct of a finished product other than a paper or textile product which would otherwise be disposed of in a landfill, as determined by the State in which the facility is located." This would appear to allow the use of wood waste such as sawdust from the timber and sawmill industries. Other qualities which may affect permanence are also addressed. The General Services Administration, in consultation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is to eliminate "standards or specifications unrelated to performance that present barriers to the purchase of paper or paper products made by production processes that minimize emissions of harmful byproducts." GSA's evaluation is to include "a review of unnecessary brightness and stock clause provisions, such as lignin content and chemical pulp requirements." The National Institute of Standards and Technology is to test the performance of products and conduct life cycle analyses to assist agencies in selecting appropriate products and services. Federal agencies are also to encourage that documents be transferred electronically; that internal documents be printed double-sided; and that contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements require double-sided printing of documents on recycled paper that meets the order's guidelines. The Executive Branch is to implement an electronic commerce system consistent with National Performance Review recommendations. The Executive Order is detailed and includes enforcement mechanisms, while the law on permanent paper establishes policy but lacks enforcement mechanisms. Whether a sufficient supply of paper exists that meets both sets of standards--for recycled content and for permanence--is yet to be determined. ALA, together with several other library, archival, and scholarly organizations, wrote to the White House in August recommending that the Executive Order accommodate needs for alkaline permanent paper so that costs for preserving the federal record would be minimized. ALA and other groups will consider possible courses of action, including data gathering, testing recommendations, congressional hearings, or revision of the Executive Order. Input from experts in permanent paper and preservation of library and archival materials would be welcomed. Executive Order 12873 of October 20, 1993, Federal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Prevention, was published in the _Federal Register_, October 22, 1993, pp. 54911-19. It can be retrieved electronically from the Library of Congress' LC MARVEL Gopher. From the main menu, select: 6. Federal Government Information 1. Federal Information Resources 1. Information by Agency 1. General Information Resources 6. Federal Register 6. Selected Agencies--Access Allowed to Any and All 7. Presidential Documents *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363. Editor: Carol C. Henderson (cch@alawash.org). 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