ALAWON v3n21 (May 3, 1994) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v3n21 ****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 3, Number 21 May 3, 1994 In this issue: (172 lines) LIBRARY PROGRAM FUNDING - ACTION NEEDED *************************************************************************** LIBRARY PROGRAM FUNDING - ACTION NEEDED The campaign spearheaded by four congressional library champions to maintain funding for federal library programs has gotten off to a good start. Reps. Major Owens (D-N.Y.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pat Williams (D- Mont.), and Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) are asking their colleagues to sign a joint letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The letter urges the subcommittee to maintain support for each of the currently funded library programs, and to provide a total level of funding in FY 1995 that is at least equal to FY 1994--$146,309,000. Obtaining commitments to sign the letter was a major action item for library supporters during their visits to congressional offices on Library Legislative Day, April 19. As of April 25, the following House members have signed on to the "Dear Colleague" letter in support of library program appropriations. This is a good start, but the numbers should be greater. Patricia Schroeder (D-CO) James Clyburn (D-SC) Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) Richard Neal (D-MA) Michael Bilirakis (R-FLA) Gerry Studds (D-MA) Tom Barlow (D-KY) Newt Gingrich (R-GA) William Clay (D-MO) Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) Romano Mazzoli (D-KY) Pat Danner (D-MO) Jerry Lewis (R-CA) Robert Wise (D-WV) Lee Hamilton (D-IN) George Miller (D-CA) Joe Moakley (D-MA) John Bryant (D-TX) Tom Sawyer (D-OH) Gene Green (D-TX) Charles Schumer (D-NY) Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) Lane Evans (D-IL) William Coyne (D-PA) Cardiss Collins (D-IL) Bruce Vento (D-MN) Peter DeFazio (D-OR) Jerry Costello (D-IL) Eliot Engel (D-NY) James Oberstar (D-MN) Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) Jim McDermott (D-WA) Dick Swett (D-NH) Bob Clement (D-TN) Tim Johnson (D-SD) Christopher Shays (R-CT) Gary Ackerman (D-NY) Constance Morella (R-MD) Frank McCloskey (D-IN) Maxine Waters (D-CA) James Traficant (D-OH) Al Swift (D-WA) John Lewis (D-GA) James Clyburn (D-SC) Sanford Bishop (D-GA) Charles Rangel (D-NY) Charlie Rose (D-NC) Ronald Machtley (R-RI) Henry Gonzalez (D-TX) Elizabeth Furse (D-OR) Alan Wheat (D-MO) Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Jill Long (D-IN) Thomas Andrews (D-ME) HOUSE ACTION NEEDED: Reps. Owens, Reed, Williams, and Kildee hope to get as many of their colleagues' signatures on their letter as possible. If your representative promised to sign on but is not on the list, please contact him or her again. If you were not able to come to Washington, D.C. for Legislative Day, contact your own Representative immediately and ask him or her to do the "write" thing for libraries by signing on to the Dear Colleague letter of Reps. Owens, Reed, Williams, and Kildee. As many signatures as possible are needed in the next few weeks. WHAT'S THE PROCESS? Your Representative is asked by a constituent (you) to sign the letter; your Representative's office calls either Rep. Owens' office (asking for Ann-Marie at 225-6231) or Rep. Reed's office (asking for Larissa at 225-2735) to say yes. Rep. Owens' or Reed's office later collects the member's signature. What often happens is that your Representative or the staff says yes to you, but in the press of business neglects to inform the letter's sponsors. Accomplishing the full process will require a follow-up call on your part. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? To achieve its purpose, this letter needs a large number of signatures from both parties. In addition, the library community needs to support the leadership efforts of our champions to show that we appreciate their work on behalf of libraries. Rep. Owens is the sole librarian in Congress and is a consistent champion on library programs and government information policy. Rep. Reed is the sponsor of school library legislation and testified at Senate hearings on April 12 in support of assistance for school library resources. Rep. Williams chairs the subcommittee with responsibility for LSCA and the Arts and Humanities Endowments, and has resisted censorship in arts funding. Rep. Kildee was the leader in reauthorizing HEA library programs and sponsored a successful Dear Colleague letter last year aimed at restoring library funding. Let's show these House champions that library constituents can follow through by securing agreement from hundreds of Representatives to do the "write" thing for libraries. Appropriators are faced with limited funds, as well as pressure from the Administration to cut libraries and increase funds in other areas. Requests from colleagues do influence the appropriators, and a major effort is clearly needed this year. Without dramatic evidence of support, these effective but small HEA II and LSCA II and VI library programs could be lost in the name of reinventing government. SENATE ACTION NEEDED: It appears that Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, would appreciate indications of library support on the part of members of his subcommittee. They are: Robert Byrd (D-WV), Ernest Hollings (D-SC), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Dale Bumpers (D-AR), Harry Reid (D-NV), Herbert Kohl (D-WI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Arlen Specter (R- PA), Mark Hatfield (R-OR), Ted Stevens (R-AK), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Slade Gorton (R-WA), Connie Mack (R-FL), Christopher Bond (R-MO). Constituents of these Senators (or of any other Senators especially supportive of libraries) should ask them to write to Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin in support of restoration of the zeroed out $43.3 million in library programs. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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: Lee G. Enyart (lge@alawash.org). 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