ALAWON v3n53 (September 28, 1994) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v3n53 ****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 53 September 28, 1994 In this issue: (nnn lines) CONFEREES NEAR COMPLETION ON ESEA BILL SCHOOL LIBRARY PROVISIONS AGREEMENT SMITH-HELMS AGREEMENT INCLUDES ELEMENTS OF HOUSE & SENATE BILLS LSCA EXTENDED ONE YEAR BY ESEA CONFEREES HOUSE AGREES TO CONFERENCE REPORT ON LIBRARY FUNDING BILL *************************************************************************** CONFEREES NEAR COMPLETION ON ESEA BILL House-Senate conferees on H.R. 6, the Improving America's Schools Act that would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, have reached agreement on most, but not all issues where House and Senate-passed bills differed. Still in contention is disagreement on the formula for allocating aid to disadvantaged school children (a revised Chapter 1 program). If this disagreement is not resolved quickly, final passage of H.R. 6 may not be achieved before adjournment, leaving ESEA unauthorized for the time being. *************************************************************************** SCHOOL LIBRARY PROVISIONS AGREEMENT Although this cannot yet be verified in writing, our understanding of the conference agreement on school library provisions in H.R. 6 is as follows: Conferees have agreed to the separate program of assistance for school library resources as passed by the House at an authorized level of $200 million. However, no appropriations are available for this program in FY95. Conferees have incorporated school library media centers and school library media specialists more fully into the educational technology provisions, so that school libraries are eligible for educational technology programs and school librarians are eligible for technology training. This provision would receive $40 million for FY95 in a separate funding bill. Conferees have retained the Chapter 2 school block grant, with school library resources as an eligible use of funds, subject to local school discretion among the eligible purposes. Chapter 2 would receive $347 million for FY95 in a separate funding bill. *************************************************************************** SMITH-HELMS AGREEMENT INCLUDES ELEMENTS OF HOUSE & SENATE BILLS Our understanding of the conference agreement on the Smith-Helms amendment is that it retains revised elements of both the House and Senate language in H.R. 6 on this contentious issue. The result is very problematic compromise language followed by further language that makes the section essentially unenforceable. Funds under the Act could not be used for activities or materials designed to directly promote or encourage sexual activity, whether homosexual or heterosexual; nor to distribute legally obscene materials. Sex education or HIV prevention education in schools would have to include the health benefits of abstinence. This is followed by language designed to retain full local control over such activities. Further, the Secretary of Education could not review curricula or instructional materials or promulgate regulations to carry out the provision. Please note that the conference agreement on the Smith-Helms amendment is volatile in this partisan end-of-session election-year environment, and could change further at any point before the conferees complete work on H.R. 6. *************************************************************************** LSCA EXTENDED ONE YEAR BY ESEA CONFEREES The Senate-passed H.R. 6 included an extension of the Library Services and Construction Act as it is currently authorized for one year, FY95. The House conferees have agreed to this. If given final approval, this action would signal congressional intent to reauthorize the program in the next Congress. Further, the automatic one-year extension provided for under the General Education Provisions Act would carry LSCA through FY96 (the fiscal year for which funding activity begins in February with submission of the President's budget request). *************************************************************************** HOUSE AGREES TO CONFERENCE REPORT ON LIBRARY FUNDING BILL The House on September 22 agreed to the conference report (H. Rept. 103- 733) on H.R. 4606, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill for FY 1995. The Senate was expected to take up the measure on September 27. Following Senate approval, the bill will go to the President for his signature. Amounts for Department of Education library programs in this final version of H.R. 4606 were reported in the September 21 ALAWON (vol. 3, No. 52). *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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). ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (Internet). Back issues and other documents are available from the list server. To find out what's available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv. The ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and filetype. To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename filetype" to the listserv. Do not include the quotes in your commands. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. For other reprinting or redistribution, address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org). *************************************************************************** ***End of file******************End of file******************End of file***