ALAWON v3n58 (October 6, 1994) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v3n58 ****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 58 October 6, 1994 In this issue: (144 lines) SENATE APPROVES ESEA BILL SENATE RATIFICATION OF U.N. TREATY ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN--ACTION NEEDED *************************************************************************** SENATE APPROVES ESEA BILL, SENDING H.R. 6 TO WHITE HOUSE The Senate on October 5 approved the conference version of H.R. 6, Improving America's Schools, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, by a vote of 77-20. This was the final congressional action needed on the bill, which will now be sent to the White House for President Clinton's signature. The conference report itself (H. Rept. 103-761) was printed in the September 28 issue (#138, Part II) of the _Congressional Record_, where it takes up about 240 pages of small print. Full analysis of all the provisions and opportunities of interest to libraries will follow. However, here is a summary of four key provisions of great interest to school library media specialists: 1. Conferees agreed to retain the separate school library resources program as passed by the House. Title III of ESEA, Part F, is the Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Resources Program, authorized at $200 million for FY 1995 and such sums as necessary for the following four fiscal years. (However, this program has no actual funding in FY95.) When funded, this program would provide assistance for the acquisition of school library media resources for the use of students, library media specialists, and teachers in elementary and secondary schools. 2. The Chapter 2 school block grant was retained as ESEA title VI, Innovative Education Program Strategies, with support for library services and instructional and media materials as an eligible use of funds. Of funds allocated to the states, 85 percent is to be distributed to local educational agencies, which may use the funds for school reform, school improvement, combatting illiteracy, improving higher order thinking skills, and "programs for the acquisition and use of instructional and educational materials, including library services and materials (including media materials), assessments, reference materials, computer software and hardware for instructional use, and other curricular materials which are tied to high academic standards and which will be used to improve student achievement and which are part of an overall education reform program." Actual FY95 funding for this program is $347,250,000. 3. In ESEA title III, Technology for Education, conferees deleted the setaside for school library resources as passed by the Senate, in favor of the separate school library resources program as passed by the House. However, school libraries and school library media specialists have been more thoroughly integrated into title III, so that school library media centers are eligible for technology assistance, and that school library media specialists are eligible for technology training. Further, public libraries may be eligible for partnership activities with schools. Actual FY95 funding for ESEA III technology programs is $40 million. 4. ESEA title X11 is the School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement Act proposed by Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL). This title provides assistance for the improvement of public elementary or secondary facilities or school library media centers. Actual funding for FY95 is $100 million. THANKS NEEDED: This outcome is an especially favorable one for the school library field. It is due to the hard work of many library constituents. Many thanks to all of you who responded to calls for action. Special thanks are due to the congressional champions -- the sponsors of the original School Library Media Act now incorporated in the final version of H.R. 6 -- Rep. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Paul Simon (D-IL). Thanks from library supporters would be appreciated by these leaders, whether or not you are in Rhode Island or Illinois. More details on the full bill and the final votes will be provided soon. *************************************************************************** SENATE RATIFICATION OF U.N. TREATY ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN--ACTION NEEDED An important human rights treaty, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, has been pending before the Senate since 1980, when the United States signed it. More than 136 countries are now parties to the Convention; the United States Senate has not ratified the treaty yet. The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women formulated the Convention, and the United Nations General Assembly adopted it in 1979. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the Convention on September 29. The Committee voted 13-4 to recommend that the full Senate ratify the treaty, which has languished in Congress for the past 14 years. The Senators voting for the measure were Senators Claiborne Pell (D-RI), Joseph Biden (D-DE), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), John Kerry (D- MA), Paul Simon (D-IL), Daniel Moynihan (D-NY), Charles Robb (D-VA), Harris Wofford (D-PA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Harlan Mathews (D-TN), Frank Murkowski (R-AK), James Jeffords (R-VT). The four Republicans who voted against the treaty were Senators Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), Jesse Helms (R- NC), Paul Coverdell (R-GA), and Judd Gregg (R-NH). At its Annual Meeting in June, ALA's Council passed a resolution that the Association go on record in support of United States ratification of accession to the Convention. ACTION NEEDED: Senate proponents of the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women plan to bring the treaty to the Senate floor for a vote, but will need unanimous consent to do so before Congress recesses soon. Call both of your Senators to urge them to vote favorably on ratification of the treaty. Contact the offices of the four Senators who voted against the convention in the Foreign Relations Committee, ask for an explanation, and urge a favorable vote or an abstention when the treaty is brought to the Senate floor. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@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***