ALAWON v4n09 (February 9, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n09

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                                                                  ISSN 1069-7799
                                     ALAWON
                         ALA Washington Office Newsline
                        An electronic publication of the
                 American Library Association Washington Office

                               Volume 4, Number 9
                                February 9, 1995

   In this issue: (76 lines)
          HOUSE COMMITTEE TO MARK UP PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

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              HOUSE COMMITTEE TO MARK UP PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

On February 10, at 9 a.m. the House Committee on Government Reform and
Oversight plans to mark-up H.R. 830, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
The bill is similar to S. 244, ordered reported by the Senate Governmental
Affairs Committee on February 1, except in several crucial areas that
seriously threaten the public's ownership of government information.

A new sec. 3518(f), the so called "West Provision" would drastically reduce
the public's rights under the copyright law and the Freedom of Information
Act, while greatly increasing the profits of private sector vendors because
it would give them ownership of public data.  Additionally, a section has
been added to the House bill, sec. 3506(d)(4)(D), that would give the
Director of OMB the authority to grant waivers to agencies to increase user
fees above the cost of dissemination.  Neither of these provisions are in
the Contract with America, and this is a last minute, below-the-table
attempt to sneak in language that would benefit special interests, like
private sector vendors who would have contracts with federal agencies to
disseminate government information.

ACTION NEEDED:  Contact members of the House Committee on Government Reform
and Oversight and ask them to oppose sec. 3518 (f) and the waiver
provisions of sec. 3506(d)(4)(D) as they mark-up H.R. 830, the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995.  Also ask them to resist any amendments that would
add factors that undermine the ability of federal agencies to create new
public information products and/or that would restrict public access to
government information.

Members of the Committee are Representatives Clinger, Gilman, Burton,
Morella, Shays, Schiff, Ros-Lehtinen, Zeliff, McHugh, Horn, Mica, Blute,
David, McIntosh, Fox, Tate, Chrysler, Gutknecht, Souder, Martini,
Scarborough, Shadegg, Flanagan, Bass, LaTourette, Sanford, Ehrlich, Collins
(IL), Waxman, Lantos, Wise, Owens, Towns, Spratt, Slaughter, Kanjorski,
Condit, Peterson, Thurman, Maloney, Barrett, Taylor, Collins (MI), Norton,
Moran, Green, Meek, Mascara, Fattah.

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