ALAWON v4n56 (June 16, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n56 ****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 4, Number 56 June 16, 1995 In this issue: (143 lines) "CYBER CONGRESS" PROPOSES DEEP CUTS TO FUNDING FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS ACTION NEEDED: URGE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SUBCOMMITTEE TO SUPPORT THE GPO SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENT'S REQUEST FOR FY96 AND TELL MENBERS OF THE HOUSE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE OF YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT IN THEIR VOTE TO CUT THE SUDOC'S FUNDS *************************************************************************** "CYBER CONGRESS" PROPOSES DEEP CUTS TO FUNDING FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS On June 15, the House Appropriations Committee marked up H.R. 1854, the FY96 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill (H. Rept. 104-141). Committee Chair Bill Livingston (R-LA) plans to take the bill to the House floor on June 20. The Committee agreed to the June 8 action of the Legislative Appropriations Subcommittee vote to slash in half the appropriation that pays for the Depository Library Program--from $32 million to $16 million. The big cut is in the funds available to produce and distribute paper and microfiche publications to depositories--the nearly 1,400 Congressionally designated libraries that provide no-fee public access to government information. The Committee is willing to pay for electronic distribution by executive branch agencies to depositories. In a major change to current policy, publishing agencies would be required to reimburse GPO for the cost of printing, binding, and distributing paper and microfiche formatted documents to depositories. Yet, few agencies comply now with the law to provide depository copies when they produce publications outside GPO, making it highly unlikely they will meet greater requirements. Currently, Congress pays for copies of all publications that the Government Printing Office sends these libraries so the public can use the information for their own needs and hold the government accountable for what it does in the public's behalf. The House Appropriations Committee says that requiring publishing agencies to pay for depository paper and microfiche publications will "create a market-like incentive to find ways to reduce cost which very likely will result in more cost-effective conversions to electronic format, exactly the direction in which federal information resource management should move; it will also prove cost effective to the GPO and state and local libraries since it will reduce space needs and increase the potential for sharing through electronic data bases." In order to accomplish this change in funding policy, the House Appropriations Committee approved the amendment of the law governing the Depository Library Program (section 1903 of Title 44) with no Congressional hearings on this change to the way the public gains access to government information and no study on how the new policy would work or not work. Report language says that the Committee acknowledges the success of the GPO Access program but believes that the management of this program should become much more aggressive in converting or encouraging the publishing agencies of the federal government to convert to electronic format and distribution. Additionally, key Congressional publications will be available only in electronic formats--another controversial change from current policy. The production and distribution of the bound Congressional Record and the bound serial set, "both duplicative documents and very expensive to compile and print, will be limited to CD-ROM format." At the full Committee markup, an amendment to report language offered by Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA) was accepted that he said would reassure depository librarians that the House is "not undermining their ability to provide information for their constituency--who are our constituents, people interested in the workings of government." This language was added to H. Rept. 104-114: The Committee's intent is that the public's access to information through Federal Depository Libraries will not be reduced as a result of these policies, but will be maintained and enhanced. The Committee expects the Superintendent of Documents to monitor these new policies and report about the progress of the agencies in converting to electronic format and distribution, complying with the reimbursement policy, and the effects of these policies on the availability of documents to the public. The Government Printing Office is also directed to work closely with originating agencies, other distributors of federal documents such as the National Technical Information Service, the Library of Congress, and the information industry and the depository community. The Library of Congress, in particular, is to be consulted since they are expending a significant effort in digitization technology. The Superintendent of Documents is directed to review those efforts and other alternatives and report to the Committee on the possibilities of merging those efforts, or at least deriving benefits for the depository program from the technology being developed at the Library. Free Constituent Copies of Bills, Hearings and Reports At Risk The report on H.R. 1854 (H.Rept. 104-114) states that the bill "eliminates the funding for constituent copies and by-law distribution of the Congressional Record, and the free distribution of copies of bills, reports, and other documents to non-Congressional recipients (other than to federal depository libraries)." The report says that the funding level in the bill is designed to maximize the need to shift as much printing and binding costs from paper-based products to electronic format, and to focus the printing and binding appropriation on the production of material essential to conduct legislative activities of the House and Senate. We have not been able to confirm whether this language means that free copies of printed bills, reports and hearings would be unavailable to the public in House and Senate document rooms and from Congressional offices. ACTION NEEDED: H.R. 1854 is on a fast track to the House floor on June 20. If it passes, as anticipated, action on Legislative Branch appropriations will shift to the Senate. 1. Urge members of the Senate Legislative Branch Subcommittee [Senators Connie Mack (R-FL), Chair; Robert Bennett (R-UT), Jim Jeffords (R-VT); Patty Murray (D-WA) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)] to support the Public Printer's $30.3 million request for the Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation for FY96, and to resist the House's 50 percent cut in this appropriation. Also urge the Senators to refuse to change the law governing the Depository Library Program through an Appropriations bill. Changing this law is the responsibility of the authorizing Committee with jurisdiction, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee chaired by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), a champion of public access to government information. 2. Tell the members of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee [Representatives Packard (R-CA), Chair; Young (R-FL); Taylor (R-NC); Miller (R-FL); Wicker (R-MS); Fazio (D-CA); Thornton (D-AR); Dixon (D-CA) of your disappointment in their vote to cut the Superintendent of Document's funds by 50 percent from $32 million to $16 million, of concerns about the results of a massive shift from print to electronic distribution of government information, and about restructuring the Depository Library Program through the Legislative Appropriations bill without Congressional hearings on this proposed change or what the effect will be on public access to government information. Constituents of Rep. Fazio should thank him for his addition of helpful report language. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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. 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