ALAWON v4n66 (July 19, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n66 ****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 66 July 19, 1995 In this issue: (198 lines) SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES LSTA BILL, S. 856 SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS FUNDING FOR KEY LEGISLATIVE BRANCH PROGRAMS: Depository Libraries Library of Congress Joint Committee on Printing Office of Technology Assessment Potential Floor Amendment on OTA ACTION NEEDED *************************************************************************** SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES LSTA BILL, S. 856 The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee on July 19 approved an amended version of S. 856, the Arts, Humanities, and Museums Amendments of 1995. A 12-4 vote indicated strong bipartisan support of the bill that would renew and restructure the Library Services and Construction Act as the Library Services and Technology Act as recommended by ALA and other library groups. S. 856 is also the bill that would remove library programs to a combined Institute of Museum and Library Services. Discussion among Senators at the July 19 markup session focused exclusively on the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. S. 856 would reauthorize both endowments for 5 years with a 5 percent cut in authorized levels each year. Amendments to phase out or cut the Endowments more severely were defeated. No discussion took place on the library or museum programs. The amended version of S. 856 includes several minor changes in the library/museum portions; these will be reported on in a future issue of ALAWON. Constituents of Senators who voted for S. 856 should thank them for supporting S. 856, and urge them to bring the bill to the Senate floor quickly. Those who voted yes were Committee Chair Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities Chair Jim Jeffords (R-VT), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Slade Gorton (R-WA), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Claiborne Pell (D-RI), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Paul Simon (D-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Paul Wellstone (D-MN). The four who voted no were Senators Dan Coats (R-IN), Bill Frist (R-TN), John Ashcroft (R-MO), and Spencer Abraham (R-MI). *************************************************************************** SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS FUNDING FOR KEY LEGISLATIVE BRANCH PROGRAMS Depository Libraries - At a July 18 mark-up of H.R. 1854, Legislative Branch Appropriations for FY96, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended an appropriation of $30,307,000, $13,995,000 above the House Allowance [S. Rept. 100-114]. This appropriation provides for salaries and expenses associated with the distribution of government documents to depository and international exchange libraries, the cataloging and indexing of government publications, and the distribution of publications authorized by law at the request of Members of Congress and other government agencies. Additionally, the Committee did not agree with the House recommendation to require executive branch agencies to pay for the production and distribution of executive branch publications in paper or microfiche formats to depository libraries. The Committee report recognizes that dramatic advances in technology provide new opportunities for enhancing and improving public access. "However, the increasing utilization of electronic technologies in support of dissemination programs by all branches of government requires careful analysis, planning, and probably restructuring of the current program. Without this analysis, planning, and a strongly coordinated effort, improvements to the program will be delayed, costly, and very well may compromise the public's right to Government information." The Senate Appropriations Committee directed the Public Printer to initiate a study that, among other things, examines the functions and services of the Federal Depository Library Program, surveys current technological capabilities of the participating libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program, and identifies measures that are necessary to ensure a successful transition to a more electronically based program. In conducting the study, the Public Printer is to work closely with the respective oversight and appropriation committees, executive branch agencies, other distributors of federal documents and information products, the Library of Congress, the depository library community, the National Technical Information Service, users, the information industry, and other appropriate organizations. The completed study is to be available to Congress by March 1996. H.R. 1854 is likely to be considered on the Senate floor soon, with a House/Senate conference to follow to reconcile the differing House and Senate versions of the bill. ACTION NEEDED: Please thank the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee for recommending the funds necessary to provide public access to government information through the Federal Depository Library Program, and for avoiding restructuring the program through the appropriations process. Urge Senators--when they vote for H.R. 1854--to support the recommendation of the Appropriations Committee that $30,307,000 be provided to the Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. Contact members of the House Appropriations Committee, especially Reps. Livingston (R-LA), Obey (D-WI), Packard (R-CA), Young (R-FL), Taylor (R-NC), Miller (R-FL), Wicker (R-MS), Fazio (D-CA), Thornton (D-AR), and Dixon (D-CA), urging them to accept the Senate recommendations in conference on H.R. 1854. Constituent copies of publications. S. Rept. 104-114 spells out the Senate position on public access to Congressional information: The Committee also disagrees with directives in the House report relative to constituent copies and bylaw distribution of the Congressional Record; the distribution of copies of bills, reports, and other documents to noncongressional recipients; the Statutes at Large; paper copies of hearings; special binding of congressional documents; and the production and distribution of the bound Congressional Record and the bound serial set. These directives should not be taken by GPO as applicable to any service or product currently provided to or requested by the Senate. The Committee would have no objection, however, if the Government Printing Office follows the directives of the House report as they pertain to products and services provided the House. Library of Congress - The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended an appropriation of $213,164,000 for salaries and expenses of the Library of Congress, with authority to spend $7,869,000 in receipts. The amount recommended is $3,000,000 over the amount provided for FY95, $18,416,000 below the request, and $19,253,000 above the House allowance. The Committee recommendation includes funding for the American Folklife Center at the same level as provided in FY95. An appropriation of $30,818,000 was recommended for the Copyright Office, with authority to spend receipts of $19,830,000 in FY96. This is a reduction of $2,118,000 from the request, and the same as the House allowance. Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has a recommendation of $44,951,000, the same as the House allowance, but $2,632,000 below the request. The Committee recommended an FY96 appropriation of $60,084,000 for the Congressional Research Service, the same amount as FY95. Joint Committee on Printing - The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended $1,370,000 in FY96 appropriations for the Joint Committee on Printing. The Committee does not agree with the proposal of the House to abolish the Joint Committee and divide its responsibilities between the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and its counterpart committee in the House. Office of Technology Assessment - The Senate Appropriations Committee rejected an amendment by Senator Ernest Hollings (D-NC) to provide funding for the Office of Technology Assessment, making the survival of this legislative branch agency less likely in the face of Senate and House efforts to eliminate it. Potential Floor Amendment on OTA - The Hollings amendment or some other amendment like it may be offered to this bill on the floor, possibly as early as Friday, July 21. If approved, the Hollings amendment would cut $3.3 million from LC - core services, Congressional Research Service and the Copyright Office. Additional funds would be taken from other congressional support agencies, including GPO's Superintendent of Documents operations. ACTION NEEDED: Continue to urge senators not to cut essential LC and GPO services that affect their constituents. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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. Contributing to this issue: Anne A. Heanue and Carol C. Henderson; 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***