ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Washington Hotline

Carol C. Henderson

GPO access bill enacted

On June 8, President Clinton signed into law S. 564, the Government Printing Office Electronic Access Bill, noting that “this important step for- ward in the electronic dis- semination of Federal infor- mation will provide valuable insights into the most effec- tive means of disseminating all public Government infor- mation.”

The new law (PL 103-40) establishes in GPO a system to provide online access to the Congressional Record, Federal Register, and other appropriate publications distributed by the Superintendent of Documents. The system will be available without charge to depository libraries, and at the incremental cost of dissemination to others. The system is to be up and running within one year; implementation is underway at GPO. Acting Public Printer Michael DiMario called the Act “a landmark piece of legislation for GPO” in remarks on June 26 at ALA’s Annual Conference.

Networking applications bill passed

The House passed H.R. 1757, the National Information Infrastructure Act of 1993, by a vote of 326-61 on July 26. As introduced earlier this year by House Science Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.), the bill was called the High Performance Computing and High Speed Networking Applications Act. A newer version of the “Gore II” bills from the previous Congress, the measure would support networking applications in education, health care, libraries, and government information.

In the Senate, comparable networking applications provisions are included in title VI of

S. 4, the National Competitiveness Act, due for floor action soon. The ALA Council on June 30 passed a resolution in strong support of H.R. 1757, and recommended that some of its provisions be substituted for problematic language in S. 4. The Senate bill still includes a rigid 18- month timetable for the separation between experimental test bed networks and other uses, and contains language that may inhibit state library agencies, state and regional library networks, and other service and support organizations from fulfilling their missions on behalf of libraries.

NTIA pilot projects bill

On July 14, House Telecom- munications and Finance Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced H.R. 2639, the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure and Public Broadcasting Fa- cilities Assistance Act of

1993. Introduced at the request of the Admin- istration, the bill would authorize the National Telecommunications and Information Admin- istration in the Department of Commerce to award matching grants for interconnection and expansion of telecommunications networks or systems for health care providers, educational institutions, research facilities, libraries, muse- ums, state and local governments, and other social service and public information provid- ers. For FY94, $51 million would be authorized, the same amount requested by the Administra- tion for FY94.

The ALA Washington Office was asked by the House subcommittee to provide comments on the bill. The July 27 response from Director Eileen Cooke indicated that “H.R. 2639 has the potential to assist all types of libraries in their public mission of providing equitable access for the American people to a wide variety of information resources in all formats.” The letter also enclosed specific questions and suggestions.

Library program funding restored

The final version of a fiscal 1993 supplemental restored the previously appropriated funds for the HEA II-A college library technology program, the HEA II-B library research program, and the LSCA VI library literacy program. House-Senate conferees adopted the Senate- passed version of H.R. 2244 which did not defund these programs as the House had done; the President has signed the bill.

The House has also passed H.R. 2518, a bill which funds all Higher Education Act library programs at current levels in FY 1994, despite the Administration’s request to eliminate them. The Senate has not yet taken up this bill. ACRL

Legislative Network contacts regarding the supplemental were effective and carried over to House actions for FY94.

Copyright—software lending by libraries

The Copyright Office is seeking public comments on and information about the lending of computer software by libraries in order to prepare a report to Congress as required by the Computer Software Rental Amendments Act of 1990. Through negotiations spearheaded by ALA, the Act permits nonprofit libraries to lend computer programs for nonprofit purposes, provided that each copy lent by the library bears a prescribed warning of copyright. Comments are due October 12. The ALA Washington Office would appreciate hearing by October 1 from libraries which lend software and have suggestions for an ALA response. For the specific questions the Copyright Office is asking, see the July 13, 1993, Federal Register, pp. 37757-58, or contact Dorothy Schrader at the Copyright Office, (202) 707-8380. ■

Carol C. Henderson is deputy executive director of ALA 's Washington Office; bitnet:cch@alawash.org