ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Washington Hotline

Carol C. Henderson

Library programs funded for fy 1994— No rescissions

On October 22 it was learned that education and library programs would not be on the proposed rescission list for defunding as part of Vice President Gore’s “reinventing government” initiative. All Higher Education Act library programs were on a list of some 40 education programs which the President was about to ask Congress to defund (even as Congress was completing action to fund them). However, a last-minute decision to take all Department of Education programs off the rescission request list was made at the White House.

Playing a key role in this decision was the Committee for Education Funding, a coalition in which ALA participates. CEF held a series of meetings with members of the administration and Congress in attempts to reverse the proposed rescissions. Constituent letters of protest were also helpful. The administration asked Congress to rescind programs from other agencies, and congressional amendments designed to enlarge and deepen the budget cuts could still threaten library programs.

Funding action completed

Even though a potential rescission request was threatening, Congress provided strong support for HEA and LSCA library programs. The two smallest programs (HEA and LSCA support for for-eign-language materials) were not funded. But, thanks to Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR), funds for the LSCA public library construction program were increased. Both House and Senate have wrapped up final action on H.R. 2518, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill for FY 1994, which was signed into law (PL 103-112) on October 21. Amounts for Department of Education library programs are shown in the sidebar, together with funding results for selected other programs. ■

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