ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Washington Hotline

Lynne E. Bradley

Lynne E. Bradley is Office of Government Relations director of ALA's Washington Office; e-mail: leb@alawash.org

The Museum and Library Services Act of 2003, H.R. 13

As we go to press, the House Education and Workforce Committee will be doing a markup of H.R. 13, the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003 on February 13. This is essentially the same proposal introduced in the House last Congress, where there was bipartisan (also meaning unanimous) support in the same committee.

Meanwhile, the Senate continues to work on its bill. Additional cosponsors are still welcomed. If you have not contacted your state’s U.S. senators, please do so and ask them to cosponsor the Museum and Library Services Act. Once both houses of Congress pass the legislation there will be a conference to negotiate the final bill.

Thanks to all ACRL supporters who made calls to seek cosponsors for the House and Senate bills. At this writing, there are 68 cosponsors of H.R. 13 and 23 on the Senate version.

Increases for library programs in President's FY2004 Budget Request

On February 3, the President’s Budget for FY2004 was released. The budget was produced by the Government Printing Office and is also available online at http://www.omb.gov. In early February Secretary Paige announced a 5.6 percent increase in proposed funding for programs in the Department of Education, a request in the President’s budget for FY2004 of $53.1 billion. Increases cited were in Title I, IDEA, and Pell Grants.

For FY2004 library program dollars allocated under the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the total would be $207.6 million, while the museum program amount would be $34 million, bringing the total request for both libraries and museums to $242 million. The budget proposes a $15 million increase in library state grants, and a $20 million amount for library recruitment from the FY2003 budget request.

The budget document states that, “The Administration supports the role of libraries and museums to enhance lifelong learning…”

It is a rare occurrence that the budget for FY2004 would be presented before the completion of the budget for FY2003. The House/Senate conference meetings on the remaining 11 FY2003 appropriations bills were not completed until the first part of February. Watch for more information about these appropriations in ALAWON at http://www.ala.org/washoff/ alawon/.

New "Patriot" legislation announced by Justice Department

The long-anticipated Justice Department legislation, sometimes called “Patriot Act II,” was revealed on February 10. Having just obtained an unofficial draft, ALA is still reviewing the proposal and its implications for libraries, library users, and others concerned with civil liberties.

ALA Council passes privacy and electronic surveillance resolution

On January 29 at the Midwinter Meeting, the ALA Council passed the “Resolution on the USA PATRIOT Act and Related Measures that Infringe on the Rights of Library Users.” Visit our Web site at http://www.ala.org/washoff/patriot.html for more information.

"Safeguarding Our Patrons' Privacy" video now available for purchase

The video kit of the December 11, 2002, teleconference sponsored by the American Library Association, American Association of Law Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, and Special Libraries Association, provides libraries and their governing institutions with an analysis of the implications of recent antiterrorism legislation. Panelists address key legal issues and policy implications for libraries and the impact of legislative and regulatory proposals on the privacy of library users. Whether you were able to watch the teleconference or not, this videotape is an important source to discuss and develop privacy policies and offer local training activities on the USA PATRIOT Act and related surveillance and e-privacy issues. For ordering information go to http://www. arl.org/pubscat/order/. ■