ALAWON v4n66 (July 19, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n66

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                                                                  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

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                  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).

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               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.

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ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library
Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC
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Fax: 202-547-7363.   Contributing to this issue:  Anne A. Heanue and Carol
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