Action Alert! Ask Congress to Support Libraries in Appropriations Bill

Congress recently passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, paving the way for the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to begin work on the FY 2014 Federal Appropriations Bill.

Senator Mikulski and Congressman Harris each serve on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee for their respective Committees on Appropriations.

Please call Senator Mikulski and Congressman Harris and encourage them to support libraries in the FY 2014 Federal Appropriations Bill by supporting the following items:

• Fund the Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) at the pre-sequestration levels of $184.7 million.
• Fund Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) under the Department of Education at the pre-sequestration levels of $28.6 million.

To find contact information for Senator Mikulski and Congressman Harris, visit Capwiz.

Legislative Panel Meeting Minutes, 11/8/2013

The Minutes from the Legislative Panel’s Meeting on November 8, 2013 are now available.

Legislative Panel Meeting Minutes, 10/4/2013

The Minutes from the Legislative Panel’s Meeting on October 4, 2013 are now available.

Action Alert! Sign the Petition to Protect Online Privacy

On December 5^th, the American Library Association joined a nationwide day of action calling for reform to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). It’s not too late to participate! Just sign the We the People online petition to the White House. The goal is to have 100,000 signatures by December 12^th.

Why sign? The ECPA dates back to 1986, before most people had computers. The act does not require that the government have a warrant to access your documents stored in the cloud. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013 (S 607 and HR 1847) would reform ECPA so that a warrant would be needed to access email and documents in the cloud.

Please sign the online petition to show your support for online privacy and help spread the word! Thanks in advance for any support!