- When: Monday, May 2 and Tuesday May 3, 2016
- Where: Liaison Hotel, Capitol Hill, Washington DC
Archive for April, 2016
National Library Legislative Day 2016 – Updated
Published April 7, 2016 advocacy , Federal , Library Legislative Day Leave a CommentTags: advocacy, National Library Legislative Day, NLLD
Success on IAL & LSTA support, but funding still at risk
Published April 6, 2016 advocacy , Federal Leave a CommentTags: Budget, FY 2017, IAL, IMLS, Innovative Approaches to Literacy, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Library Services and Technology Act, LSTA
IAL and LSTA “Dear Appropriator” letters: Update
Many thanks to everyone who responded to the Advocacy Alert! and contacted members of Congress to request signatures on “Dear Appropriator” letters in support of funding for Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The American Library Association (ALA) reported that we gathered as many signatures in Congress as we did last year. ALA has posted a “Champions” chart to show who signed onto which letters. We had some success with our Maryland members of Congress:
- IAL: Senator Cardin and Representatives Cummings, Delaney and Sarbanes
- LSTA: Senator Cardin and Representative Van Hollen
- Note: As Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Mikulski often does not sign onto letters, but still appreciates being contacted.
If you have not yet already done so, please contact these members of Congress to thank them for their support of IAL and LSTA! Engage is an easy tool to use to make this contact.
IMLS, IAL and LSTA funding still at risk
Despite this success, for the second year in a row the House Budget Committee released a resolution that suggests that all federal library funding, including money for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), be eliminated in order to achieve the House majority’s goals for cutting the budget. Although the resolution is a non-binding document, it is a concern because it conveys the majority’s philosophy. This also means that IAL and LSTA funding is still at risk.
For more information, please see the District Dispatch blog post.
Please stay tuned for more calls to action in support of IMLS, IAL and LSTA funding.
House and Senate pass FOIA Reform; move to reconcile differences
Published April 6, 2016 Federal Leave a CommentTags: FOIA, FOIA Act, FOIA Improvement Act, Freedom of Information Act, hr 653, s 337
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has made the news. Earlier this year, the House passed HR 653, FOIA Act, by voice vote. More recently, the Senate passed S 337, the FOIA Improvement Act, by unanimous consent. Please feel free to contact your representatives to thank them for their support!
Now the House and Senate must reconcile the differences between the two bills. The Congressional Research service outlined the differences in this summary and side-by-side comparison. It is hoped that reconciliation will be finalized before the end of the legislative session.
For more information, see the District Dispatch blog post.