Advocacy Alert! New! Ask Senators to sign Dear Appropriator letters for FY19 LSTA & IAL, #FundLibraries

April 9th Update: Senator Cardin has still not signed on. The deadline for signatures is Wednesday, April 11th. Maryland stands to lose $2.9 million in LSTA Grants to States. Please call or email Senator Cardin today!

April 5th Update: Senator Van Hollen has signed on! Please take a moment to thank him. Senator Cardin still has not signed on, but did sign both letters last year.

 

Original post:

This is a new request for action on the FY19 budget. There are now Dear Appropriator letters circulating in the Senate that ask Senators to preserve at least $210 million in federal funding for libraries, including the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL). Although the President’s budget proposal recommends the elimination of most federal funding for libraries, Congress has the ability to restore funding and they are currently working out the details of the FY19 budget. Getting enough signatures is key because it demonstrates the importance of and support for preserving library funding.

Neither of Maryland’s Senators have signed on yet. Because Senator Van Hollen serves on the Appropriations Committee, he may not sign a letter to himself. However, it is still important to contact both Senators to ask for their support. Last year, both Senators signed onto both letters. Information about how LSTA and IAL funds are used in Maryland, including updated 2017 information about LSTA funds, is available on the Engage site. Visit the letter tracker for up-to-date information about who has signed on; click on the name to see complete information.

See the ALA Action Center for more details and a links to send email or tweet the Senators. Thanks in advance for your advocacy!

Advocacy Alert! New! Ask Your Rep to sign Dear Appropriator letters for LSTA & IAL, #FundLibraries

March 15th Update: We’re almost there! Here are the results so far:

• Signed neither letter: Harris, Hoyer
• Signed LSTA letter only, not IAL: Brown, Cummings, Ruppersberger
• Signed both LSTA and IAL letters: Delaney, Raskin, Sarbanes – Please use Engage to thank them!

Original post:

This is a new request for action on the FY19 budget. Although the President’s budget proposal recommends the elimination of most federal funding for libraries, Congress has the ability to restore funding and they are currently working out the details of the FY19 budget. There are now Dear Appropriator letters circulating in the House that ask Representatives to preserve at least $210 million in federal funding for libraries, including the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL). Getting enough signatures is key because it demonstrates the importance of and support for preserving library funding.

None of Maryland’s Representatives have signed on yet. Because Representatives Harris and Ruppersberger both serve on the Appropriations Committee, it is unlikely that they will sign a letter to themselves. However, it is still important to contact them to ask for their support because they can choose to include LSTA and IAL in their list of funding priorities. As the Minority Whip, Representative Hoyer also typically does not sign onto letters, but it is just as important to let him know about our funding needs. Visit the letter tracker for up-to-date information about who has signed on; click on the name to see complete information.

The deadline to sign on is March 19^th. Last year, Brown, Cummings, Delaney, Raskin and Sarbanes signed onto both the LSTA and IAL letters. Ruppersberger included LSTA and IAL on his list of funding priorities. Only Harris and Hoyer did not sign on.

See the ALA Action Center for more details and a links to send email or tweet your Representative. Thanks in advance for your advocacy!