ALAWON v4n27 (March 21, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n27

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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 27
                              March 21, 1995
 
   In this issue: (308 lines)
     REGISTER BY MARCH 31 FOR LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY NOW!
          APRIL 11, 1995 WORKSHOP
     CONGRESS PASSES PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
          SENATE BILL S. 244
          HOUSE BILL H.R. 830
 
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                           REGISTER BY MARCH 31
                                    FOR
                     LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY NOW!
 
                    APRIL 11, 1995 IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
 
                                 WORKSHOP
                    SPONSORED BY ALA WASHINGTON OFFICE
                     AND ALA COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION
 
LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY NOW! is a special day of training offered to
library groups with meetings scheduled in Washington, D.C. near the date of
April 11.  This package of library legislative advocacy training and in-
depth issue briefings builds on but does not duplicate ALA's Library
Advocacy Now! training.  The workshop is also open without charge to other
library supporters who register in advance.  Library advocates are
encouraged to take advantage of this special opportunity.
 
YOU WILL RECEIVE:
 
1.   Americans Can't Wait...Library Advocacy Now!
     action pack and buttons
2.   Pass a Buck for Libraries postcards
3.   Background materials prepared by the ALA Washington Office
     specifically for the April 11 event.
 
TO REGISTER:
 
Fax, mail, or email the following information to the ALA Washington Office
by March 31.  You must register in advance so that we may plan for lunch
and send materials to you.
 
 
Mail, Fax or Email this form BY MARCH 31 to:
 
              American Library Association Washington Office
                         110 Maryland Avenue, N.E.
                           Washington, DC 20002
                               202-547-4440
                             Fax: 202-547-7363
                            alawash@alawash.org
 
Yes, I will attend LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY NOW! on April 11, 1995.
 
NAME
 
TITLE
 
ADDRESS
 
 
 
PHONE                             FAX
 
EMAIL
 
AFFILIATION  (such as library trustee, chapter federal relations
coordinator, library association legislation committee or officer, WHCLIST,
etc.)
 
     Could you make visits to Congressional offices on Monday afternoon,
     April 10?
 
          Yes________________         No_______________
 
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                     LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY NOW!
 
                              April 11, 1995
                           9:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
 
                                 Room 443
                        Martin Luther King Library
                              901 G St. N.W.
                          Washington, D.C. 20001
                               202-727-1221
 
 
                            PRELIMINARY AGENDA
 
 
9:15 a.m.      Coffee
 
9:30 a.m.      Welcome; introduction of moderator
 
                    Betty Turock, ALA President-elect
 
                    Estelle Black, Moderator
                    ALA Committee on Legislation
 
9:40 a.m.      Library Advocacy Now!
 
                    Janet Welch, Chair, Training Subcommittee, ALA
                    President's Special Committee on Public Awareness; and
                    Chair, NYLA Public Awareness Committee
 
9:50 a.m.      Americans Can't Wait! Pass a Buck for Libraries;
               Relating ALA campaigns to legislative advocacy
 
                    Charles Beard, Co-Chair, LAN Campaign;
                    ALA Executive Board
 
10:00 a.m.     Break
 
10:10 a.m.     Issue briefing #1:
               Library program funding/authorization issues
               in changed political climate
 
                    Carol C. Henderson, moderator
                    Executive Director, ALA Washington Office
 
                    Charles Barone, Legislative Assistant
                    for Senator Paul Simon of Illinois
 
                    Other congressional staff and resource persons on
                    appropropriations outlook, ESEA school library
                    resources program, reinvention of LSCA, NEH/NEA
                    reauthorization, etc.
 
11:00 a.m.     Break
 
11:10 a.m.     Issue briefing #2:
               Government information dissemination
 
                    Anne A. Heanue, moderator
                    Associate Director, ALA Washington Office
 
                    Linda Kemp, Staff Director
                    Joint Committee on Printing
 
                    Other congressional staff, federal agency officials on
                    changing roles of players, future of depository library
                    system, etc.
 
12:00 noon     Break; lunch available
 
12:30 p.m.     Issue briefing #3:
               Telecommunications and information superhighway
 
                    Lynne E. Bradley, moderator
                    Deputy Exec. Director, ALA Washington Office
 
                    Andrew Blau, Director, Communications Policy Project,
                    Benton Foundation
 
                    Other resource persons on telecommunications
                    legislation, outlook for library/school access and
                    public access provisions
 
1:20 p.m.      Break
 
1:30 p.m.      Special team of library advocates reports back on test
               visits to congressional offices
 
2:20 p.m.      Break
 
2:30 p.m.      Experts provide feedback and strategy advice
 
                    Carol Henderson, moderator
                    ALA Washington Office
 
                    Stanley Turesky, Govt. Affairs Consultant
 
                    Adam M. Eisgrau, Counsel & Legislative Assistant for
                    Senator Dianne Feinstein of California
 
                    Other congressional staffers
 
                    Discussion with team of 10 library advocates who
                    visited key offices within the previous 24 hours.
                    Interaction with audience on what's new and different
                    in the 104th Congress.  How to hone the message.  What
                    strategies will and won't work this year.  What makes
                    an effective group visit--at home or on Library
                    Legislative Day.  How best to respond to action alerts.
 
3:30 p.m.      Library Legislative Advocacy Now!
 
                    Closing advice, Estelle Black, moderator
                    Library Advocacy Now! team of
                    Charles Beard and Janet Welch
 
3:45 p.m.      Adjourn
 
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                  CONGRESS PASSES PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
 
SENATE BILL S. 244:
On March 7, by a unanimous vote, the Senate passed S. 244, the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (S.Rept. 104-8) [See March 7 Congressional Record,
pp. S3547-70].  It adopted an amendment offered by Senators Carl Levin (D-
MI) and William Cohen (R-ME) to eliminate or modify more than 200 reports
by federal agencies to Congress.
 
The bill covers a wide range of complex subjects, including the
government's collection, management, and dissemination of information, its
use of information technology and computer security.  The list of
restrictive factors, or "checklist," that has been controversial in the
library community, is not in S. 244.  Appropriations for OMB's Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs would be authorized for five years.
 
Among other things, the bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to
cause to be established "a distributed agency-based electronic Government
Information Locator Service."  OMB is to establish an interagency committee
to advise the Secretary of Commerce on the development of technical
standards for GILS to ensure compatibility, promote information sharing,
and uniform access by the public.  In establishing the committee, OMB is to
cooperate with the Archivist of the United States, the Administrator of
General Services, the Public Printer, and the Librarian of Congress.
 
Although S. 244 does not mention libraries, the report on the bill (S.Rept.
104-8) states:
 
agencies must fulfill legal requirements for dissemination, such
as use of the Government Printing Office's Sales and Depository
Library Programs.  Multiple access points and multiple formats
simply serve to enhance dissemination of government information
to the public.
 
Conferees on S. 244 are:  Senators Roth (R-DE), Cohen (R-ME), Cochran (R-
MS), Glenn (D-OH) and Nunn (D-GA); and Representatives Clinger (R-PA),
Meyers (R-IN), McHugh (R-NY), McIntosh (R-IN), Fox (R-PA), Collins (D-IL),
Peterson (D-FL), and Wise (D-WV).
 
HOUSE BILL H.R. 830:
By a recorded vote of 418 ayes, with 6 voting present, the House passed
H.R. 830, its version of the Paperwork Reduction Act on February 22
(H.Rept. 104-37) [see February 22 Congressional Record, pp. H2010-29].
OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs would be reauthorized
permanently.  An amendment failed that was offered by Representative
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to limit OIRA's reauthorization to five years.
 
During debate on the bill, Representative William Clinger (R-PA), chair of
the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, said:
 
The dissemination provisions...delineate clear policies that were
not articulated in the act's previous references to
dissemination.  These provisions require OMB to develop
governmentwide policies and guidelines for information
dissemination and to promote public access to information
maintained by Federal agencies.  In turn, the agencies are
to: First, ensure that the public has timely and equitable
access to public information; second, solicit public input
on their information dissemination activities; and third,
not establish restrictions on dissemination or
redissemination of government information.  Emphasis is
placed on efficient and effective use of new technology and a
reliance on a diversity of public and private sources of
information to promote dissemination of government
information, particularly in electronic formats.
 
H.R. 830 is similar to S. 244.  However, among the differences between the
two bills is a controversial provision opposed by the library community
that would authorize the OMB director to waive any limits on agency user
fees for public information after an agency meets several criteria,
including a notice published in the Federal Register.  Responding to
constituent concerns, Representative Connie Morella (R-MD) engaged Clinger
in a colloquy on the House floor about the fee waiver provisions (see
February 22 CR, p. H2028).
 
     Morella said:
 
I know that you share my belief that the Federal Government
should not be in the business of profiting from its
information resources and that the report language in H.R.
830 reflects your convictions in this regard and,...,I know
that you are committed to refining the language in this section
in the conference committee....I know that you are
committed to aggressively pursuing the intent of this bill  with
regard to this section and that the committee will act
swiftly to curb any abuses of the provision.
 
Clinger responded:
 
This is purely a very rare and probably exceptional kind of
situation that might arise where an agency would be entitled to
retain some of the funds, but it requires a very difficult
procedure to get that approval and would be used in only
exceptionally rare circumstances.
 
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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
20002-5675.  Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440;
Fax: 202-547-7363.  Contributing to this issue:  Carol C. Henderson and
Anne A. Heanue; Editor:  Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org).
 
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address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org).
 
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