ALAWON v4n56 (June 16, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n56

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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 56
                               June 16, 1995

   In this issue: (143 lines)
     "CYBER CONGRESS" PROPOSES DEEP CUTS TO FUNDING FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS
          ACTION NEEDED:  URGE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
            SUBCOMMITTEE TO SUPPORT THE GPO SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENT'S
            REQUEST FOR FY96 AND TELL MENBERS OF THE HOUSE LEGISLATIVE
            BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE OF YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT IN
            THEIR VOTE TO CUT THE SUDOC'S FUNDS
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"CYBER CONGRESS" PROPOSES DEEP CUTS TO FUNDING FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS

On June 15, the House Appropriations Committee marked up H.R. 1854, the
FY96 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill (H. Rept. 104-141).  Committee
Chair Bill Livingston (R-LA) plans to take the bill to the House floor on
June 20.  The Committee agreed to the June 8 action of the Legislative
Appropriations Subcommittee vote to slash in half the appropriation that
pays for the Depository Library Program--from $32 million to $16 million.
The big cut is in the funds available to produce and distribute paper and
microfiche publications to depositories--the nearly 1,400 Congressionally
designated libraries that provide no-fee public access to government
information.  The Committee is willing to pay for electronic distribution
by executive branch agencies to depositories.

In a major change to current policy, publishing agencies would be required
to reimburse GPO for the cost of printing, binding, and distributing paper
and microfiche formatted documents to depositories.  Yet, few agencies
comply now with the law to provide depository copies when they produce
publications outside GPO, making it highly unlikely they will meet greater
requirements.  Currently, Congress pays for copies of all publications that
the Government Printing Office sends these libraries so the public can use
the information for their own needs and hold the government accountable for
what it does in the public's behalf.

The House Appropriations Committee says that requiring publishing agencies
to pay for depository paper and microfiche publications will "create a
market-like incentive to find ways to reduce cost which very likely will
result in more cost-effective conversions to electronic format, exactly the
direction in which federal information resource management should move; it
will also prove cost effective to the GPO and state and local libraries
since it will reduce space needs and increase the potential for sharing
through electronic data bases."  In order to accomplish this change in
funding policy, the House Appropriations Committee approved the amendment
of the law governing the Depository Library Program (section 1903 of Title
44) with no Congressional hearings on this change to the way the public
gains access to government information and no study on how the new policy
would work or not work.

Report language says that the Committee acknowledges the success of the GPO
Access program but believes that the management of this program should
become much more aggressive in converting or encouraging the publishing
agencies of the federal government to convert to electronic format and
distribution.  Additionally, key Congressional publications will be
available only in electronic formats--another controversial change from
current policy.  The production and distribution of the bound Congressional
Record and the bound serial set, "both duplicative documents and very
expensive to compile and print, will be limited to CD-ROM format."

At the full Committee markup, an amendment to report language offered by
Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA) was accepted that he said would reassure
depository librarians that the House is "not undermining their ability to
provide information for their constituency--who are our constituents,
people interested in the workings of government."  This language was added
to H. Rept. 104-114:

          The Committee's intent is that the public's access to information
          through Federal Depository Libraries will not be reduced as a
          result of these policies, but will be maintained and enhanced.
          The Committee expects the Superintendent of Documents to monitor
          these new policies and report about the progress of the agencies
          in converting to electronic format and distribution, complying
          with the reimbursement policy, and the effects of these policies
          on the availability of documents to the public.

          The Government Printing Office is also directed to work closely
          with originating agencies, other distributors of federal
          documents such as the National Technical Information Service, the
          Library of Congress, and the information industry and the
          depository community.  The Library of Congress, in particular, is
          to be consulted since they are expending a significant effort in
          digitization technology.  The Superintendent of Documents is
          directed to review those efforts and other alternatives and
          report to the Committee on the possibilities of merging those
          efforts, or at least deriving benefits for the depository program
          from the technology being developed at the Library.

Free Constituent Copies of Bills, Hearings and Reports At Risk

The report on H.R. 1854 (H.Rept. 104-114) states that the bill "eliminates
the funding for constituent copies and by-law distribution of the
Congressional Record, and the free distribution of copies of bills,
reports, and other documents to non-Congressional recipients (other than to
federal depository libraries)."  The report says that the funding level in
the bill is designed to maximize the need to shift as much printing and
binding costs from paper-based products to electronic format, and to focus
the printing and binding appropriation on the production of material
essential to conduct legislative activities of the House and Senate.  We
have not been able to confirm whether this language means that free copies
of printed bills, reports and hearings would be unavailable to the public
in House and Senate document rooms and from Congressional offices.

ACTION NEEDED:  H.R. 1854 is on a fast track to the House floor on June 20.
If it passes, as anticipated, action on Legislative Branch appropriations
will shift to the Senate.

1.  Urge members of the Senate Legislative Branch Subcommittee [Senators
Connie Mack (R-FL), Chair; Robert Bennett (R-UT), Jim Jeffords (R-VT);
Patty Murray (D-WA) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)] to support the Public
Printer's $30.3 million request for the Superintendent of Documents
Salaries and Expenses Appropriation for FY96, and to resist the House's 50
percent cut in this appropriation.  Also urge the Senators to refuse to
change the law governing the Depository Library Program through an
Appropriations bill.  Changing this law is the responsibility of the
authorizing Committee with jurisdiction, the Senate Rules and
Administration Committee chaired by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), a champion
of public access to government information.

2.  Tell the members of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee
[Representatives Packard (R-CA), Chair; Young (R-FL); Taylor (R-NC); Miller
(R-FL); Wicker (R-MS); Fazio (D-CA); Thornton (D-AR); Dixon (D-CA) of your
disappointment in their vote to cut the Superintendent of Document's funds
by 50 percent from $32 million to $16 million, of concerns about the
results of a massive shift from print to electronic distribution of
government information, and about restructuring the Depository Library
Program through the Legislative Appropriations bill without Congressional
hearings on this proposed change or what the effect will be on public
access to government information.  Constituents of Rep. Fazio should thank
him for his addition of helpful report language.


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