ALAWON v4n75 (August 4, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n75

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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 75
                               August 4, 1995

   In this issue: (148 lines)
     DEPOSITORY LIBRARY FUNDS RESTORED; PLAN FOR ELECTRONIC CONVERSION
          REQUIRED
     HOUSE PASSES LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION FUNDING BILL
     HOUSE PASSES TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL
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DEPOSITORY LIBRARY FUNDS RESTORED; PLAN FOR ELECTRONIC CONVERSION REQUIRED

A Senate/House Conference Committee settled differences between the two
Houses of Congress in their respective versions of H.R. 1854, Legislative
Branch Appropriations for FY 1996 (H.Rept. 104-212).  Generally, the House
agreed to the Senate version regarding library-related issues, with minor
changes to the bill approved by the Senate on July 20 (S.Rept. 104-114).

Votes on the conference agreement are likely to wait until Congress returns
in September.  President Clinton has threatened to veto the Legislative
Branch appropriations bill, observing that it is the only one of 13 spending
bills making its way easily through Congress.

Depository Libraries.  The House conferees agreed to accept the Senate-passed
figure of $30,300,000 for the Superintendent of Documents Salaries and
Expenses Appropriation for FY96.  This means that the Federal Depository
Library Program will not be slashed by 50 percent as the House had
recommended, but will have the funding the Public Printer has said he needs
to operate the program.  The Senate also struck from the bill the House
provision amending Title 44 USC that would have enabled GPO to charge
agencies for distribution of paper and microfiche documents to depository
libraries.  Senators said the proposed amendment to Title 44 "more properly
falls within the jurisdiction of the Joint Committee on Printing."

While restoring the funds for the depository library program in FY96,
conferees directed the Public Printer to include in his FY97 request
(delivered in January or February 1996) a proposal for the Depository Library
Program that will result in conversion of this program to electronic format.
He is to propose a means to create cost incentives for publishing agencies,
including Congress, to migrate from print-on-paper products to electronic
format. The conferees inserted their requirement for a strategic plan and
study into the text of H.R. 1854, thus making them required by law--as
opposed to report language which is not in statute.  The Public Printer is to
submit early next year, FY97 appropriations requests and recommendations
that:

(1) are consistent with the strategic plan included in the technological
study performed by the Public Printer as required by S. Rept. 104-114;

(2) assure substantial progress toward maximum use of electronic information
dissemination technologies by all departments, agencies, and other entities
of the Government with respect to the Depository Library Program and
information dissemination generally; and

(3) are formulated so as to require that any department, agency, or other
entity of the Government that does not make such progress shall bear from its
own resources the cost of its information dissemination by other than
electronic means.


Constituent Copies of Publications.  Conferees agreed to a partial
restoration of funds for the printing of documents for Congressional use and
added funds for paper copies of the serial set to depositories.  Conferees
also deleted language proposed by the House that would have included Senators
in the funding limitation on paper copies of the permanent edition of the
Congressional Record.

Library of Congress.  The conferees agreed to provide $211,664,000 for
salaries and expense for the Library of Congress, instead of $193,911,000 as
proposed by the House and $213,164,000 as proposed by the Senate.  Conferees
restored $17,753,000 above the House allowance, including funding for the
American Folklife Center.  These funds include $3,000,000 for the National
Digital Library project.

The conference report also authorizes the Library of Congress to develop a
plan, subject to approval, for the creation of a single legislative
information retrieval system to serve the entire Congress, to examine issues
regarding efficient ways to make this information available to the public,
and to develop such a system.  "The conferees wish to point out that there
are commercial sources of comparable systems and data bases, as well as
several data bases and data creation, processing, and distribution systems
extant in the legislative branch that should be evaluated in the issue
analysis and plan development phases."

Joint Committee on Printing.  The Joint Committee on Printing was retained
but their appropriation was decreased to $750,000.

Office of Technology Assessment.  During the conference, proposals by
Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA) to save the Office of Technology Assessment
failed.

ACTION NEEDED:  In the face of many Congressional budget cuts, the
restoration of funds for the depository library program is a victory thanks
to several library champions, especially Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK), Connie
Mack (R-FL), Mark Hatfield (R-OR) and Robert Dole (R-KS).  Please thank them
for their support of public access to government information.  Thanks are
also due to key House members:  Representatives Vic Fazio (D-CA), Major Owens
(D-NY), and Bill Orton (D-UT).  The letters and calls from library supporters
to their Senators and Representatives helped to restore funds in a daunting
budgetary climate.
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               HOUSE PASSES LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION FUNDING BILL

Late last night, August 3, the House passed HR 2127, a measure that would
fund education, library, and other social programs in the FY96 Labor, Health
and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill, by a vote of 219 to
208.  Library programs, as previously reported, would be cut by 30 percent.
The President indicated his intention to veto the bill if it reaches his desk
in its current form.

The bill includes the amendment sponsored by Rep. Ernest Jim Istook (R-OK) to
prohibit the use of federal funds for political advocacy.  Attempts to remove
this language failed, but some changes to the language were adopted.  Look
for further detail on the bill next week.
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                   HOUSE PASSES TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL

In its last major action before adjourning for the August recess, the House
passed H.R. 1555, the Telecommunications Act of 1995, by a vote of 305-117 on
August 4.

This bill does not have a provision comparable to the Senate-passed Snowe-
Rockefeller-Kerrey-Exon amendment for discounted rates for advanced
telecommunications services for schools and libraries in S. 652.   ALA and
other groups had worked for such a House amendment, and in the week before
passage, four bipartisan sponsors--Reps. Connie Morella (R-MD), William Orton
(D-UT), Bob Ney (R-OH), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)--had developed an amendment
regarding affordable rates for schools and libraries.  The House Rules
Committee did not make this amendment in order.  However, during floor debate
on H.R. 1555, several Representatives--including Commerce Committee Chairman
Thomas Bliley (R-VA)--indicated their intention to do their best to ensure
that some language regarding schools and libraries survives a later House-
Senate conference.  More detail on this and other provisions will be provided
next week.

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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
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Fax: 202-547-7363.  Contributing to this issue:  Carol H. Henderson, Anne
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