As a follow-up to the ISTE post re: ed. cuts, the following post from the ALA has some facts that may be of interest to many on the museum-l list. >>From [log in to unmask] Sun Feb 26 04:36:12 1995 >Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 17:29:56 -0500 >From: ALA Washington Office <[log in to unmask]> >Reply to: ALA Washington Office Update <[log in to unmask]> >To: Multiple recipients of list ALA-WO <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: ALAWON, Vol. 4, No. 15 > >****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File**** >*************************************************************************** > ISSN 1069-7799 > ALAWON > ALA Washington Office Newsline > An electronic publication of the > American Library Association Washington Office > > Volume 4, Number 15 > February 24, 1995 > > In this issue: (164 lines) > ACTION ALERT: IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO PROTECT LIBRARY PROGRAMS > CONTACT HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE LISTED BELOW > >*************************************************************************** > > ACTION ALERT: IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO PROTECT LIBRARY PROGRAMS > >As reported in yesterday's ALAWON, major rescissions (or defunding) of FY >1995 library program appropriations have been recommended by the House >Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and >Education. The subcommittee vote was straight down party lines, with all >Republicans voting for the cuts. This is like all the other markup votes >by other appropriations subcommittees cutting many programs, including >agencies benefitting libraries such as the National Endowments for the Arts >and Humanities. > >The following is a more complete table of selected library and related >programs slated for cuts in FY95 funding, as approved by various House >appropriations subcommittees on February 22 or 23: > >PROGRAM FY95 FUNDING FY95 AMOUNT PROPOSED > (in millions) FOR DEFUNDING > (in millions) > >LSCA II pub. lib. construction $ 17.8 $ 15.3 >LSCA VI lib. literacy program 8.0 8.0 >HEA II-B lib. ed. & training 4.9 4.9 >HEA II-B lib. research & demo. 6.5 6.5 >ESEA III educ. tech 40.0 30.0 >Star schools 30.0 30.0 >School facilities 100.0 100.0 >Inexp. book distrib. (RIF) 10.3 5.3 >Natl. Institute for Literacy 4.9 4.9 >Four other small literacy programs 41.1 41.1 >Natl. Endowment for the Arts 167.7 162.7 >Natl. Endowment for the Humanities 177.4 172.4 >Corp. for Public Broadcasting ($285.6m - cut 15% in FY96, 30% in FY97) >NTIA Info. Infrastructure Grants 64.0 30.0 > >WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? The full House Appropriations Committee will meet on >March 2 to package all the subcommittee recommendations into one large >rescission bill, and send it to the House floor. After House passage, the >Senate Appropriations Committee would consider the measure. The cuts or >terminations would not become effective until after House and Senate >passage, any reconciling of House-Senate differences, and until after >President Clinton signed the bill or Congress overrode a veto. > >STRATEGY: The ALA Washington Office staff will be participating with its >major education coalition of 100 organizations, the Committee for Education >Funding, in a day of visits to congressional offices on Tuesday, February >28. The aim will be to show that in education and libraries, every dollar >counts; to provide information about the impact of the proposed $1.7 >billion cut in education funding; to identify legislators who may support >reversing the cuts; and to develop House and Senate strategy. > >ACTION NEEDED AT HOME: Every congressional office should hear from library >constituents in opposition to the major cuts and terminations in these >proposed rescissions. This is just the first step in a concerted campaign >to slash deeper and terminate additional programs in the FY 1996 budget. >An immediate and strong reaction from library supporters is critical, and >will have an impact. Grassroots action could help in the House, and could >have even more of an impact in the Senate. > >Call your Representative's local office, or call the Washington office of >any Representative or Senator through the Capitol switchboard (202-225-3121 >for House offices, 202-224-3121 for Senate offices). More than 50 >Representatives and a small number of Senators have email addresses. A >House directory of email address can be located on the Internet via the >World Wide Web at http://www.house.gov. under Who's Who and How Do I >Contact Them or by gopher to gopher.house.gov. The Senate has not yet made >its members' address available through the Internet. > >Ask if your legislator would help to oppose the rescissions. Please send >immediate feedback on the position of your legislator to the ALA Washington >Office at 202-547-4440 or fax to 202-547-7363 or email to [log in to unmask] > >WHAT'S THE IMPACT OF THESE CUTS? Here are some examples of the problems >the rescissions would cause for specific library programs. Use any of >these points, buttressed by local or state examples, in your contacts with >legislators. > >LSCA II PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT. This >particular rescission would be highly unprecedented and unfair because some >states have already received LSCA II funds for FY95. LSCA II is a state >formula grant program, but states must have local project applications with >matching funds committed before applying to receive the state's share of >appropriations. Because of the nature of construction projects, funds can >be carried over to the following fiscal year, and the rate at which LSCA II >funds are paid out is slower than for LSCA I and III. > >Five states or territories (Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, >and the Virgin Islands) have already received all their LSCA II funds for >FY95. Another handful of states will receive all or most of their funds >within the next few days. All other states would be unjustly penalized >through withdrawal of their funds under the rescission proposal. In the >past, rescissions have rarely been proposed for state formula grant >programs where awards have already been made to some states. > >LSCA VI LIBRARY LITERACY PROGRAM. This program awards competitive grants >directly to public and state libraries for library literacy projects. The >proposed rescission is not just a cut, but a complete termination of a >program where proposals are pending and peer review has already taken >place. Combined with the additional $46 million in other literacy program >terminations, the result would be $54 million less spent in helping adults >to become literate productive members of society. > >HEA II-B LIBRARY EDUCATION/TRAINING. Grants would be made in May to >graduate library schools for fellowships and to eligible awardees for >training institutes. The Higher Education Act title II-B program helps >recruit students to library science in areas of shortages such as >children's librarians and technology, and helps recruit minorities to the >field. Many library school faculty receive their doctorates through II-B >assistance. Currently, 76 doctoral students would be cut off in mid- >fellowship; many left jobs on the assumption that their fellowships would >continue. > >HEA II-B LIBRARY RESEARCH/DEMONSTRATIONS. The proposed rescission of all >$6.5 million in Higher Education Act II-B library demonstration funds is >not possible, because $5 million of these funds have already been spent in >two recent awards (to Iowa and West Virginia) of $2.5 million each for >demonstrations of online access to statewide multitype library >bibliographic databases using fiber optic networks. The remaining $1.5 >million is to be awarded in May for a demonstration project making federal >information and other databases available for public use by connecting a >multistate consortium of public and private colleges and universities to a >public library and an historic library. > >*************************************************************************** >*************************************************************************** > >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: [log in to unmask]; Phone: 202-547-4440; >Fax: 202-547-7363. Contributing to this issue: Carol C. Henderson; >Editor: Lynne E. Bradley ([log in to unmask]). > >ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic >form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to >listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or [log in to unmask] (Internet). Back issues >and other documents are available from the list server. To find out what's >available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv. The >ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and >filetype. To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename >filetype" to the listserv. Do not include the quotes in your commands. > >All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American >Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial >purposes with appropriate credits. For other reprinting or redistribution, >address requests to the ALA Washington Office ([log in to unmask]). > >*************************************************************************** >***End of file******************End of file******************End of file*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Rich Jones Governing Board For: Development Director Carter House Natural Science Museum Shasta Natural Science Association Redding Arboretum By The River [log in to unmask] SNSA Environmental Resources Center