[ISLMA-Share] Great News! IMLS, LSTA, IAL Funds Uncut by House Appropriations Committee

[Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association]

This is great news for libraries but is the first step of a multi-step
process. As noted below, advocacy for libraries must be ongoing with our US
Senators and Representatives. If you meet any of these folks during the
next few weeks, be sure to ask them to support federal funding for
libraries by maintaining the same level of funding.

Lou Ann Jacobs
ISLMA Legislation Chair
louajcbs at gmail.com


forwarded by Bob Doyle of ILA
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *Adam Eisgrau* <aeisgrau at alawash.org>
Date: Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 9:29 AM
Subject: [alacro-l] FW: UPDATE: IMLS, LSTA, IAL Funds Uncut by House
Appropriations Committee
To: "alacro-l at lists.ala.org" <alacro-l at lists.ala.org>
Cc: Michael Dowling <mdowling at ala.org>, "dwood at ala.org" <dwood at ala.org>


Hi folks. The following was just shared with the Committee on Legislation.
Please let Kevin or me know if you have any questions.

*Thanks for all of your, and your members’, efforts to get us to this
point!*

Adam
202-215-6884 <(202)%20215-6884>

******
Good morning.  I’m pleased to confirm that, after a marathon “markup”
session lasting well into yesterday evening, the House Appropriations
Committee has approved direct library funding language in the Labor-HHS
spending bill identical to that included in last week’s Subcommittee bill which
makes * no cuts in IMLS, LSTA or IAL funding relative to last year’s levels*.
While errors in the details of the official Committee Report will need to
be corrected (see excerpt in Word doc attached), we have been assured that
the Subcommittee and Committee both voted to provide IMLS with $231
million, LSTA with $183.6 million and IAL with $27 million in FY 2018.
That’s reflected shown in our own Excel tracking chart, also attached.

As discussed in the blog just posted
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/07/fy-2018-library-funding-remains-uncut-house-appropriations-committee/>
to *District Dispatch*, the House now appears unlikely to act on this
funding bill (and all but a few others related to security/defense) before
beginning its month-long August recess. The Senate, which will defer its
recess by two weeks, could begin work on a Labor-HHS bill (that’s unclear)
but is virtually certain *not* to vote on it at any level until the fall.
Once the bill adopted last night reaches the House floor this fall,
amendments to the bill related to library funding are extremely unlikely.
We will push hard in the Senate, however, for the full $186.6 million
requested for LSTA in this year’s House and Senate Dear Appropriator
letters.  We also will work closely in coalition with the many groups
attempting to restore cuts made in programs in which libraries are among
many other eligible recipients, such as the Department of Education’s Striving
Readers <https://www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders-literacy/index.html>
to assist children from birth through Grade 12.

Given the procedural status and timing described above, the blog also
underscores the importance of ongoing library funding advocacy over the
summer while members of Congress are back in their home states and
Districts.

Kevin


Kevin L. Maher
Deputy Director, Office of Government Relations
American Library Association
Washington Office
(202) 403-8236

[image: cid:image001.jpg at 01D18132.C4A5E790]




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