[ISLMA-Share] Update--ALA Action Alert: House Releases "Dear Appropriator" letter

Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association islma at list.railslibraries.info
Fri Mar 9 16:01:29 CST 2018


More good news! Add Representatives Jan Schakowski and Brad Schneider as
signers of the Dear Appropriator letters along with Rep. Danny Davis.
Please contact your member of Congress before March 19.


On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 2:18 PM, Email list for the Illinois School Library
Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> The American Library Association has released the following information on
> their *District Dispatch* webpage (http://www.districtdispatch.
> org/2018/03/house-dear-appropriator/)
>
> House releases dear appropriator letters: call your Representative before
> March 19
> Published March 6, 2018 by Kevin Maher
>
> The campaign to save over $210 million in library funding begins this week
> in the House of Representatives with the release of two Dear Appropriator
> letters.*
>
> Our activity starts on the heels of the White House budget proposal for
> FY 2019
> <http://www.districtdispatch.org/2018/02/white-house-budget-proposal-continues-to-miscalculate/>,
> which recommends the elimination of most federal library funding. Though
> the budget proposal is concerning, it is Congress that has the final say
> over the FY 2019 budget.
>
> Starting today, two Dear Appropriator letters are circulating in support
> of federal library funding for FY 2019 for both LSTA and IAL. *Library
> advocates need to contact their representatives this week and ask them to
> sign both letters by the March 19 deadline.*
>
> The more signatures we get on these Dear Appropriator letters, the better
> proof we have of the wide, bipartisan backing for federal library funding.
> For many members of Congress (especially those not on the Appropriations
> Committee), signing these letters is the best opportunity for them to show
> their unequivocal support for our nation’s libraries.
>
> The FY 2019 LSTA Dear Appropriator letter, led by Rep. Raul Grijalva
> (D-AZ), and calls on Congress to provide at least $187 million for LSTA.
> Thanks to ALA members, one-third of the entire House of Representatives
> (144 members) signed the FY 2018 LSTA letter last year
> <http://www.districtdispatch.org/2018/01/ala-2018-continue-to-fundlibraries/>.
> Our goal is to increase the number of signatories for the FY 2019 letter.
>
> The FY 2019 IAL Dear Appropriator Letter is again led by four
> representatives: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Don Young (R-AK),
> Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ). Last year, ALA
> members succeeded in securing 146 signatures on the IAL letter. Again, our
> goal is to increase the number of signatories.
>
> When you call your member’s office, the script can be as simple as:
>
> “Hello, I am a constituent of Representative [name] from [your town]. I am
> calling today to urge the representative to sign two Dear Appropriator
> letters supporting over $210 million in library funding – one letter for
> the Library Services and Technology Act and one for the Innovative
> Approaches to Literacy program.”
>
> Even if member of Congress tells you that they have a policy of not
> signing onto letters, respond by asking them to support an increase in
> federal library funding.
>
> Want to send an email? Visit the Action Center <http://ala.org/takeaction>
>  to take advantage of our email template.
>
> This year, the ALA Washington Office has provided new tools to enhance
> your advocacy. On the Fund Libraries <http://www.ala.org/fundlibraries> page,
> you will find a table where you can track whether your representative has
> signed the FY 2019 letters and see your representative’s history of support
> for previous years’ Dear Appropriator letters. You will also find links to
> resources for writing letters to the editors of news outlets to publicly
> urge your member of Congress to sign the FY 2019 Dear Appropriator letters.
>
> The fight for library funding is on. The first step to guaranteeing
> support for federal library funding is for you to invite your member of
> Congress to sign the Dear Appropriator letters on LSTA and IAL. Make your
> call today, and then check Fund Libraries
> <http://www.ala.org/fundlibraries> to see when your representative signs
> the letters. And stay tuned – similar letters will be circulating in the
> Senate in a few weeks and this process will start again.
>
> *Related Documents:*
>
> IAL Approps FY19 Letter
> <http://www.districtdispatch.org/2018/03/house-dear-appropriator/ial-approps-fy19-letter/>
>
> LSTA FY19 House request letter
> <http://www.districtdispatch.org/2018/03/house-dear-appropriator/lsta-fy19-house-request-letter/>
>
> **Both the House and the Senate have appropriations committees that draft
> budget bills based on recommendations put forward by their subcommittees
> (for example, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related
> Agencies Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Institute of Museum
> and Library Services). Members of Congress typically submit letters to the
> appropriations committees to request funding for the programs they
> champion, and the letters are co-signed by other members of Congress. *
> Kevin Maher is the deputy director of government relations at the American
> Library Association’s Washington Office. He has a bachelor’s degree in
> journalism and political science from Marquette University in Milwaukee,
> Wisconsin. Before coming to the ALA in 2014, Kevin was the vice president
> of government affairs for the American Hotel and Lodging Association for 20
> years.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> It is very important that we reach each House member from Illinois in
> Congress. Please share with your colleagues who may not be receiving emails
> from AISLE (formerly ISLMA). As with many issues in Congress. it is a
> numbers game and the need for bipartisan support is critical.
> Lou Ann Jacobs
> AISLE Legislation Advocacy
>
>    -
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ISLMA-Share mailing list
> islma at list.railslibraries.info
> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/islma
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> islma-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.railslibraries.info/pipermail/aisle/attachments/20180309/80b37641/attachment-0002.html>


More information about the AISLE mailing list