(via Bobbi Newman, National Network of Libraries of Medicine – Greater Midwest Region) The National Institutes of Health is in a furlough status as of Monday, January 22, 2018, due to an absence of federal appropriations. According to the FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations in the Absence of Enacted Annual Appropriations, “The plan…
Category: Legislation
For news about legislative activity relevant to librarianship. Not for news about or from the HSLI Legislative Committee.
Illinois Library Association Delegation Participating in National Library Legislative Day (May 7-8)
(via the Illinois Library Association) Join ILA’s delegation and travel to the nation’s capitol to get our message out to Congress! ALA’s National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) is a two-day educational event that brings hundreds of librarians, trustees, library supporters and patrons to Washington, D.C. Illinois has traditionally delivered one of the most robust delegations…
Reminder: ILA Legislative Meet-Ups in January and February
(via Gwen Gregory, University of Illinois at Chicago) The Illinois Library Association sponsors meetups where librarians can meet with legislators to let them know what is important to us. This is your chance to meet your state legislators and give them feedback! The 2018 events start January 29 and run through the end of February….
Legislative Action Item: Save Net Neutrality, Round 2!
Following the FCC’s vote to repeal net neutrality, what’s next? Even though Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is one of 17 State Attorneys General appealing the decision, your voice matters, too. Speak with your congressional representatives preceding their review of the vote. Contact information and a sample script are available at 5calls.org.
Legislative Action Item: Save Net Neutrality
As you may have seen from the ALA Washington Office and via our very own ILA, net neutrality is on the precipice of extinction. The five FCC commissioners will vote on the matter on December 14, 2017. Let your voice be heard! Email your elected Congressperson using the form available from ALA here.
Legislative Update, 11/10/2017
Federal News: ALA submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security regarding the Department’s plans to monitor and collect information from U.S. immigrants’ social media accounts. In the letter, ALA representatives write that the proposal is “quite excessive and thus an invasion of privacy.” For more details, visit the District Dispatch. In national, but not strictly legislative, news…
Legislative Update, 10/12/2017
Federal: The MLA encourages sending thanks to those senators who are members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Their FY2018 bill funds the NLM at $420.9 million, more than the “at least $412 million” recommended by the MLA/AAHSL Legislative Task Force. Contact Illinois Senator Dick Durbin to thank him for his work on the FY2018 bill. The MLA…
Legislative Update – 09/22/17
Federal: The Senate Committee on Appropriations’ FY18 Labor, HHS, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill was approved earlier this month. Of note, NIH funding would increase $2.0 billion, to $36.1 billion. Funding for the National Library of Medicine would increase $21 million to $420.9 million. The IMLS budget would increase $4 million, to $235…
Legislative Update, 8/30/2017
Federal: New legislation in the Senate and House would have a positive impact, if passed, on libraries. The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017, S. 1689, would shift drug enforcement away from marijuana prosecution. Funds saved would, in part, be channeled to community grant funding opportunities for public library programming. The Educator Preparation Reform Act, S….
Legislative Update, 08/09/2017
Federal: Bills promoting open access to federally funded research and electronic communications privacy have been introduced in Congress. Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act, or FASTR, H.R. 3427, would provide public access to research published from every federal agency that significantly funds research. This bill strengthens and expands previous legislation, requiring online access…