For anyone participating in the upcoming legislative meet-ups, here is an updated version of the “talking points” that focuses on specific legislation (first story in ILA e-newsletter).
“ILA Executive Board Determines Positions on Key Legislative Bills”
The state budget remains the primary concern, especially in retaining full funding for the Secretary of State’s per-capita grants to public libraries, and in restoring full funding for various grant programs affecting library systems and school libraries. On the local level, maintaining the current level of property tax revenue, and ensuring the autonomy of library administrators, are the primary issues. Other legislation of importance includes Senate Bill 1941 (preservation of Illinois legislation-related documents in electronic format), Senate Bill 2926 (increasing public access to government documents via the Internet, while ensuring continued access to those documents already available under the Freedom of Information Act), and SB2784 (overriding local discretion in the use of Internet filters).
Even if you cannot meet your elected officials in person, you can still send them a message on SB2784 by clicking on the provided links. If you would like to voice your support for, or opposition to, any other legislation, you can find your legislators’ contact information at http://www.ilga.gov/house/ and http://www.ilga.gov/senate/.