Federal:
The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA), of which ALA, ACRL, and ARL are the representative bodies, has submitted comments to the U.S. Copyright Office on the mandatory deposit policy of electronic resources to the Library of Congress. In 2010, an interim rule was established that addressed the mandatory deposit of electronic serial publications. The current comments address the need for such a rule to be applied to books and audio recordings that are exclusively available electronically. LCA also recommends additional media (e.g., photographs, films) should be considered under this rule. The comments encourage broadening access to these materials beyond the current two terminals available at the Library of Congress, especially in light of enhanced online security since the implementation of the 2010 interim rule.
State:
Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court blocked the Independent Map Amendment from appearing on the fall ballot. This amendment, backed by a 563,000 signature petition of Illinois voters, would have asked voters to change the process for redistricting. Legislative maps are currently drawn by the General Assembly following the census. This amendment proposed creating an independent commission for this process. You can read a Chicago Tribune article about the decision here or read the actual docket (#121077) containing the judgement with supporting and dissenting opinions.