Federal:
At the beginning of October, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR), which will delay the passage of appropriations bills until after the fall election cycle. Libraries were supported in the CR, with relatively level funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program, Library of Congress, and other federal library programs. Appropriations committees in the House and Senate are looking favorably at libraries, supporting funding for major federal library programs. Read more about this news at the District Dispatch.
State:
The big news in Illinois politics right now is of course the upcoming elections. We have a few non-partisan resources to turn to for help in making our decisions. First of all, the list of offices and candidates in the upcoming general election on November 8th is available at the State Board of Elections website. Additionally, you can find helpful information at the League of Women Voters of Illinois and at the Voter’s Edge Illinois.