Federal:
In the fight for online privacy, ALA and the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) contributed to an amicus brief in a current lawsuit over internet privacy and surveillance: Wikimedia Foundation v. National Security Agency. The brief challenges the NSA’s “Upstream” surveillance program, which involves copying Internet traffic, including e-mails, chat, web browsing and other communications. Library groups maintain that the program compromises citizens’ First Amendment right “to obtain and read materials that are controversial or reflect deeply private concerns.” For more information see the ALA news site and to read the brief see the Electronic Frontier Foundation site.
State:
The Illinois state budget impasse has become (if possible) more dire. On September 8, the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) released a statement about the impact of the budget situation, stating that “some hospitals are now on the verge of closing their doors within the next few weeks or months.” Additionally, the state has now frozen payments for over 140,000 self-insured state workers due to a lack of available funds. This presents the possibility of a lawsuit from public-sector unions, as well as an extreme hardship for state employees who may now need to pay for care out-of-pocket and be reimbursed later. For more information, see IllinoisHomepage.net.
The Illinois state budget impasse has become (if possible) more dire. On September 8, the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) released a statement about the impact of the budget situation, stating that “some hospitals are now on the verge of closing their doors within the next few weeks or months.” Additionally, the state has now frozen payments for over 140,000 self-insured state workers due to a lack of available funds. This presents the possibility of a lawsuit from public-sector unions, as well as an extreme hardship for state employees who may now need to pay for care out-of-pocket and be reimbursed later. For more information, see IllinoisHomepage.net.