ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 4 1 8 /C&RL News Washington Hotline Lynne E. Bradley The second 100 days and still counting . . . T hough there w ere n o hear­ ings, floor debates, or new bills introduced w hile both ho u ses o f Congress w ere in recess in recent w eeks, it still has no t b een quiet. O n e major focus o f activ­ ity has b een the T elecom ­ m u nications Com petition and D ereg u latio n Act o f 1995, S. 652. T here is vig­ o ro u s d eb ate o n m any as­ pects o f this bill and advo­ cates on all sides of the issue have u se d the recess to lobby sen ate staffers an d d evelop coalitions. Education and library groups, includ­ ing ALA, have b e e n w orking to preserve the critical Snowe-Rockefeller-Kerrey-Exon am end­ m e n t (SRKE) w h ic h w o u ld p ro v id e K– 12 schools, libraries, and rural health care provid­ ers w ith a form o f increm ental-cost-based or “affordable” rates to connect to th e informa­ tion superhighw ay. T h e re g io n a l B ell o p e ra tin g c o m p a n ie s (REBOCs) have strongly o p p o s e d th e SRKE am endm ent as a type o f subsidy they claim unfairly burdens the REBOC’s with requirem ents to provide at-cost services to schools an d li­ braries. This is not an easy battle, an d sch o o l/ library coalition advocates n eed every ally p o s­ sible to su p p o rt th e am endm ent. Library advo­ cates are asked to w rite their senators to e n ­ courage su p p o rt for SRKE. Similar legislation has b een introduced in the H ouse by Reps. Tho­ m as Bliley (R-VA) an d Jack Fields (R-TX), b ut it does not include any provisions similar to SRKE. A n u m b er o f library an d inform ation pro­ fessional associations have en d o rsed the SRKE am endm ent in a letter to Sen. Larry Pressler (R- SD), chair o f the Senate Com m erce Commit­ tee. The May 8 letter w as sent from ALA, the American Council o n Education, the American Association of Law Libraries, the American As­ sociation o f State Colleges an d Universities, the A ssociation o f R esearch Libraries, th e Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the C om put­ ing Research Association, and the Special Li­ braries Association. T he Medical Library Asso­ Lynne E. Bradley is deputy executive director o f ALA ’s Washington Office; e-mail: leh@alawash.org ciation will also b e endors­ ing SRKE. (The full text of the joint letter will be posted in A L A W O N .) C o m m u n ic a tio n s D e­ c e n c y Act: Library a d v o ­ cates and others concerned w ith First A m endm ent issues have also b e e n w orking to re m o v e th e E x o n -G o rto n a m e n d m e n t from S. 652. T his C om m unications D e­ cency Act o f 1995 w ould ex­ p a n d p ro h ib itio n s ag ain st o b scen e o r harassing use o f th e telep h o n e to all telecom m unications d e ­ vices, an d could lead to censorship o f private online com m unications in violation o f the First Amendment. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has pro­ p o sed a less intrusive alternative, the Child Pro­ tection, User Em pow erm ent, an d Free Expres­ sion in Interactive Media Study Bill (S. 714), calling for a study by the Justice an d Comm erce Departm ents o f technological m eans o f em pow ­ ering users to control electronic information they receive. Library advocates are asking for re­ moval of the Exon-G orton am endm ent from S. 652 an d to su p p o rt the Leahy alternative. FY95 re scissio n s: Library su pporters have already h ad a n effect o n th e FY95 rescissions o f appropriations approved for library programs by last year’s Congress. O f the $34.7 million in cuts to FY95 library program s first p ro p o sed by th e H ouse A ppropriations Comm ittee, $8 million w as restored o n the H ouse floor, and $23.8 million m ore w as restored by th e Senate A ppropriations Committee. T he Senate recom ­ m en d ed limiting the rescissions-cuts to $2.9 million. T he rescission package will now go to a joint conference com m ittee. Senate A ppro­ priations Committee m em bers joined with those Congressional representatives appointed to start their conferencing th e w eek o f May 10. FY 96 A p prop riation s: By press time, the critical FY96 b u d g et process will have heated up. Library sup porters can not underestim ate th e very difficult political climate that surrounds these p ending debates and grassroots support is n eed ed . It will b e a tough fight to save the various library program s. B udget docum ents will b e released shortly an d reveal h o w the 104th Congress will address library a n d ed u ca­ tion program s during its second 100 days. mailto:leh@alawash.org