April 26, 2000

BACKGROUND:

The House Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations will mark up the FY 2001 appropriations bill on May 2nd and we have learned that the House has targeted a DECREASE of $94 million from FY 2000 across Legislative Branch agencies, including the Law Library of Congress and the Federal Depository Library Program. Full committee mark-up is now scheduled for May 5th; Rules Committee, May 15th; and House floor, May 18th.

ISSUE:

Of particular concern to AALL members is the need for full FY 2001 funding for the Law Library and the FDLP. While we don't yet know what the specific cuts may be, now is the time to contact House representatives who serve on the Appropriations Committee and its Legislative Branch Subcommittee (see List #1).

In addition, GPO has sent letters to over 70 House members, describing the FDLP and listing the depository libraries in their districts (see List #2 for names of these House members and the law libraries/FDLPs in their districts).

If your House representative is listed below, please fax them a short letter along the lines of the following talking points, or contact them by phone this week at their district office. If you are an FDLP, be sure to talk about the many services that you provide to their constituents, in addition to the FDLP print and electronic collections. House members are in recess until May 1st.

TALKING POINTS:

LAW LIBRARY:
Urge support for the full FY 2001 funding request of $8.28 Million, that includes essential funding:

• for 16 FTEs that is necessary to meet current demand by members of Congress, their staff, and other users for research and reference services;

• to support the unique "Second Century of Lawmaking," a digital collection of historical congressional debates and documents;

• to support the Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a multinational legal database that is critical to our nation's business community in the global economy;

• to hire a rare book librarian for the world's largest collection of rare law and law-related materials.

• $1.6 million for the award-winning GPO Access system, including the need to ensure permanent public access to electronic information;

• $3.3 million for cataloging and indexing of government publications that is critically important in the electronic environment to help users find the information they need;

• $1 million for FDLP printing and distribution of the U.S. Code (mandated by law to be produced every 6 years).

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