1.1 What the AALL Government Relations Office
Does for You

Resources:

The Government Relations Office offers several timely services to help you stay informed about the latest information-policy news and updates:

• The Government Relations Office Web site on AALLNET: The one-stop-shop for AALL policy updates, letters, testimony, issue briefs, presentations, and other resources, with coverage back to 1995. 
http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/

• AALL Washington Blawg: Launched in February 2008, the Blawg includes the latest policy updates, news items, summaries of hearings, useful resources, and more. It is the best source of up-to-date information from the Government Relations Office. You can receive Blawg updates through RSS feeds and email.
  http://aallwash.wordpress.com/

• Washington E-Bulletin: Each month, the E-Bulletin provides you with a round up of the important information policy issues that we're tracking, current action alerts, chapter news, and further reading for the information policy junkie. The E-Bulletin is available on our Web site and is sent out to a number of listservs, including the AALL Advocacy Listserv.
• http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/lru.asp

• The AALL Advocacy Listserv: A two-way discussion list that keeps you in the loop on the latest policy news, the Advocacy Listserv also gives you an opportunity to share stories about what's happening in your state. Listserv members can post news, questions, or concerns to the hundreds of people who subscribe to the list.
  http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/aalladvocsubscribe.asp

•  “Washington Brief” column in Spectrum: The column highlights the most important issues the Government Relations Office is following. Archived columns are available on our Web site.
  http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/lru.asp

• GRO Staff: The Government Relations Office staff are always here to answer your questions and discuss your concerns. Please feel free to drop us a line any time!

Mary Alice Baish
Director
AALL Government Relations Office
(202) 942-4237
mbaish@aall.org

Emily Feldman
Advocacy Communications Assistant
AALL Government Relations Office
(202) 942-4233
efeldman@aall.org

Events:

In addition to the resources we offer to keep you informed and engaged, the AALL Government Relations Office and Government Relations Committee hold several events during the AALL Annual Meeting and Conference to tell you about our work and give you an update on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. AALL members and chapter members are encouraged to attend as many of these  events as possible.

 For example, we will hold the following events at the 2010 Annual Meeting:

Legislative Advocacy Training 2010: Raising the Bar in Your State

Saturday, July 10, 2010 ▪ 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

With the economic crisis forcing many states to tighten their budgets, some states are making short-sighted decisions to eliminate official print legal resources in favor of online-only, or to charge fees to access legal information electronically. In addition, a growing number of court and county law libraries around the country are facing drastic reductions of staff and resources, and even closure.

We need your help more than ever before on these state issues. This year's Advocacy Training, coordinated by the AALL Government Relations Office and Government Relations Committee and available at no cost to AALL members, will teach you the skills you need to prove to state officials the need to authenticate and preserve online legal information, and make sure they understand the vital role of your state's public law libraries.

Following last year's successful Day on the Hill Advocacy Training in July and follow-up October Webinar, the Government Relations Office has been seeking volunteers in every state to form working groups to promote equitable, no-fee, permanent public access to authentic online legal information. This year's Advocacy Training will provide the opportunity for our volunteers to come together and share the challenges they face, as well as their success stories.

We are delighted that Barbara Bintliff, Reporter to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws' Drafting Committee on Authentication and Preservation of State Electronic Legal Materials, will be our Guest Speaker. Ms. Bintliff will share her unique perspective on the importance of digital authentication and preservation.

The second priority issue we will address is the state of our public law libraries. Since AALL began to work on state funding issues in 2003, when Florida's county law libraries lost their revenue stream of filing fees, we have witnessed a predictable domino effect. Public law libraries in Connecticut, Ohio, California, Washington, and other states have faced severe budget cuts, and even closure, that threaten to deny the public with access to legal materials. It is crucial that we work together to protect these at-risk libraries.

To volunteer to participate in your state's working group and/or register for the Advocacy Training, please contact Advocacy Communications Assistant Emily Feldman by June 1.

Policy Meetings

Hear about the recent work of our three policy committees and their plans for the future. These meetings are open to everyone, and provide a great opportunity to network with members of the Committee and learn more about their important work.

Copyright Committee
Sunday, July 11, 2010 ▪ 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
 
Electronic Legal Information Access & Citation (ELIAC) Committee
Sunday, July 11, 2010 ▪ 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Government Relations Committee
Monday, July 12, 2010 ▪ 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Chapter Leadership Roundtable: Government Relations

Monday, July 12, 2010 ▪ 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Intended for chapter members with an interest in policy, this Roundtable is designed to give participants an opportunity to learn about the work of the Government Relations Committee and Government Relations Office, share policy news from your chapter, and ask any questions you may have about chapter advocacy. It’s also a great opportunity to network with your peers in other chapters. This is an important meeting for chapter policy committee chairs and committee members and we strongly encourage participation by one or more member of each chapter.

G3: AALL Public Policy Update

Monday, July 12, 2010 ▪ 4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

The AALL policy update annually provides the AALL membership with news about progress with information policy issues and legislative advocacy efforts during the year, as well as pending legislation and administrative actions of particular interest to our membership. GRC Chair Camilla Tubbs will present the 2010 AALL Public Access to Government Information (PAGI) Award and the Robert L. Oakley Advocacy Award to our distinguished recipients. She will also provide an overview of the GRC's work during the past year. Chair of the Copyright Committee Joan Shear, Chair of the Electronic Legal Information Access and Citation Committee Emily Janoski-Haehlen, and Director of the Government Relations Office Mary Alice Baish will summarize their year's activities and accomplishments.

Section 1.2 Why We Need YOU on Our Advocacy Team

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