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GPO Legislative Action Alert (Ridley Kessler) Ann Ercelawn 01 Jun 1994 18:58 UTC

Date: Wed, 01 Jun 1994 11:00:20 -0800
From: AIMEE <APISCITELLI@EWU.EDU>
Subject: Congression Alert - your support needed
X-To:         maps-l@uga.cc.uga.edu, libref-l <libref-l@kentvm.bitnet>,
 serialst <serialst@uvmvm.bitnet>

To:   Govdoc-llers and Other Concerned Listservers
From:  Ridley Kessler, GODORT Legislation Committee
Subject:  Legislative Action Alert for H. R. 4454

On Thursday, May 26, 1994, (Black Thursday) the United States House of
Representatives performed major surgery on that portion of the
Legislative
Appropriations Bill for 1995 (H.R. 4454) concerned with the Government
Printing Office's Salaries and Expenses Budget.  An amendment introduced
by Congressmen James A. Barcia (D-MI-5), Gerald D. Kleczka (D-WI-4), and
Bill Thomas (R-CA-21) cut 1.5 million dollars from the Superintendent of
Documents Salaries and Expenses budget which was intended to be used for
the development of electronic information distribution services to
Depository Libraries. These distribution services are a vital part of
P.L. 103-40, The Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access
Enhancement Act of 1993, which called for the GPO to establish a
directory of electronic Federal information, to make the "Congressional
Record" and the "Federal Register"  available online, to establish an
electronic storage facility for government information, and to provide
electronic dissemination for information from other Federal agencies.
P.L. 103-40 required the GPO to have the system of access, the directory,
and the storage facility operational 12 months from its passage which
would have been June, 1994.  The GPO has been working steadily on these
projects and is ready to begin operation this June.  The loss of this
money will, if not delay, at least hamper the full delivery of electronic
access through the GPO.  Earlier this month the House Appropriations
Committee had already cut 1.1 million dollars from the GPO budget for the
printing of depository paper copies of the 1995 U.S. Code saying that
Depositories should receive it only in CD-ROM format.  The Salaries and
Expenses budget (that portion of the budget used for the Depository
Library Program) original request for FY 1995 was for 33.9 million
dollars.  The cut from yesterday combined with the Committee cut now
brings that amount to 30.6 million dollars.  While this budget still
represents a $1,512,000 increase over last years budget it is still less
than hoped for and will slow considerably the entry of the GPO into the
Internet.

It is very important that everyone contact their Senators and ask that,
at least, the $1.5 million dollars cut by the House of Representatives
be restored to the GPO Salaries and Expenses Budget for Fiscal Year 1995.

This would increase that budget to $32,100,000 which is the original
amount approved by the House Appropriations Committee. This restored 1.5
million dollars would enable the GPO to fully deliver the electronic
information to Depository Libraries called for in P. L. 103-40.  The
money would enable the Superintendent of Documents to cover operating
costs for electronic access, load appropriate software that will be
needed to carry out the program, improve computer hardware to handle all
of the programs, provide adequate customer service and support which
would include instructions, guides, and training sessions for Depository
Librarians as well as other users.  Please explain to your Senators that
the Depository Library
Program will be an important part of the coming National Information
Infrastructure and the Government Printing Office must be in a position
to
participate.  The 1.5 million dollars will help them prepare for the
technological challanges that electronic distribution will bring.  Remind
them that all of the Depository Libraries in their state and the public
they serve will benefit from this money.

You may wish to remind Senators that the $32.1 million above already
incorporates a $1.8 million cut from the budget the Public Printer
requested, and that full funding of the Public Printer's request would be
optimal. The bottom line, however, is that funding for the delivery of
GPO Access programs to Depository Libraries is essential to the future
viability of the DLP and something for which we must press.

It is especially important that Senators on the Senate Appropriations
Committee be contacted.  The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the
Legislative Branch is composed of Chairman Harry M. Reid (D-NV), Barbara
A. Mikulski (D-Md), Patty Murray (D-Wa), Connie Mack (R-Fl), Conrad Burns

(R-Mt).

The full Senate Appropriations Committee roster is as follows:

Democrats                               Republicans
Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia, Chair            Mark O. Hatfield, Oregon
Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii                        Ted Stevens, Alaska
Ernest F. Hollings, South Carolina              Thad Cochran, Mississippi
J. Bennet Johnston, Louisiana                   Alfonse M. DAmato, New York
Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont                       Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania
Jim Sasser, Tennessee                   Pete V. Domenici, New Mexico
Dennis DeConcini, Arizona                       Don Nicles, Oklahoma
Dale Bumpers, Arkansas                  Phil Gramm, Texas
Frank R. Lautenberg, New Jersey         Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Tom Harkin, Iowa                                Slade Gorton, Washington
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland                   Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
Harry Reid, Nevada                              Connie Mack, Florida
J. Robert Kerrey, Nebraska                      Conrad Burns, Montana
Herb Kohl, Wisconsin
Patty Murray, Washington
Dianne Feinstein, California