U.S. Reps Push for School Library Funds

Staff -- School Library Journal, 9/1/1998

Two congressmen will again try to restore federal school library funding that the President has proposed eliminating. The funding represents about $350 million that can go toward building library collections and purchasing instructional materials.

For the second year in a row, President Clinton has proposed zeroing out funding for Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. But U.S. Representatives Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) and Michael Castle (R-DE), who saved the funding last year, are again trying to rally support in Congress to restore the money to the FY 1999 budget. The congressmen's proposal would allocate $400 million for the program.

In the area of technology and literacy initiatives, both Clinton and the House have requested $143.6 million for the Library Services and Technology Act, though the American Library Association recommended $160 million.

Finally, the fate of the e-rate remains up in the air. Among other things, Congress continues to consider whether to tie e-rate funding to a requirement that schools and libraries install Internet filters on computers used by students. At best, discounts from the beleaguered fund, which had been scheduled for distribution July 1, would come later this fall.