C&RL News May 2015 282

Jazzy Wright is press officer of the ALA Washington 
Office, email: jwright@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eJazzy Wright

ALA issues statement opposing 
House budget proposal
In March, the U.S. House passed a budget 
resolution proposing to eliminate all fund-
ing for the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services (IMLS), and with it programs such 
as the Library Services and Technology Act 
(LSTA). In response, ALA President Courtney 
Young released a public statement denounc-
ing the House’s recommendation to elimi-
nate the federal agency. The Senate version 
of the budget bill does not recommend 
eliminating IMLS. ALA will continue to moni-
tor legislative activities to protect funding 
for our nation’s libraries. The organization 
expects that budget and appropriations dis-
cussions may dominate much of Congress’ 
agenda for the balance of the year.

ALA works to support federal library 
funding
ALA led efforts to secure broad, bipartisan 
congressional support for federal appro-
priations letters endorsing funding for the 
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL). 
Thirty-one Senators signed the LSTA “Dear 
Appropriators” letter, and 25 signed the 
IAL letter. In the House, 68 representatives 
signed the LSTA letter, while 125 signed 
the IAL letter. ALA also delivered numerous 
grassroots alerts and notices to library ad-
vocates in an effort to support these letters, 
ultimately sending 6,160 emails to more than 
90 percent of all Members of Congress (487 
of 533 total legislators).

Senator Cornyn receives Madison 
Award for championing public’s right 
to know
In March, ALA awarded Senator John Cornyn 

(R-TX) the 2015 James Madison Award dur-
ing the 17th Annual Freedom of Information 
Day in Washington, D.C. Senator Cornyn has 
spearheaded efforts to support open access 
to taxpayer-funded research and to improve 
the public’s right to know government in-
formation. Just hours before receiving the 
Madison Award, the Senator reintroduced 
the latest version of Fair Access to Science 
and Technology Research Act (FASTR) of 
2015 (S.779).

ALA organizes access for library 
leaders to IRS tax form program 
officials 
The ALA Washington Office hosted a con-
ference call in March with IRS officials to 
discuss problems and issues surrounding 
the distribution of 2014 tax forms and in-
struction publications to libraries. 

The IRS has funded a committee to facili-
tate changes in the distribution for the future, 
and the agency is calling for library leaders to 
comment on ways to improve the Tax Forms 
Outlet Program. 

Education businesses, associations 
demand increase in school library 
funding
In mid-March, a coalition of more than 20 
education businesses, associations, and 
media groups—including Scholastic Inc., EB-
SCO Information Services, and the Associa-
tion of American Publishers—called on the 
U.S. Congress to support dedicated school 
library funding in the reauthorization of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 
which provides federal funding for national 
K-12 education programs. 

Coalition leaders sent the joint letter to 
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions Chairman Senator Lamar 
Alexander (R-TN) and HELP Committee Rank-
ing Member Patty Murray (D-WA).