Contact Your Legislator re Legacy Funds!

From Elaine Keefe, lobbyist for MLA/MEMO:

As you may have seen in media reports, legislators are considering raiding the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to pay for a new stadium for the Vikings. 

This is certainly not what the voters were told this money would be used for when they passed the Legacy Amendment in 2008.  

Raiding the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund for a stadium will reduce the funding available for arts and cultural programs throughout Minnesota, including those offered by libraries. 

Please call or e-mail your legislators and tell them that you oppose using Arts Fund money for a stadium. 

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts has an excellent tool on their website for constructing a letter to your legislator using your choice of talking points.  The link is below:

 

http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/mn/issues/alert/?alertid=12568891&type=ST&show_alert=1

Legislative Action Item

From ALA:

Librarians are on the front lines, helping the American people find the government information they need to find jobs, work effectively, and participate in our democracy. The programs of the Government Printing Office (GPO) are integral in keeping the American people informed.  Unfortunately, funding for the GPO is under attack.

The GPO is the only agency with the mission of ensuring that the American public has access to Congressional, Judicial and Executive branch information in all formats – physical and digital. An unintended consequence of severe cuts to GPO’s budget may be the demise of its access programs.

Please contact your Congressional representatives and ask them to fund the GPO at the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 recommendation. For background information, talking points and contact information for your Congressional representatives please visit: http://capwiz.com/ala/home/

MLA/MEMO Library Legislative Forum

Free for MLA/MEMO members including food! $25 for anyone else (but I think the student MLA annual fee is $25, so you might as well join).

I'm already registered and would be happy to give anyone else a ride.

Library Legislative Forum
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
9:30am-3:00pm
St. Cloud, MN
"A forum to discuss what happened in 2011 and what should happen in 2012"

Legislative Update

From Elaine Keefe, lobbyist for MLA and MEMO:

Tomorrow legislators return from their Passover/Easter break.  The May 23 adjournment deadline is just 4 weeks from today, and much work is left to be done.  Hearing schedules are jam packed this week because the first deadline for policy bills to pass out of committee is this Friday, April 29. 

Legacy:  The House Legacy Funding Division will meet on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week to consider amendments to the Arts and Cultural Heritage article of the omnibus Legacy bill.  A final vote on the bill will be held on Wednesday.

The Senate Environment Committee will hear SF 1040, our bill requesting $5 million per year over the next two years from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund for regional public libraries, on Tuesday afternoon.  There are 34 bills on the agenda, so our testimony will necessarily be brief.

Maintenance of Effort (MOE):  On Wednesday the House Governmental Operations Committee will hear two mandate relief bills authored by Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R - Mazeppa).  Both HF 7 and HF 519 repeal library MOE and the minmum level of local support as well as many other requirements on local governments, including pay equity.   HF 519 also repeals the requirement that law library fees paid by plaintiffs and defendents be used to support the county law library.  I plan to testify against both bills. 

Governor's Workforce Development Council (GWDC):  HF 844, our bill requiring the Governor to appoint a public library advisor to the GWDC, will be heard in the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee on Thursday, April 28.  Kit Hadley of the St. Paul Public Library will testify.