TLA TEXLINE NO. 215
Posted: February 12, 2007
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES NETWORK
In this issue: CALLS TO ACTION
-
Hearing Set for Library District Bills
-
Hearing Set for HB 239 (on computer access)
I. Hearing for Library District Bills Set
On Wednesday, February 14, the House Committee on Urban Affairs will hear testimony on HB 605(Howard) beginning at 2 pm. The Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee will also hear testimony on SB 241(Wentworth), companion bill to HB 605. These library district bills clarify the definition of a public library and allow library districts funded through an option on local sales and use taxes to be created in multi-county areas.
CALL TO ACTION: If your representative serves on the Urban Affairs Committee or your senator serves on Intergovernmental Relations, please contact their office and ask them to support HB 605 in the House and SB 241 in the Senate.
II. Hearing Set for HB 239
The House Committee on Urban Affairs will hear testimony on Wednesday, February 12, on HB 239 (Alonzo). The bill essentially requires all municipal libraries serving populations of more than 50,000 to provide high speed Internet access and would allow those municipalities to charge “a reasonable fee for use of the computers.”
CALL TO ACTION: If your representative serves on the Urban Affairs Committee, please contact their office and tell them that you are concerned about the provision allowing for a fee to be placed on public library service. Point out that any fee may prohibit access by those individuals most in need of public library service. The concept of a free public library has been a foundation of American democracy for generations, and the fee language (such as proposed by the bill) can endanger public access to information.
|
Urban Affairs Committee: |
Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee: |
The General Government Appropriations Subcommittee met on February 6 (during TLA Legislative Day) and heard testimony on the State Library budget. Both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee must now consider the budget requests for all agencies. The initial draft state budget restored most of the 10% cut to the State Library budget.
CALL TO ACTION: Library supporters are urged to contact their representatives and ask them to support funding for libraries:
-
1) $10.3 million per year for Loan Star Libraries, a program at the State Library. This funding request is included in the agency’s exceptional items request (General Government agencies, Article I of the Appropriations Bill, HB 1/ SB 1)
-
2) $2.5 million per year for K-12 online school library resources. This funding request will be made as a proposed rider to the Texas Education Agency budget (Article III of the Appropriations Bill, HB 1/ SB 1) and also on the State Library budget.
-
3) $500,000 per year for TexShare databases. This funding request will be made as part of a proposed rider to the State Library budget.
For talking points, go to http://www.txla.org/html/govt_aff.html and see 80th Legislative Issues.
House Appropriations Members
|
Senate Finance
|
|
|
|
TLA-Texline is an irregular publication of the Texas Library Association mailed directly to members interested in legislative and governmental issues affecting libraries. To subscribe -- or to offer comments or suggestions -- contact Gloria Meraz, Director of Communications, Texas Library Association. Previous issues of Texline are archived on the TLA website.