[Libs-Or] Congress is under the gun to pass more than just health care before year’s end

[Diedre Conkling]

 Congress is under the gun to pass more than just health care before year’s
end <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4087>

By Jenni Terry on OGR

  <http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wo.ala.org%2Fdistrictdispatch%2F%3Fp%3D4087>

As the Democratic leadership in Congress is feeling the pressure to pass a
health care bill before the start of the 2010 election year, time is also
getting tight for other important legislation that Congress has neglected
for many months.  Apart from health care, Congress also needs to turn its
attention to the USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization as well as to the remaining
FY2010 spending bills.

Work has stalled out on the PATRIOT Act which is set to expire on December
31.  Both the House and Senate have reported bills from their respected
Judiciary Committees but neither body has taken the legislation up to the
floor, and it is unlikely that will happen before the end of the year.
House and Senate leadership are working to create short-term extension of
the bill giving Congress time to come back and finish up work on it when
they reconvene on January 12.  There is no word yet how long that extension
may be or what previsions an extension may cover.

Seven of the twelve FY2010 appropriations bills have not yet been enacted
including the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related
Agencies bill which contain funding for the Institute of Library and Museum
Service (IMLS) and federal funding for libraries.  The Continuing Resolution
(CR) that was passed last September to fund the federal government at the
current FY2009 level after the fiscal year ended on September 30 is set to
run out on December 18.

The Washington Office has heard conflicting reports from Capitol Hill about
what the leadership is expecting to do.  However, this much is known:
Congress will most likely extend that CR until sometime either into February
or March and wrap all the unfinished appropriation bills into one big
omnibus bill and either pass it the week of Christmas or wait until after
the New Year.

With all the time and energy Congress has spent the last six months working
on health care, it has neglected many other important library issues.  With
time running short, Congress has a lot of work to do before it gets deep
into the upcoming mid-term election year.

Jeffrey Kratz <jkratz at alawash.org>
Assistant Director, Office of Government Relations



-- 
Diedre Conkling
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR  97365
Work phone & fax:  541-265-3066
Work email:  diedre at beachbooks.org
Home email:  diedre08 at gmail.com
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