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From: ALAWASH E-MAIL [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2003 10:57 AM
To: ALA Washington Office Newsline
Subject: [ALA-WO:791] INFO/APPR: Increases for Library Programs in
President's Budget Request

ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 12, Number 11
February 4, 2003

In This Issue: INCREASES FOR LIBRARY PROGRAMS IN PRESIDENT'S FY2004
BUDGET REQUEST

On February 3, the President's Budget for FY2004 was released.  The
Budget was produced by the Government Printing Office and is also
available online at www.omb.gov.   It is a rare occurrence that the
budget for FY2004 would be presented before the completion of the Budget
for FY2003, but the House/Senate conference on the remaining eleven
appropriations bills was not completed over this past weekend.  The
conferees will continue to meet this week, and Congress may pass another
Continuing Resolution until February 14.

At a press conference at the Department of Education held on February
3, Secretary Paige announced a 5.6 percent increase in proposed funding
for programs in the Department of Education, a request in the
President's Budget for FY2004 of $53.1 billion.  Increases cited were in
Title I, IDEA and Pell Grants.  The Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries program would receive more than double the amount requested in
FY2003, $27.5 million -which could expand the number of grants, "in
recognition that school libraries can play a strategic role in making
information available to all students, training students and teachers
about how to obtain and make use of information, and increasing access
for low-income students to technology and information."

For FY2004 library program dollars allocated under the Institute for
Museum and Library Services, the total would be $207.6 million, while
the museum program amount would be $34 million, bringing the total
request for both libraries and museums to $242 million.  The budget
proposes a $15 million increase in library state grants, and a $20
million amount for library recruitment from the FY2003 budget request.
The budget document states that, "The Administration supports the role
of libraries and museums to enhance lifelong learning ..."

There are a number of education programs scheduled for elimination such
as Community Technology Centers, the National Writing Project and
Parental Assistance Information Centers, but many of these have
congressional support and could be reinstated in the final
appropriations process.  Other programs such as the 21st Century
Community Learning Centers (an after school program) suffered a
significant cut from $1 billion to $600 million based on an evaluation
conducted by the Department of Education that found problems with the
program.  Secretary Paige cited a lack of educational content as one of
the problems.



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