Before plunging into commentary, i.e., giving you all some "scoop," I want to thank Druet Cameron Klugh, CoALL’s prior Government Relations Committee Chair, for making the transition to this position so easy and pleasant. Druet continues to serve as the SLA representative to the Colorado Libraries Political Action Committee, where her experience and savoir faire will continue to be well utilized.
Having now attended 3 meetings of CLA’s Legislative Committee over the summer, I can attest to this group’s passion and concern for the welfare of libraries in this state. Below you will find a summary of recent activity on library legislation and an update on the committee’s activities and plans for the next legislative session in the Year 2000.
Governor Vetoes the State Grants for Libraries Bill (S.B. 93)
This was truly disappointing news when we all heard of the veto last June, but the CLA Legislative Committee is planning to go back to the drawing board. Governor Owens objected to the language in the bill concerning the funding of Internet access in libraries, which led to his veto of the bill. This Fall the committee and its lobbyists will be searching for examples of other states’ language regarding Internet access to rewrite this bill. The goal is to find new language, acceptable to CLA members, which will also be acceptable to the legislature and Governor Owens.
Lobbyists, Ruben Valdez and Jerry Braden, Awarded Contract from CLA
Ruben and Jerry were congratulated for their success this past session in bringing the agenda of the CLA Legislative Committee so close to fruition. Even though the above bill suffered a surprising veto, our new lobbyists’ results oriented style was rewarded with a contract to serve as lobbyists for CLA for another year.
Sign Up for the Legislative Network at the CLA Convention in October
There will be an adjoining table next to the registration desk at the convention to offer members an opportunity to sign up for the Legislative Network. The network asks members to telephone and write legislators regarding bills of interest to the CLA Legislative Committee during the session.
The lobbyists mentioned above praised CLA for its vitality and skill in getting members to support issues when needed last session. This is an easy way to support libraries in your state, so be sure to sign up. If you are not attending CLA, but are interested in participating, please notify me (awills@ojrnr.com, 303-575-7592) and I’ll be sure to have you included in the network.
Annual LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP AND LUNCHEON Date Is February 24, 2000, at DPL. Look for details in an upcoming issue.