Support Library Funding Amendments Now!

To our library community,
Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) is grateful for and supportive of all the recent amendments filed by legislators on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) budget. MLA has chosen to focus on certain amendments and urge you to contact your legislators before next week's vote on the state budget.

If your legislators have signed onto the amendments, please thank them.  If they have not, please let your legislators know that you want their support on these line items and amendments.  The 4 amendments in 3 line items with their lists of legislators signing on are at the end of this email.

Item 7000-9501 Amendment 181 State Aid to Libraries increase

Item 7000-9506 Amendment 468 Restoration of funds for Library Technology and Automated Resources

Item 7000-9401 Amendment 506 Boston Digitization project funding

                        Amendment 535 Restoration of at least $100,000 to MA Library System

From the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates on behalf of Beverly Shank and Susan McAlister, Co-chairs of the MLA Legislative Committee.

Amendment #181 to H.3400

State Aid to Public Libraries
Representatives Humason of Westfield, Hogan of Stow, Galvin of Canton, Pignatelli of Lenox, Durant of Spencer, Vega of Holyoke, Scibak of South Hadley, Beaton of Shrewsbury, Cutler of Duxbury, Vieira of Falmouth, Smizik of Brookline, Campbell of Methuen, Boldyga of Southwick, Smola of Palmer, Gifford of Wareham, Roy of Franklin, Dwyer of Woburn, D'Emilia of Bridgewater, Jones of North Reading and Mannal of Barnstable move to amend the bill in section 2, in item 7000-9501, by striking out the figures "$6,823,657" and inserting in place thereof the figures "$9,989,844." 

Amendment #468 to H.3400

Library Technology and Automated Resources Representatives Atkins of Concord, Andrews of Orange, DiNatale of Fitchburg, Fresolo of Worcester, McMurtry of Dedham, Dykema of Holliston, Kocot of Northampton, Kaufman of Lexington, Puppolo of Springfield, Ashe of Longmeadow, Calter of Kingston, Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield, Fox of Boston, Gordon of Bedford, Keefe of Worcester, Khan of Newton, Madden of Nantucket, Scibak of South Hadley, Turner of Dennis, Peake of Provincetown, Finn of West Springfield, Mannal of Barnstable, Mark of Peru, Rosa of Leominster, Walsh of Framingham, Walsh of Boston, Garry of Dracut, Devers of Lawrence, Rogers of Cambridge, Schmid of Westport, O'Day of West Boylston and Timilty of Milton move to amend the bill in section 2, in item 7000-9506, by striking out the figures “1,929,238” and inserting in place thereof the figures “3,788,000”.

Amendment #506 to H.3400

For Free Digitization for Public Libraries in the Commonwealth Representatives Rushing of Boston, Moran of Boston, Hogan of Stow, Malia of Boston, Forry of Boston, Henriquez of Boston, Collins of Boston, Honan of Boston, Fox of Boston and Basile of Boston move to amend the bill in section 2, by striking out item 7000-9401 and inserting in place thereof the following item:-

7000-9401 For state aid to regional public libraries; provided, that the board of library commissioners may provide quarterly advances of funds for purposes authorized by clauses (1) and (2) of section 19C of chapter 78 of the General Laws, as it considers proper, to regional public library systems throughout each fiscal year, in compliance with the office of the comptroller‘s regulations on state grants, 815 CMR 2.00; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, in calculating the fiscal year 2012 distribution of funds appropriated in this item, the board of library commissioners shall employ population figures used to calculate the fiscal year 2010 distribution; and provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the library of the commonwealth shall receive not less than 38.3 cents for each resident of the commonwealth ............................... $9,279,475

Amendment #535 to H.3400

Regional Libraries and the Library of the Commonwealth Representatives Atkins of Concord, Andrews of Orange, DiNatale of Fitchburg, Dykema of Holliston, Kaufman of Lexington, Fresolo of Worcester, McMurtry of Dedham, Puppolo of Springfield, Kocot of Northampton, Ashe of Longmeadow, Calter of Kingston, Fox of Boston, Gordon of Bedford, Keefe of Worcester, Khan of Newton, Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield, Madden of Nantucket, Peake of Provincetown, Scibak of South Hadley, Turner of Dennis, Finn of West Springfield, Mannal of Barnstable, Mark of Peru, Walsh of Boston, Rosa of Leominster, Walsh of Framingham, Devers of Lawrence, Forry of Boston, Garry of Dracut, Rogers of Cambridge and Schmid of Westport move to amend the bill in section 2, in item 7000-9401, by striking out the figures “9,131,475” and inserting in place thereof the figures “10,940,475”.