Congress Cuts LSTA Funding for FY12; Obama Expected to Approve
By Michael Kelley Dec 19, 2011(This story has updated from an earlier version)
President Obama is expected to sign the $915 billion budget bill for FY12 that Congress passed over the weekend, and the bill contains reduced appropriations for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Government Printing Office (GPO), whose top administrator, the public printer, will soon be out of a job.
LSTA funding stands at $185 million, a 2.3 percent cut from the $189 million received in FY11. Susan Hildreth, the director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (which adminsters LSTA), said she was pleased Congress recognized the need for federal support of museums and libraries.
"Ideally there would be a higher level of funding. But fiscal constraint is currently a fact of life at the federal level," Hildreth said.
Under LSTA:
- Grants to States was appropriated at $156.6 million (down from $160 million);
- Native American Library Services was funded at $3.8 million (down from $3.9 million);
- National Leadership for Libraries was funded at $11.9 million (down from $12.2 million);
- the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian received $12.5 million (down from $12.8 million).
LSTA is a major source of revenue for IMLS, the agency responsible for distributing the majority of federal library program funds to the states. IMLS had requested $193.2 million for LSTA. The House passed the final budget 296-121 on Friday, and the Senate passed it Saturday on a 67-32 vote.
"We are disappointed that LSTA was cut," said Jeffrey Kratz, an assistant director for government relations in the American Library Association's Washington office. "We feel this money helps a lot of libraries throughout the country and any more cuts to this hurts them on the local level," he said.
The Government Printing Office and the Superintendent of Documents both avoided the substantial cuts that an earlier House version of the budget had envisioned and which engendered some concern this past summer about the impact on the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the Federal Digital System (FDsys).
GPO was appropriated at $126.2 million, down from $135.1 million, and the Superintendent of Documents will be funded this year at $35 million, down from $39.8 million.
The GPO did not return calls and emails seeking comment; however, Jessica McGilvry, an assistant director for government relations in the ALA's Washington office, said that the level of GPO funding "was better than we thought and we are hoping for the best."
"It's more money than the House was initially proposing, but we can't say how GPO is going to spend the dollars it's being appropriated," McGilvry said. "They have greater concerns at the moment about the upheaval there, and we are not sure what direction that will take and how that will affect FDLP and FDsys," she said.
McGilvry was referring to William Boarman, the public printer, who will soon be out of a job. Boarman was first nominated for the GPO's top job in April 2010, and he got a recess appointment from President Obama earlier this year.
But unspecified objections raised Saturday have killed his nomination, and recess appointees have to step down if they are not confirmed by the end of the Senate's term (which will happen at year's end).
"Having been nominated originally 20 months ago, having been reported out of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee unanimously twice, and not having been permitted to learn and respond to the nature of the objection to his confirmation, Boarman is disappointed in the result of Saturday's Senate action," the GPO said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Boarman named Davita Vance-Cooks as Deputy Public Printer, the second-highest ranking position at the agency. Vance-Cooks is the first woman ever to be appointed to that position. She has been chief of staff for the public printer since January.
The budget also includes $28.6 million for school libraries and $12.4 million for the Electronic Government Fund, up from $8 million in FY11. The latter promotes Web-based transparency on public spending through programs such as Data.gov and USAspending.gov.
