ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 366 / C&RL News ■ May 1998 W a s h i n g t o n H o t l i n e Lynn E. Bradley Pending Congressional issues In tellectu al property: ALA has been working hard in the House of Representatives to seek support for the Digital Copyright Era Enhance­ ment Act, H.R. 3048. Academic and other li­ brarians have been contacting their represen­ tatives seeking support for this landmark bill, sponsored by Representatives Rick Boucher (D-Virginia) and Tom Campbell (R-California). There are now more than 30 cosponsors of H.R. 3048. Senators are being asked to co ­ sponsor S.1146, a bill sponsored by Senator John Ashcroft (R-Missouri) to revise the Copy­ right Act to maintain the protection of intel­ lectual property and the provision for library and other access in the electronic age. In early April, the House Judiciary Com­ mittee voted to report out a new substitute for the WIPO Copyright Treaties Implementa­ tion Act. It includes elements o f a Clinton Ad­ ministration proposal, opposed by ALA, which would bar the manufacture o f electronic de­ vices needed by libraries to afford public ac­ cess to encrypted information. Provisions origi­ nally in H.R. 3209 that would limit the copy­ right liability of online service providers were also incorporated. For updates on the status o f copyright leg­ islation, contact Adam M. Eisgrau, legislative counsel, ALA Washington Office, (800) 941- 8478; e-mail: ame@alawash.org. G o v e r n m e n t in fo r m a t io n : The Inter-As­ sociation Working Group on G overnm ent Information Policy (IAWG) submitted a re­ vised legislative proposal to Congress in March to revise Chapter 19 o f Title 44 o f the U.S. Code, the law that governs public print­ ing, procurem ent, and the Federal D eposi­ tory Library Program. Copies o f the IAWG legislative proposal and issue briefs, as well as other information about the IAWG and its a c t i v it ie s , a re a v a ila b le at http:// w w w .lib.berkeley.edu/IAW G. The three key goals in the proposal em­ phasize enhancing and strengthening public access to government information in all for- Lynne E. Bradley is deputy executive director of ALA's Washington Office; e-mail: leb@alawash.org mats. The IAWG believes that Title 44 reform must be enacted during this 105th Congress. Lee Wisel from Columbia Union College in Matyland has represented ACRL on IAWG. Dan O ’Mahony from Brown University is IAWG chair and a member of ALA’s Committee on Legislation. He can be reached at (401) 863- 2522 or e-mail: IAWG@brown.edu for further information. HEA reau th orization : The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee have each ordered reports on their respective bills reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). At this writing, report language is not avail­ able. The House bill, H.R. 6, includes many student loan and financial aid proposals. President Clinton’s High Hopes for College for A m erican’s Youth program is also in­ cluded; this program would support grants to establish partnerships betw een colleges and middle and junior high schools in low- incom e com m unities. The House bill would consolidate a num ber o f nonfunded teacher training programs into a single-state, block- grant program. The Senate bill S. 1882 is similar, though it would combine teacher-education programs into two new grant programs, one that would also build partnerships between colleges and schools in low -incom e communities. Both House and Senate versions would forgive at least a portion o f student-loan debt for stu­ dents teaching for at least three years in dis­ advantaged communities. The most contentious issue in both bills is a lack o f budget offsets to pay for the student- loan interest rate reductions. This could cause problems in reaching agreement with the ad­ ministration although it is generally believed that HEA reauthorization should pass during this Congress. It is less clear w hether Congress will be able to com plete its ambitious agenda dur­ ing the spring session. There is little time left in the 105th Congress; it will be inter­ esting to see what moves forward in this election year. mailto:ame@alawash.org http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/IAWG mailto:leb@alawash.org mailto:IAWG@brown.edu C&RL News ■ May 1998/367