|
ACRL Legislative Update
Volume 5, Number 3
March 6, 2006
PATRIOT Act Passes Senate. Final House Vote Tomorrow
Current Status: On February 28, 2006, the Senate had voted to limit debate on S. 2271 and in so doing denied Senator Feingold the opportunity to introduce amendments to the legislation that would have improved reader privacy protections. Feingold's proposals included modest changes to the legislation that would restore privacy protections vital to library users by limiting the scope of the government's power to conduct fishing expeditions of reading records and restoring judicial oversight of PATRIOT Act provisions. On March 1, 2006, the Senate passed S. 2271. On March 2, 2006, the Senate voted 89-10 to pass legislation (H.R. 3199), already passed by the House, which reauthorizes the PATRIOT Act and fails to restore key library patron protections. If S. 2271, which is a flawed compromise bill, passes in the House, it will be the final vote on USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization for the next 4 years.
Action Needed: The House is expected to vote on this legislation tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7, 2006. The library community feels S. 2271 ("Sununu") as it stands does not provide adequate protections to library patron privacy. We are asking you to call your Representative TODAY and encourage her/him to vote against S. 2271. Calls rather than emails are needed at this critical juncture. The Capitol Switchboard number is: (202) 224-3121.
For background information about this issue and to view a phone directory for your Representatives visit ALA's online Legislative Action Center.
Legislative Day May 1 & 2, 2006
Current Status: This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the American Library Association’s Washington Office and the 32nd National Library Legislative Day! Join hundreds of library supporters from across the country visiting Members of Congress to share stories about libraries in your communities and to talk about the needs and accomplishments of libraries in your area.
Join your academic and research colleagues at a special ACRL Luncheon during the briefing day Monday, May 1, at the Holiday Inn on the Hill. Hear Rodney J. Petersen, Policy Analyst & Security Task Force Coordinator at EDUCAUSE speak on "Safety, Security, and Privacy: The Politics of Surveillance."
Can’t come to Washington? You can still participate in Legislative Day by organizing library supporters in your state to phone, fax, and email Congress on May 1 st and 2nd. "Virtual Legislative Day" communicates the needs of libraries to Congress and increases the impact of the National Library Legislative Day in Washington D.C.
Action Needed: Find more information on National Library Legislative Day, hotel reservations or registration (deadline Friday, April 7, 2006). RSVP for the ACRL luncheon. Find out more about Virtual Legislative Day.
Copyright Office Issues Orphan Works Report
Background: Orphan works are those copyrighted works whose owners are difficult or even impossible to find. Concerns have been raised that the uncertainty surrounding ownership of such works might needlessly discourage subsequent creators and users from incorporating such works in new creative efforts, or from making such works available to the public.
Current Status: January 31, 2006, the Copyright Office completed its study and submitted its Report on Orphan Works to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The report makes recommendations for changes to the Copyright Act to address this problem and to facilitate the "productive and beneficial use" of orphan works. It states that people who republish orphan works should pay "reasonable compensation" if the owners of the material surface and demand payment for the use of their materials. This recommendation could be accomplished by amending the Copyright Act. Critics of the report say librarians, scholars, and museum directors could face infringement suits -- and large payouts — if the copyright-office recommendation becomes law.
Members of Congress both in the Senate and the House of Representatives have stated that they want to move quickly on the recommendations in the Report. The House Judiciary Committee has tentatively scheduled a hearing for March 8, 2006.
Action Needed: While there is currently no legislation pending on the issue of Orphan Works, changes to the Copyright Act could move into the Congressional arena in the coming months.
Read more information.
ACRL Legislative Update is an e-mail notification service that provides current news on public policy topics relevant to academic libraries and librarians, including information from the ALA Washington Office and a variety of library and higher education publications. This digital update is regularly issued as part of our ongoing efforts to make it easier for you to connect with ACRL’s advocacy efforts. Feel free to forward this message to appropriate electronic lists.
We want the Legislative Update to be helpful to you. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please contact ACRL Scholarly Communications-Government Relations Specialist Kara Malenfant at kmalenfant@ala.org.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to listproc@ala.org with the message:
subscribe LEGUPDATE FirstName LastName
To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listproc@ala.org with the message:
unsubscribe LEGUPDATE FirstName LastName
|
