FW: [NYLINE] NYLA Legislative Alert
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
-----Original Message-----
From: NYLINE -- New York's Libraries Information Network
[mailto:NYL...@listserv.nysed.gov]On Behalf Of Michael Borges
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:53 AM
To: NYL...@listserv.nysed.gov
Subject: [NYLINE] NYLA Legislative Alert
Please excuse the cross posting of this message.
Dear Library Advocates,
NYLA Library Lobby Day was a great success and our advocacy efforts were
again very timely in the state budget negotiations process. Over 800
advocates attended Lobby Day (despite fatal tractor trailer accident on
Thruway) and 62 state legislators had their READ photos taken at the
Legislative Breakfast which also drew a record crowd. At the Rally in the
Well of the Legislative Office Building, the following spoke: Senator Hugh
Farley, past and current chairs of the Assembly Libraries Committee, Sandra
Galef, Patricia Eddington and Amy Paulin, plus NYC Councilman Vincent
Gentile, Chair of the Council Subcommittee on Libraries, Janet Welch, State
Librarian and incoming Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education Jeff
Cannell, Rachel Baum, NYLA President and Kathy Miller, Legislative Committee
Chair.
Thanks to NYLA and library advocates across the state, the Senate has
proposed a $5 million increase in Library Aid as well as making permanent
last year's $19.7 million increase. The Assembly has proposed a $3 million
increase in Library Aid. This is the second year in a row that the
Legislature has proposed increases in Library Aid, which has not happened in
over eight years.
Keeping the momentum going is key to obtaining the proposed increases and
making last year's increases permanent. Please contact your state
legislator either by phone ( see links
http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm or
http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/ or via NYLA's Online Advocacy Center at
www.nyla.org .
Today, the Joint Budget Conference Committees will start meeting to resolve
the differences between the Assembly and Senate proposals. Listed below are
the members of the Education Joint Budget Committee, you definitely should
contact them as well.
Senate Education Joint Budget Conference Committee
Stephen Saland
John Flanagan
Frank Padavan
George Winner
James Seward
Suzi Oppenheimer
Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Assembly Education Joint Budget Conference Committee
Catherine Nolan
Joan Christensen
Darryl Towns
Adriano Espaillat
Amy Paulin
James Hayes
Rob Walker
Stay tuned. I will keep you informed of further developments. Special thanks
to Kathy Miller, Chair and the Legislative Committee for their efforts in
moving our 2007 Budget Priorities forward.
Michael J. Borges
Executive Director
New York Library Association
252 Hudson Avenue
Albany, New York 12210-1802
Tel. 518-432-6952, ext. 101
fax 518-427-1697
dire...@nyla.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator of Member Information
Mid-Hudson Library System
103 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845.471.6060 x39
FX: 845.454.5940
http://midhudson.org