Latest News: May 14, 2013
State Budget Update; Revenue Lag Poses New Danger
Good afternoon, library advocates.
Here’s the latest from Harrisburg:
Our executive director, Glenn Miller, and our lobbying team from Greenlee Partners continue to meet with decision-makers in the administration and legislature. They have visited with cabinet secretaries and legislative leaders and key members of the Appropriations Committees as well as rank and file legislators.
But our Harrisburg efforts will only succeed if legislators also hear from their constituents. This means me—and you—and all of us. We must turn up the heat to stave off the threat of more budget cuts.
You may remember that in his 2013-14 budget proposal, Governor Corbett recommended level-funding for library programs, the first budget in six years without proposed cuts. But revenue collections are falling short of projections. This could result in a budget shortfall between $300 and $500 million, perhaps more. This is not good news and could result in more budget cuts. Any program which is not mandated by law is in danger of the budget-cutting ax, including libraries.
In this environment, the fact that library funding has already been cut more than 34% over the last four years works to our advantage. When we remind legislators that libraries have already paid their dues when it comes to budget cuts, they know it’s true and agree.
Without our strong voices back home, PaLA’s lobbying efforts in Harrisburg could fall short. Legislators listen to their constituents. The good news is, there is still time. Much of the serious work on the state budget lies ahead. But we need your help today. We urge you to Take Action, today and we ask that you share this message with your board, friends, volunteers, personal friends—any and everyone who believes in libraries and who will take a minute or two to send an email message. In fact, it is especially critical that legislators hear from non-librarian constituents, especially patrons whose lives have been positively impacted by our libraries.
Please don’t put it off. Now is the time to Take Action. Thanks!
Janis Stubbs
PaLA First Vice President & Legislative Committee Co-Chair
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Good afternoon, PaLA Members.
I want to bring you up-to-date on the budget process, provide some background information and share PaLA’s strategy to advocate for library services. As always, I hope you will remember that we ne=ed to speak as one voice to be successful.
The General Assembly just completed hearings on the 2013-2014 Pennsylvania budget. Secretary of Education Ronald Tomalis appeared before the Appropriations Committees of the State Senate and House of Representatives to answer questions about education issues and funding. Representatives from PaLA and our lobbying consultants, Greenlee Partners, have begun a series of meetings with key legislators and staff members, as well as some administration officials to underscore the importance of library services and the funding required to provide good library services to students and the public. We’ll also continue to educate key decision makers about PaLA’s initiative, PA Forward, highlighting the link between libraries and literacy, and how better-leveraged libraries can move our state forward.
By every indication, 2013 shapes up to be another difficult budget year. The Governor’s proposed budget of $28.4 billion represents an increase over this year of 2.4%. However mandated and growing line items, such as Medicaid and state pensions, consume an ever-increasing share of the budget (so modest overall increases really don’t go very far). Additionally the Governor’s plan balances the next budget by assuming the legislature will approve plans to restructure state pensions, privatize the state liquor system, and raise wholesale fuel taxes. These and other hot topics will almost certainly lead to extensive debates in Harrisburg this spring.
With this as the backdrop, PaLA’s Legislative Committee met to weigh these factors and develop a plan of action for the next budget. The committee recognized that Governor Corbett’s budget plan related to libraries—while not increasing our funding—represents the first time since 2007 that a budget was put forth that proposed no new cuts to library funding. While some may see that as small consolation, nevertheless it is a positive sign in an economy which is still struggling to gain momentum.
As things stand right now, our funding would remain level for next year. But that very well could change. Why? As noted above, the Governor’s budget proposal requires major legislative action and if such action is not achieved, then the budget plan’s revenues and spending would be out of balance and other revenue (taxes) or new cuts would be needed.
Make no mistake about it. Level funding in this environment is not the worst outcome and we are not out of the woods for sure. We ask for your help with your elected officials
PaLA’s Legislative Committee also concluded that, even with the current economic realities, it is important for this and future years to keep making the case for improving library services. As such, the committee agreed that seeking an increase for Library Access to bolster the quality of POWER Library makes the most sense in this still-tight budget environment. Increasing funding for POWER Library has appeal because:
1. Even a modest funding increase could improve public and school library services broadly across the state;
2. This is technology-based service which most decision-makers like;
3. POWER Library enjoys strong support among public and school librarians who are willing to advocate for it; and
4. This request will be viewed as credible and not a pie-in-the-sky proposal that would be dismissed out of hand in this tight fiscal environment.
So this spring, PaLA will pursue a two-pronged strategy:
1. Protecting level funding for the Public Library Subsidy, for the State Library, and for Library Services for the Visually Impaired and Disabled; and,
2. Seeking increased funding to improve the quality and quantity of electronic resources offered statewide through POWER Library.
To achieve these two goals, we need your help. It’s easy to do. Here’s a link to send an email to Governor Corbett and to your State Senator and State Representative. Please take a few brief minutes to send your message—expressing support for the no-cuts, level funding budget proposal, and seeking increased support for POWER Library. The more pro-library voices we raise, the greater our chances for success.
PaLA will keep you informed as the process moves ahead and heats up. Thank you for your strong support for library services all across Pennsylvania.
Glenn
Glenn R. Miller
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Library Association
220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
phone: 717-766-7663
fax: 717-766-5440
e-mail: glenn@palibraries.org
3/13/2013 HCS
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Feb. 5, 2013
Good afternoon, library advocates.
Speaking before the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives, Governor Tom Corbett today unveiled his budget plan for Fiscal Year 2013-14. For the first time since he took office, the Governor proposes an increase in the overall state budget of about 2.4% It should be noted, however, that some of the increased spending relies on the legislature approving controversial measures including privatizing state liquor stores, and a plan to move state employee and teacher pensions from a defined benefit to a defined contribution system. The pension problem alone is a huge wild card in this next budget as the Governor and legislators try to solve a large gap between money coming in and benefits projected to be paid over the long-term.
For libraries, funding for all library line items is proposed to remain level-funded at slightly more than $60.8 million under Governor Corbett’s budget plan. The good news is that this is the first time since 2007-08—before the economy crashed—that a Governor’s budget does not propose cutting any library funding. Specifically, here’s what the Governor proposes for library programs for next year:
$53,507,000 Public Library Subsidy
$ 2,821,000 Library Access
$ 2,567,000 Library Services for the Visually Impaired and Disabled
$ 1,946,000 Office of Commonwealth Libraries
I will have more information and context in the days ahead. For now, I just wanted to share this library funding information. There will be more to come. The General Assembly has to weigh in with their priorities as well. As our economy continues to improve, as more people re-join the workforce, and as more revenue comes into state coffers, our hope and our plan is to regain the ground we lost during the deep recession that we’ve all just survived.
Thanks for all of your outstanding support and advocacy for libraries in the past, and in the months ahead. Our legislative committee will convene this Friday to work up a strategy for this budget cycle, and we’ll be in touch after that.
Glenn
Glenn R. Miller
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Library Association
220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
phone: 717-766-7663
fax: 717-766-5440
e-mail: glenn@palibraries.org
Good Morning, PaLA and PCBL Members,
The State Senate, by a unanimous 48-0 vote, approved Senator Dominic Pileggi’s Library Code legislation—Senate Bill 1225—and sent it on to Governor Tom Corbett for his signature.
The new Library Code officially takes effect next April but to fully implement all provisions of the updated law, new regulations will need to be drafted, reviewed, and approved by the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC). It is expected that this process may take 18 months to two years to complete. We expect the process to begin early next year with input from the library community and draft regulations put forward by the Pennsylvania Department of Education by mid-2013. PaLA expects to work with the Office of Commonwealth Libraries as the first draft is developed and will provide updates as the process moves ahead. There will be much more to learn and discuss about this in coming months.
Among other provisions, the new Library Code modernizes certain service requirements, improves flexibility in circumstances when a waiver is needed, adds more librarians to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Library Development, and reaffirms provisions for continuing education. It also includes language that will enable distribution of library funding in next year’s (Fiscal Year 2013-14) budget consistent with this current year’s method.
This is a good step forward that brings the Library Code more in line with current practice and adds greater adaptability in a rapidly changing economy.
Here’s a copy of the
final version passed by the Senate and here’s a
brief summary provided to legislators by the House Appropriations Committee.
We need your help. It’s important to say thank you. Please go
here to thank your own State Senator and State Representative.
We encourage you also to say thanks to the bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Dominic Pileggi. You can find a
form to send him an email here. You may craft your own message, or cut and paste the following sample in
italics below:
Thank you, Senator Pileggi, for sponsoring and guiding passage of Senate Bill 1225.
As you know, much work remains ahead to rebuild Pennsylvania's library infrastructure after deep budget cuts. S.B. 1225 represents a good, solid first step in the direction of re-focusing and rebuilding library services. Improved library service leads to improved literacy, and that's how, together, we can move Pennsylvania forward.
Thank you. Your leadership is greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all library advocates who spoke up as this legislation was developed and as the legislature reviewed and ultimately passed it. PaLA will keep you posted as the regulatory process unfolds.
Glenn
Glenn R. Miller
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Library Association
220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
phone: 717-766-7663
fax: 717-766-5440
Posted HCS 10/24/2012
It is important to say "Thank You" for Library Funding
Good afternoon, library supporters across the state:
Thanks to your help, libraries did well to secure level funding for the Public Library Subsidy in this new state budget. Your voices and the hard work of library supporters statewide saved $2.6 million from the budget cutting ax even as significant cuts were made in many other programs.
Advocacy is a year-round task and we dare not rest on our laurels. We have much work ahead in future budgets to restore funding and services to pre-recession levels. So to strengthen our position for all of the battles ahead—including rebuilding the statewide library services cut in recent years— we need to solidify our relationships with our state officials right now. The best way to start is by saying thanks for level state funding for local libraries in this year’s state budget.
We’ve set up an easy thank you process with draft email messages that you can send as is or, better yet, you can make changes right in the sample message to make it more personal to your local situation. You might give an example or two of what level funding means to your services this year.
Some members want to know how their senator and representative voted on the budget. We’re providing links to that below. Please remember that state budgets are large and complicated documents. As such, it would not be unusual for a legislator who otherwise is a library supporter to vote “no” on the overall state budget even if the library part of it is pretty good. Likewise, the opposite may also hold true. That’s why we ask you to thank all of your state elected officials since successful advocacy relies on strong personal relationships built over the long haul.
That said, there is still value in knowing how your legislators voted since it helps to shape the words and tone of the thank you message you want to send. We’ve taken this into account in the draft email messages that are linked below.
If you want to know how your State Senator voted on final passage of the 2012-13 State Budget, click here for an alphabetical list of senators and how they voted—“yes” is a vote in favor of the budget and “no” is opposed.
If you want to know how your State Representative voted on final passage of the state budget, click here for list of State House members and how they voted. This list is slightly different—arranged alphabetically but separated by political party. Republicans are listed first. Democrats after that. Speaker of the House Sam Smith’s vote is recorded separately at the end of the list.
If your State Senator voted “yes,” click here to send a “thanks for supporting the budget and level funding” message.
If your State Senator voted “no,” click here to send an “appreciation for level-funding” message.
If your State Representative voted “yes,” click here to send a “thanks for supporting the budget and level funding” message.
If your State Representative voted “no,” click here to send an “appreciation for level-funding” message.
And it cannot hurt to strengthen our ties with the Governor so click here to send a thank you message to Governor Tom Corbett.
This summer and fall, please try to invite your elected officials—state, county and local—to come to the library for special events or simply to read with kids. Building stronger relationships year-round increases the chances for success long-term.
We appreciate your spending a few minutes on this thank-you process. All of these little things can add up to big success later on.
Glenn
Glenn R. Miller
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Library Association
220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
phone: 717-766-7663 fax: 717-766-5440
PCBL's Testimony on SB 1225 - Wed., Sept. 21, 2011
HCS 1/17/2012
LibGuides - a practical example of how libraries play an important role in education
If you haven't had an opportunity to explore LibGuides yet, please read about one way that Pennsylvania libraries are developing new roles in digital curation using LibGuides, purchased by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the use of all public and school librarians throughout the state.