ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ July/August 1999 / 563 W a s h i n g t o n H o t l i n e Lynn E. Bradley G o v e rn m e n t in fo rm a tio n p o lic y a n d d a ta ­ b a s e le g isla tio n h a v e b e e n b u s y is su e s fo r ALA a n d o th e r lib ra ry a d v o c a te s in re c e n t w eeks. T h e se tw o issu es w ill likely c o n tin u e o n th e C o n g ressio n al a g e n d a th ro u g h th e su m ­ m er, e v e n as th e d ifficu lt d e b a te c o n tin u e s in C o n g re ss a b o u t th e FY2000 a p p r o p r ia ­ tions a n d w h e th e r th e b u d g e t cap s, set to e s­ ta b lis h a b a la n c e d b u d g e t, w ill b e lifte d o r adjusted to ease th e “p ressu re” o n ap p ro p ria ­ tio n s to m a k e m ajo r cuts. At th e sa m e tim e th e is su e s o f g u n c o n ­ tro l a n d In te r n e t filterin g a re e n ta n g le d in th e v ery p a rtisa n d e b a te o n th e ju v en ile jus­ tic e bill. G o v e rn m e n t in fo rm a tio n issu e s O n M ay 19, T o m W. S loan— d ire c to r o f th e D e la w a re S tate L ibrary a n d m e m b e r o f th e ALA C o m m ittee o n Legislation— testified o n b e h a lf o f ALA o n H.R. 1790, th e C h em ical Safety In fo rm a tio n a n d Site S ecurity Act o f 1999, b efo re th e H o u se C om m erce S ubcom ­ m itte e o n H e a lth a n d E n v iro n m e n t. H.R. 1790 p ro p o s e s th a t fe d e ra l d e p o s i­ to ry lib ra rie s p ro v id e q u a lifie d o r lim ited a c c e ss to th e EPA in fo rm a tio n o n risk m a n ­ a g e m e n t p la n s a n d o th e r EPA in fo rm a tio n th a t w o u ld b e p u b lic ly a v a ila b le re g a rd in g ch em ical m an u fa c tu rin g sites as a u th o riz e d in th e C lean Air Act. At is su e is w h e th e r w o rs e c a s e sc e n a rio in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e sites s h o u ld b e p u b ­ licly available. H.R. 1790 p r o p o s e s to lim it th e ty p e s o f co p y in g o f th e w o rse case sc e n a rio m aterial b y p o te n tia lly lim iting h o w m a n y r e q u e s ts an d h o w m any sites could b e m ad e available, and, u n d e r som e circum stances, collecting in­ form ation o r limiting w h o co u ld get access— all o p tio n s th e lib ra ry c o m m u n ity c a n n o t su p p o rt. EPA h a d p reviously in d icated that in Ju n e 1999 th e en tire d a ta b a se w o u ld b e available o n lin e . H o w e v e r, fe d e ra l law e n fo rc e m e n t officials a n d others raised co n cern s a b o u t the risk o f te rro ris m if th e full d a ta b a s e , e s p e ­ cially th e w o rse case scenarios, b ecam e p u b ­ licly available. ALA s u p p o r ts th e p u b lic ’s rig h t to k n o w a n d h a v e full a c c e ss to th e e n tire EPA d a ta ­ b a s e a b o u t th e s e s ite s a n d o p p o s e s th e ad m in istratio n ’s p ro p o s a l th a t w o u ld restrict th e k in d o f access fe d e ra l d e p o sito ry lib rar­ ies w o u ld b e a llo w e d to p rovide. F or fu r th e r in fo rm a tio n , c o n ta c t L ynne B r a d le y a t ( 8 0 0 ) 9 4 1 -8 4 7 8 o r e - m a il: le b @ a la w a sh .o rg . (S lo a n ’s full te s tim o n y is a v a ila b le o n li n e at h t t p : / / w w w .a l a .o r g / w a sh o ff/sta te m e n ts.h tm l.) D a ta b a se le g is la t io n O n M ay 26, th e H o u s e J u d ic ia ry C om m it­ te e a p p r o v e d b y v o ic e v o te H.R. 354, th e C o lle c tio n s o f In fo rm a tio n A n tip iracy Act, w ith several a m en d m en ts. T h e H o u se Ju d ic ia ry C o m m ittee a n d its S u b c o m m itte e o n C o u rts a n d In te lle c tu a l P ro p e rty a tte m p te d to a d ju s t th e bill in r e ­ sp o n s e to th e serio u s c o n cern s e x p re sse d by th e scientific, ed u catio n , a n d library co m m u ­ nities as w ell as so m e co m m ercial interests. T he bill’s a p p ro a c h to d atab ase protection assu m es th at m an y u ses o f d atab a ses sh o u ld b e u n law fu l, b u t th e n tries to se t a se rie s o f ex cep tio n s th at attem p t to b e h elpful b u t are in c o m p le te a n d p ro b le m a tic , e v e n as m o st recen tly am en d e d . A less p ro b lem atic a p p ro a c h w o u ld b e to focus o n d atab a se piracy, w hich truly u n d e r­ m in e s th e o rig in al d a ta b a s e d e v e lo p e r ’s in ­ c e n tiv e to invest. As w e g o to p re s s, th e H o u se Ju d ic ia ry C o m m ittee h a d n o t file d its re p o r t w ith th e te x t o f th e re v is e d bill as a p p r o v e d b y th e co m m ittee. O th e r h e a rin g s are p e n d in g . W a tc h t h e ALA W a s h i n g to n O n lin e N e w sle tte r (ALAWON) fo r u p d a te s o n th is is su e a n d o th e r le g isla tio n in th e n e x t few w eeks. ■ Lynne E. B ra dle y is d e p u ty e xe cu tive d ire c to r o f ALA’S W ashington Office; e-mail: leb@alawash.org mailto:leb@alawash.org http://www.ala.org/ mailto:leb@alawash.org