ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


WASHINGTON 
HOTLINE

Carol C. Henderson (202) 547-4440; (ALA0025)
Deputy Director, ALA Washington Office

HEA H-D. This month’s deadline was extended so that I could tell you how last-minute 
deficit reduction action affected funding for the Higher Education Act II-D college library tech­
nology grants, but Congress has not finished work, and it’s going to be a cliff-hanger until 
Christmas. That news will have to wait till next time.

W H CLIS. However, the extended deadline enables me to include news of the Senate 
passage on December 15 by voice vote of the legislation (S.J.Res. 26) for a second White 
House Conference on Library and Information Services to be held between 1989-91. The 
Senate has some provisions not in the House-passed H.J.Res. 90, so differences must be 
worked out.

NAL. Pending bills which will carry over into the second session in 1988 include HR 
1435, which would consolidate and expand the statutory authority for the National Agricultural 
Library. HR 1435, introduced in March 1987 by House Agriculture Committee Chairman E de 
la Garza (D-TX) and ranking minority member Edward Madigan (R-IL), would clarify that 
NAL’s mission is "to serve as the Nation’s primary agricultural information resource."

The bill would bring together legislative authority in various acts, strengthen NAL’s posi­
tion in the Department of Agriculture, consolidate the definition of functions of the library, 
define the relationship of NAL to the agricultural and information communities, and provide 
for recovery of costs in generating products and services and for NAL use of funds from fees 
and sales. Finally, the bill would bring NAL closer to realization of all the goals recommended 
by a Blue Ribbon Panel in 1982. That panel resulted in the report, "Assessment of the National 
Agricultural Library—Final Report to the Secretary," prepared by the Interagency Panel on the 
NAL, published by USDA, Science and Education, August 1982.

Interstate sales tax. Several bills pending in Congress would allow any state to require 
out-of-state vendors to collect applicable sales tax if vendors above a minimum size solicited 
and made sales in that state. Any libraries not exempt from sales tax would be affected to the 
extent that they made purchases from out-of-state publishers, distributors, or equipment sup­
pliers. Although the proposed change would represent additional revenue for state and local 
governments, paperwork could increase since exempt libraries would probably have to certify 
they were exempt for the vendor’s records.

HR 1242, introduced by Rep. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), was approved by the Select 
Revenue Measures Subcommittee on November 5 and is pending before the full House Ways 
and Means Committee. As revised in subcommittee, HR 1242 is apparently now similar to HR 
3521, introduced by Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX) on October 21. The Taxation and Debt Manage­
ment Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing November 6 on S. 639, 
introduced by Sen. Quentin Burdick (D-ND), and S. 1099, introduced by Sen. Thad Cochran 
(R-MS). The Treasury Department expressed doubts about the constitutionality of the legisla­
tion. Governors, tax administrators, and other state officials testified in favor, along with 
certain retail dealers. Direct marketers were opposed.