FLA Advocacy Request

4-27-2011
Florida Library Funding Advocacy - The Time to Act is Now!!!
We have just learned who the Transportation and Economic Development (TED) Budget
Conferees are and their time line for completing their work. These are the folks who we need to
persuade to fund State Aid to Public Libraries at $21.2 million and Library Cooperatives at $1.2
million. The Conferees will start work Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. and meet periodically until
noon Friday at which time unresolved issues will be bumped to the budget chairs for resolution.
This is it! It’s time to put every bit of effort into this that we can – don’t hold back!
We need to make as many contacts as possible with every legislator between now and Friday
morning. If any of the legislators identified below as members of the leadership or the
Transportation and Economic Development (TED) Conference Committees serve your
community it is critically important for you to arrange to have contacts made!
We also need to contact those legislators identified below as being “At Large Conferees.” Those
legislators can participate in any Budget Conference Committee proceeding they choose so they
have the potential to support us in the TED meetings too.
If your legislators are not identified below, ask them to urge their colleagues who are TED
Conferees to fund State Aid at $21.2 million and Library Cooperatives at $1.2 million. Last year
at this point in the process several legislators stood up and went directly to the legislative
leadership on our behalf and we need legislators to stand up for Florida libraries again this year!
And it’s time to reach out to every group that you can to join in the effort. Friends, family
members, clubs, church groups – whatever group you are a part of, get its members involved.
FLA’s CapWiz service works particularly well for friends of libraries who are more comfortable
using the message we provide and the ease of sending messages
http://capwiz.com/ala/fl/issues/alert/?alertid=36971501 .
Be on the lookout for additional communications as the budget process moves forward. They
need to complete the budget no later than Tuesday, May 3
rd
if they are to going to be able to
finish the 60 day regular session on Friday as scheduled.
Message: Please, during the TED budget conference process, fund State Aid to Public
Libraries at $21.2 million and Library Cooperatives at $1.2 million. The House budget has
State Aid to Public Libraries at $17.7 million and Library Cooperative funding at $1 million
and the Senate has both at zero.
$21.2 million for State Aid is the current year funding amount and the maintenance of effort
level necessary to avoid reductions in federal library funding. Funding for both programs has
been significantly reduced in recent years.
Thank you for your consideration!And please, please, please keep it positive. These folks want to help us and it’s our obligation to
show them there is overwhelming positive support for library funding among Floridians!
Many, many thanks!
Charlie Parker –
Chair, Legislative Committee
Florida Library Association