We received this urgent request from the ALA! Help support the funding of libraries by contacting your representatives!
The Senate campaign to secure signatures on the LSTA and IAL letters ends soon. Senator Reed needs to hear by Wednesday of THIS WEEK who will sign the letters. Please help spread the word to all the members of your Chapters and anyone else who wants to protect library programs.
- ALA Washington Office included a list below of the key Senators we need to secure ASAP. The list, found under Senators Who Have Not Signed Letters is organized by state based on past support and interest.
- You also can find out at Fund Libraries whether your Senator has signed on to the FY19 LSTA and IAL letters (the FY18 history is available here too).
- If your Senators have not signed both letters, please reach out to your Senators’ offices TODAY! See Take Action: Call for talking points; see Take Action: E-mail for sending e-mails.
- IMLS list of state grant levels is available here.
TAKE ACTION: E-Mail
Send an e-mail to your Senators.
TAKE ACTION: Call
Talking points:
- Ask for the staffer who handles education. (Leave a message if you don’t reach them.)
- Give your name and say you are calling on behalf of their state chapter.
- Ask for the Senator’s support to protect library programs that the Trump Administration has proposed to eliminate.
- Ask them to sign two Dear Appropriator letters.
- 1: The Library Services and Technology Act provides funding directly to their states libraries for programs that support education and employment. Ask them to sign the letter being led by Senators Jack Reed and Susan Collins.
- 2: Innovative Approaches to Literacy supports school libraries and helps kids get ready to learn. Ask them to sign the letter being led by Senators Jack Reed and Debbie Stabenow.
- Ask them to sign on by WEDNESDAY, April 11.
- If they ask for more information, give them my contact, which is below:
Kevin L. Maher
Deputy Director, Office of Government Relations
American Library Association
Washington Office
- Thank them for their support.
SENATORS WHO HAVE NOT SIGNED LETTERS
ALABAMA ($2.5 million in LSTA Grants to States)
Doug Jones has not signed either letter
CALIFORNIA ($15.2 million LSTA Grants to States)
Kamala Harris has not signed either letter
COLORADO ($2.7 million LSTA Grants to States)
Michael Bennet has not signed either letter
CONNECTICUT ($2.0 million LSTA Grants to States)
Richard Blumenthal has not signed either letter
Chris Murphy has not signed IAL
FLORIDA ($8.3 million LSTA Grants to States)
Bill Nelson has not signed IAL
HAWAII ($1.2 million LSTA Grants to States)
Mazie Hirono has not signed IAL
IOWA ($1.8 million LSTA Grants to States)
Charles Grassley has not signed IAL
ILLINOIS ($5.4 million LSTA Grants to States)
Richard Durbin has not signed either letter
Tammy Duckworth has not signed IAL
INDIANA ($3.1 million LSTA Grants to States)
Joe Donnelly has not signed either letter
MASSACHUSETTS ($3.2 million LSTA Grants to States)
Ed Markey has not signed either letter
MARYLAND ($2.9 million LSTA Grants to States)
Ben Cardin has not signed either letter
MAINE ($1.2 million LSTA Grants to States)
Susan Collins has not signed IAL
Angus King has not signed IAL
MICHIGAN ($4.4 million LSTA Grants to States)
Gary Peters has not signed IAL
MINNESOTA ($2.7 million LSTA Grants to States)
Tina Smith has not signed IAL
Amy Klobuchar has not signed IAL
MISSISSIPPI ($1.8 million LSTA Grants to States)
Roger Wicker has not signed IAL
MISSOURI ($2.9 million LSTA Grants to States)
Claire McCaskill has not signed either letter
MONDANA ($1.1 million LSTA Grants to States)
Jon Tester has not signed either letter
NORTH DAKOTA ($1 million LSTA Grants to States)
Heidi Heitkamp has not signed IAL
NEW JERSEY ($4.0 million LSTA Grants to States)
Cory Booker has not signed either letter
Robert Menendez has not signed either letter
NEW MEXICO ($1.5 million LSTA Grants to States)
Martin Heinrich has not signed either letter
Tom Udall has not signed either letter
NEVADA ($1.8 million LSTA Grants to States)
Catherine Cortez Masto has not signed either letter
NEW YORK ($8.0 million LSTA Grants to States)
Kirsten Gillibrand has not signed either letter
OHIO ($5.0 million LSTA Grants to States)
Sherrod Brown has not signed IAL
OKLAHOMA ($2.1 million LSTA Grants to States)
Jim Inhofe has not signed IAL
OREGON ($2.2 million LSTA Grants to States)
Jeff Merkley has not signed either letter
Ron Wyden has not signed IAL
PENNSYLVANIA ($5.4 million LSTA Grants to States)
Bob Casey has not signed IAL
VIRGINIA ($3.8 million LSTA Grants to States)
Tim Kaine has not signed either letter
Mark Warner has not signed either letter
VERMONT ($1.0 million LSTA Grants to States)
Bernie Sanders has not signed either letter
WEST VIRGINIA ($1.4 million LSTA Grants to States)
Joe Manchin has not signed IAL
WISCONSIN ($2.7 million LSTA Grants to States)
Tammy Baldwin has not signed either letter
Thanks ahead of time for your quick response to this urgent request.
