March 17, 2010
Legislative Visits February 24th and 25th
The following has been posted on behalf of Robert Schmidt, Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO)
As part of our on-going New York Legislative advocacy program, METRO made legislative visits to the Albany offices of 12 area legislators on February 24th and 25th. More visits were planned but were curtailed due to the upstate snowstorms.
Budgetary Cuts
This year, the proposed Executive Budget contains an additional $2.4 million cut in Library Aid. This will be the fifth cut in library funding in the last two years and would bring Library Aid down from $102 million in 2007 to $84.5 million 2010, which amounts to a combined 18% reduction over that time.
Targeting
There are over 90 State Senators and State Assembly Members from the New York City area, and it is impractical to visit each of their offices. Therefore, METRO targets those members from our area that are particularly influential in the state’s budget process.
Support
Most of the legislators that were visited are in general support of library funding; in fact many are long- time library champions. The reason for the visits is that there is, of course, a limited amount of money available, especially during the current budgetary crisis. At the same time, there are almost a limitless array of interest groups who want some of the government appropriations. If libraries are not in Albany and present a solid case, it would be much too easy for those funds to be appropriated in other areas. In fact, the effectiveness of this strategy was confirmed directly in at least four of the visits.
Message
We did not deny the fact that the state was in fiscal difficulties. However, there is a general idea being proposed of “shared sacrifice.” That is that all parts of the state budget are going to have to give-in and be reduced somewhat.
We pointed out that library funding has been essentially flat since 1993, despite all the increases in costs and the general increased use of libraries as reported in the news media. This flat funding was happening while most other parts of the state budget have increased by 50, 60, 70 percent and higher. In addition, libraries have had four recent cuts during the past two years. Therefore, our message was that libraries have already given their fair share in order to help with the states budget, and that any further cuts would be grossly unfair and unproductive for the state. We pointed out the higher demand for library services during a recession and that many people depended on libraries for many aspects of job searching. At the same time, libraries are a vital resource for businesses that are necessary for a good economy.
Almost all legislators spoke in favor of library funding. While some knew the history of library funding, many others did not.
Results and further action
Visibility and information are a vital part of any legislative advocacy. Our Albany appointments assisted in raising that visibility and in sharing information which will assist our library supporters in fending off calls for further cuts.
Because of all the budgetary problems and other unrelated government issues, there is little chance that Albany will have an on-time budget on April 1st.
The competition for appropriations is fierce. It is necessary that all library supporters continue to call and visit their legislators until a state budget is enacted. A great source for further information is the New York Library Association’s website, www.nyla.org
If you would like personal assistance with information concerning setting up a visit or in putting together a support letter, please feel free to contact me, Robert Schmidt, at METRO. My email is rschmidt@metro.org and my phone number is (212) 228-2320 x 14.
