[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2256 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2256

   To provide emergency assistance to local public libraries for the 
      purchase of books and other library materials and resources.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 1993

  Mr. Owens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide emergency assistance to local public libraries for the 
      purchase of books and other library materials and resources.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Book Fund Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act--
            (1) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Education;
            (2) the term ``State'' includes the several States and the 
        District of Columbia;
            (3) the term ``State library administrative agency'' has 
        the meaning provided in section 3(10) of the Library Services 
        and Construction Act; and
            (4) the term ``public library'' has the meaning provided in 
        section 3(5) of such Act.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORITY.

    From the funds appropriated pursuant to section 7, the Secretary is 
authorized to allocate funds to State library administrative agencies 
for use in public libraries within the States for the purchase of books 
and other library materials and resources in accordance with the 
requirements of this Act.

SEC. 4. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.

    (a) Allocation to State Agencies.--From the amount appropriated 
pursuant to section 7 for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall allocate 
to each State an amount which bears the same ratio to such appropriated 
amount as the population of such State bears to the population of all 
the States.
    (b) Allocation by State Agencies.--From the amount allocated to 
each State pursuant to subsection (a) for any fiscal year, the State 
library administrative agency shall allocate to each public library 
within the State an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount 
allocated to that State as the population of the area served by such 
public library (as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed 
by the Secretary) bears to the population of the State.

SEC. 5. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.

    Any State desiring to receive an allocation of funds under section 
4(a) of this Act shall submit to the Secretary a statement certifying 
that--
            (1) the State library administrative agency will allocate 
        funds in accordance with the requirements of this Act;
            (2) the funds made available pursuant to this Act will be 
        used so as to supplement and not supplant funds made available 
        to public libraries by the State;
            (3) all funds made available to any public library in the 
        State will be expended for the purchase of books and other 
        library materials and resources that will be made available for 
        use by the public;
            (4) none of the funds made available to any public library 
        in the State will be expended for any administrative expense; 
        and
            (5) the State library administrative agency will submit to 
        the Secretary such reports as the Secretary may require to 
        verify that the funds made available under this Act have been 
        expended in accordance with the requirements of this Act.

SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with State and 
local initiative and responsibility in the conduct of library services. 
The administration of libraries and the selection of personnel and 
library books and materials shall be reserved to the States and their 
local subdivisions.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of making 
allocations under section 4 of this Act, $250,000,000 for fiscal year 
1994 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

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